Tuesday, February 21, 2012

1947 Plymouth Sighted - a Happy Moment

Commuting back and forth to work 22 miles each way can become a grind. To ease the boredom, I listen to music, and that's fine. Sometimes I can use the Bluetooth connection and chat on the phone. But the real treat is to enjoy a car sighting--something special.

I've seen a late 1950's Chrysler, with its huge fins. Now and then a 40-year-old Volvo 1800s pops up, or even something like an original early 1970's Honda Civic. But when I see a car that's older than I am--it's pretty impressive.

Yesterday, on the way home, I saw that traffic was moving more slowly in the right lane. As I approached, in my futuristic silver 2012 Toyota Prius V, I saw why it was dragging. A 1947 Plymouth, serene in it's shiny tan paint and chrome bumpers, was rolling along at about 55 mph. Sweet!

The '47 was much like the '42, which was cut short for wartime production of military vehicles, so it looks especially tall and bulbous, even by the standards of the early 1950's. My scoutmaster, in the late 1960's drove a 1948 Chrysler that looked the same. What a fine beast that was--I rode in it at least once. A 20-year-old car really looked OLD back then, whereas a 1992 car on the road today wouldn't even attract attention.

I wonder what I'll see today? It'll be hard to top that Plymouth.


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