1969 Chevy CORVETTE

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the huge used car sale that occurred this weekend in Nebraska. It was an amazing find of vintage cars. Seeing the images on tv was like walking down a street from my childhood.

I wonder if they had one of these?




Click on images to see them larger.

A friend once had a Corvette, I don't know the year. Her husband, an actor, won it with a hole-in-one at a golf tournament. She loved that car, but they finally had to get rid of it. I never asked why, sore subject.

Take it or leave it WITH A JEEP

From the July 1969 Sunset magazine I give you Jeep camping. Frankly, I didn’t even know you could put a camper on a Jeep, nor do I recall ever seeing one. Here’s proof they existed.


(SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969)

Now the question is was this possibly the stupidest camping spot ever? Cross a stream then camp at the base of a rocky hill on a tiny spec of open space. Of course he drove away leaving her to fend with the falling rocks and wildlife. Or perhaps he was washed downstream.

I’m beginning to think the “Take it or leave it” is referring to his wife. Not a good sign.

To those familiar with Ernie from my photography blog visit Ernie’s wife and daughter with their camper.

REMODLING your bathroom

Thinking of doing some remodeling in order to add value to your home? Can't quite come up with the right interior design? Do you like Formica...A LOT? Are you color blind? Have no sense of direction? Have bad taste in clothes?

Have I got a room for you! And remember, I'm giving you this design for free. You can run with it as far as you want...preferably as far from here as possible.

Go ahead, click on it to see it larger. I dare you.


(SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969)

KNOW YOUR MARKET!

Marketing. Focus groups. And then there's this. Raise your hand if you'd have liked to have been there for the pitch. Exactly who was their market?

• Women wearing sweats?
• Women reading diet books?
• Women eating chocolates?
• Women overcome with the fumes from Scotchgard?
• Women too cheap to pay for a real yoga class?

Oh damn, I'm the market!

Click on image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Sunset, September 1969)

Okay, I actually do own the book she's holding. It had belonged to my mother.

SITTING IN YOUR CABANA listening to your banana...record

You'll need Cabana Banana stickers to be able to purchase this offer. Good luck with that!

Strangely, I can’t find any reference online about this children’s record offer from 1969. Typing “Cabana Banana” brings up lots of pages about furniture. So I’ll simply post this and let you dream about this swell selection of kiddie songs. As to the company that offered it...

Click on image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969)

Standard Fruit Company (now Dole Food Company) was established in the United States in 1924 by The Vaccaro Brothers. Its forerunner was started in 1899, when Sicilian immigrants Joseph, Luca and Felix Vaccaro, together with Salvador D'Antoni, began importing bananas to New Orleans from La Ceiba, Honduras. By 1915 the business had grown so large that it bought most of the ice factories in New Orleans, in order to refrigerate its banana ships, leading to its president Joseph Vaccaro becoming known as the "Ice King".

Along with the United Fruit Company, Standard Fruit played a significant role in the governments of Honduras and other Central American countries, which became known as "banana republics" because of the highly favorable treatment the fruit companies were given.

In 1926, the company changed its name from Standard Fruit Company to Standard Fruit & Steamship Company. Between 1964 and 1968, the company was acquired by the Castle & Cooke Corporation, which also acquired James Dole's Hawaiian Pineapple Company (HAPCO) around the same time. In 1991, Castle & Cooke was renamed Dole Food Company. Castle & Cooke Inc, a real estate company, was spun off in 1995 and is now separately listed. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

To read the history of the all powerful banana companies click here. There is a dark side to bananas and I'm not just talking about how fast they go bad.

BUYING A CAR in 1969...Datsun 1300

Have a hankering to do a little off-road racing in a pick-up with a tasty enchilada at the end of the road? Well, Tattered and Lost Car Lot has a little something you might be interested in if you're Baja bound.

Click on image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969)

SCORE Baja 1000 is an off-road race that takes place on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula in November. The Baja 1000 is part of the SCORE Championship Desert Racing Series that include the Baja 500, San Felipe 250 and the new San Felipe Challenge of Champions in place of the Primm 300 which had been the only SCORE race in the United States. The Baja 1000 allows various types of vehicle classes to compete on the same course - from such small and large bore motorcycles, stock VW, production vehicles, buggies, Trucks, and custom fabricated race vehicles. The course has remained relatively the same over the years with the majority of events being either a point-to-point race from Ensenada to La Paz, or a loop race starting and finishing in Ensenada.

The first official race started in Tijuana, Baja California, on October 31, 1967, and was named the NORRA Mexican 1000 Rally. The course length that year was 849 miles (1,366 km) and ended in La Paz, Baja California Sur, with the overall winning time of 27 hours 38 minutes (27:38) set by Vic Wilson and Ted Mangels while driving a Meyers Manx buggy. 

From 1967 to 1972, the race was organized by the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA) and grew in popularity with ABC's "Wide World of Sports" sending Jim McKay to cover the 1968 event, and attracting new participants like the late Mickey Thompson, Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones and movie actor James Garner. By 1971, major sponsors such as Olympia Brewing Company and Minolta Cameras began to support Parnelli Jones in his Dick Russell designed and Bill Stroppe prepared "Big Oly" Bronco and Larry Minor in a similar Stroppe prepared Bronco. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

BUYING A CAR in 1969...Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina

So, the MBG wasn't for you. Perhaps you lean more towards Italy than Britain. Some wine and cheese instead of fish 'n' chips? Let's take a look around the Tattered and Lost Car Lot.

Click on image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969)

The Alfa Romeo 1750/2000 is a range of medium-priced cars which was produced by Alfa Romeo from 1967 to 1977.

The 1750 Berlina sedan was introduced in 1967, together with the 1750 GTV coupe and 2000 Spider. The 1750 models replaced the earlier 2600 Berlina, Sprint and Spider at the top of the Alfa Romeo range. In contrast to the 2600s, the 1750s were smaller and much less expensive, shared many parts with other concurrent models in the Alfa Romeo range, and sold many more units during their production span.

The 1750 Berlina was based on the existing Giulia sedan, which continued in production. The 1750 was meant to top the sedan range, above the 1,300 cc and 1,600 cc versions of the Giulia. In the United States, however, the Giulia sedan ceased to be available and was entirely replaced by the 1750 Berlina. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

BUYING A CAR in 1969...the MGB

What were some of your car choices in 1969? I remember a pretty blue Oldsmobile a teacher drove at my high school. The car was beautiful, at least as I remember it. Now I can't even remember what model it was. But nevermind...time to go car shopping!

Here at the Tattered and Lost Car Lot I give you the first model, a British car. It was a hot little pistol.

Click on image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969)

To read about the MGB click here.

What NOT TO DO WITH CHEESE

Household Tip of the Day...

When caulking windows or bathroom tiles consider using spray cheese in a can instead of hardware store caulking material. This way when you're done with your DIY project you won't be left with a tube of caulking sitting in your garage hardening. Instead you'll have a tasty topper for outdoor grilling!


(SOURCE: Sunset, September 1969)

Getting stuck at a STUCKEY'S

A few days ago I received a comment about an old post I did about Travel Lodge motels. The commenter made mention of Stuckey's. When I saw this ad I knew I needed to post it for her. 

Stuckey's, for me, will always mean pralines. Not the best pralines, but worth the stop.

Let's hear it for the old days of driving across the country: odd motels, privately owned gas stations, and coffee shops that were always a crap shoot, so to speak.

(SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969)

SEYMOUR CHWAST does Schweppes in 1969

There were many designers that held sway over those of us studying graphic design and illustration in the late ‘60s, probably none more so than Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast. We longingly wished to do what they did, but knew we probably never would. They were on the top floor and the rest of us just hoped we’d be good enough to stay out of the basement.

Here are two ads created by Chwast for Schweppes back in 1969.

Click on either image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969)

(SOURCE: Sunset, September 1969)

To read about Seymour Chwast click here.

To visit his online site click here.

Click here to see a variety of work at Google images. You're bound to recognize something.

BANKERS...men of integrity...???

I hate to say it, but at one time you could sort of trust your banker. I admit that growing up with parents who lived through the depression I was never fond of banks. I had images of the banker driving up to a dust bowl farm and evicting the family. So my distaste of bankers was not fully formed. It might have been a little irrational...back then. Now?

Try to imagine a bank running an ad like this today. Let's get the folks at Chase sitting around a table trying to convince us they're doing right by their customers and not just lining their Armani pockets.


SOURCE: Sunset, July 1969

Example...your bankers at work today.