Cool details! As much as I enjoy looking at all the beautiful classic cars I encounter at the many car shows and cruise-ins I attend throughout the year, I really love seeing the vintage automobilia that so many of the owners bring with them. We've all seen it: the Sonic tray perched on the door of a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, old luggage strapped to the roof rack of a vintage 1966 Volkswagen Beetle, and my all-time favorite — the classic Coca-Cola ice chest sitting in the back of an old weathered farm truck.
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| There is nothing like seeing a rare 1950's era Pepsi cooler sitting in the trunk of a nicely restored 1956 Ford Crown Victoria. |
I am particularly drawn to antique ice chests, or as some refer to them, coolers. I guess this dates back to the early 1980s, when my mother gave me an embossed 1950s Coca-Cola cooler for my birthday. It went perfectly with the large round porcelain Coca-Cola sign that hung in my bedroom. The sign was something I found in the barn after we moved to our West Texas farm. Worthless to most, but I thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread. My parents never really understood my fascination with old advertising. Nevertheless, they supported my hobby of collecting signs and other classic Americana. Now, forty-plus years later, I have amassed quite a collection of signs, soda machines, and, of course, coolers.
Seeing the large variety of items on display at an antique car show adds to the ambiance in much the same way that the decor at your favorite restaurant enhances your dining experience. There is one restaurant in particular that comes to mind. Every Saturday, I load up my wife and kids and we head to this family favorite. I go there more for the decor than the food, while my wife’s favorite part is not having to do the dishes afterward. Out front stands an old soda machine and a couple of rocking chairs. Inside, the walls are covered in vintage advertising of all types, and antiques hang from the ceiling. As I look around, I take it all in. Sometimes I find myself drawn to something in particular — something oddly familiar that reminds me of my grandmother. It could be something as simple as a cooking utensil, but it transports me back in time to my summers on Hastings Hill in southern Ohio. I enjoy looking at all the old artifacts from America’s past — classic Americana, as it is called these days. Cool old stuff, not quite ready for the museum yet, but still cool just the same. And this is exactly what we encounter today as we walk the rows of old vintage hot rods and beautifully restored antiques.
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| Occasionally, you'll find an ice chest being used as intended. In this case I was honored to share an ice-cold Coca-Cola with a fellow car enthusiast as we talk about his old Ford F100 pick-up truck. |
Heavy lift
Asking about the memorabilia we encounter can lead to a whole conversation in and of itself. Talking with an older gentleman about his 1950s Cavalier ice chest leads to learning how heavy the darn thing is when empty (25 lbs) and how heavy it can get when filled with 12-oz glass-bottled Cokes and some ice (over 50 lbs). Many might not realize that this little bugger required two grown men to carry it from the car to the beach. I learned that from my mother on the day she gave me that first Coca-Cola cooler — a story I always feel compelled to tell when talking to people about their neat old ice chests.
A lot of folks take real good care of their vintage coolers, so it is rare to see one being used for its original purpose — to keep drinks cold. Most are just for looking at these days. But there are a few enthusiasts who have no problem filling up their old relics from the past with sodas and ice. Some even go as far as to bring drinks in 1950s-style glass bottles. Boy, does that add to the nostalgia! Now the old cooler in the trunk of my 1969 Oldsmobile is mostly for looks; however, I do store some tools and a pair of jumper cables in it. So, in a way, I guess it is now my toolbox.
Pop of color
The sheer number of soda brands makes for some interesting color combinations: blue Pepsi coolers, mint green Dr Pepper ice chests, yellow for Royal Crown, white for 7UP and a couple of others, and orange for none other than Orange Crush. And let’s not forget the iconic Coca-Cola red coolers with that embossed logo seen everywhere at car shows these days. Coke is definitely the predominant brand, resulting in more examples of Coca-Cola coolers being present at any single event than all the other brands combined. Along with the original color combinations, you are bound to encounter other colors as well, since some owners have chosen to paint their ice chests to match their cars. Others simply change the color scheme of their coolers to a complementary one — for example, a white Coca-Cola cooler with red lettering as opposed to the prevalent red with white lettering. Some are even pinstriped to give them that extra pop. So at any major show, you will likely encounter some really unique examples.
There are things to see other than ice chests. Who hasn’t encountered a stuffed Wile E. Coyote sitting in the passenger seat of a late-sixties Mopar? Or how about a Barney Fife cutout next to a Mayberry RFD police car? Encountering either of these requires us older folks to explain to the youth in our company who these characters were and what television shows they appeared in. But this, too, is a positive. My children now watch some of these old shows as a result of seeing these characters at the car shows I “force” them to attend with me. In my case, it was the General Lee. My kids saw the General Lee at a World of Wheels event, and afterward they found the old reruns online. As a result, I am now watching the same shows with my kids that I watched with my father when I was their age.
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| The owner of this really cool 1959 El Camino named his custom-built scooter "Evil Twin". "Double Take would be more appropriate. People do a double take when they first encounter this unique twin engine minibike. It takes a moment to realize you are not experiencing double vision. |
Evil Twin
Sometimes the props overshadow the car. One gentleman recently arrived at a local cruise-in with an old scooter sitting in the back of his awesome 1959 El Camino. I don’t remember much being said about his beautiful car, but I sure heard a book’s worth of information about that old bike in the back. And let me tell you, I enjoyed every minute.
Recently I have begun noticing old tow trucks. I see them mostly at the major car shows, and they are actually really neat to look at, whether restored or not. I find them so cool and fairly reasonably priced that I am thinking about buying one for myself. Old police cars are another example of the car itself becoming the prop. Most are replicas; however, there are a huge number of retired highway patrol cars out there, and many have been fully restored. Some of the owners search long and hard for the original lights, sirens, and radios. In some cases, they even source mock shotguns or rifles. You have to give these guys credit. Finding all of the original police-issued accessories is no easy task. How many blue lights are still available for the restoration of a 1972 Alabama Highway Patrol-issued AMC Javelin?
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| Vintage coolers are awesome but so are the other forms of automotive archeology one can encounter. Here is a late 1960's Shell gas station tire in near perfect condition. It even has the iconic Shell clam shell logo. |
I am also a fanatic for detail — even obsessive! I am always searching for automotive memorabilia. I love finding old original jacks, tools, and unique license plates. I once found a spare tire inside a junkyard derelict. It was in the trunk of a 1968 Cutlass and in perfect condition. The find itself was awesome, but add in the fact that the old bias-ply tire was an off-brand with the Shell Service Station clamshell logo on it — I had found myself a gem. I dragged that old spare home with me, and after a little elbow grease, I got it all cleaned up. It is now on display in the trunk of my 1969 Cutlass along with the original jack and lug wrench that came with my car from the factory. There is absolutely no way I would ever use that old tire. Even though it holds air, it is definitely not safe for use. But it sure does look neat sitting in the trunk of my Oldsmobile. When anyone takes notice of the trunk, I always point out that Shell logo. Everyone always asks, “What are you going to do if you get a flat?” That’s what auto clubs are for.
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| The owner of this vintage 1979 Mercedes 300D went to extreme lengths to source all of the accessories in the trunk of his car. Even going as far as to order an original Mercedes gas can from Germany. |
Carry-on battery!
Vintage luggage is a common prop at car shows and has been for years. Once only common with the guys who owned Volkswagen Beetles, I am now seeing the emergence of this fad in other genres as well. One of the more interesting uses of a suitcase that I’ve encountered involved a trunk-mounted battery concealed in a vanity case, which itself was less conspicuous because three other larger suitcases were placed in the trunk as well. At first glance, it looked like someone was on a road trip. Brilliant idea! Now, of course, one can easily conceal a battery in a vintage ice chest. Just FYI.
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| You have to love ingenuity when you see it. Located in the trunk of this 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air a small vanity case which conceals rear mounted battery. |
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| The owner of this 1946 Ford Deluxe Business Coupe has the Varsity sweater he got in high school way back in 1961. It complements the interior nicely and it acts as a conversation piece. |
Letterman sweater from 1961
Every now and then I come across something really unique. In one such case, I found an early 1960s letterman’s sweater sitting on the front seat of a nicely restored 1947 Ford Business Coupe. Looking at that sweater lying on the passenger side of the front seat left me thinking — albeit only for a brief second — that I had been transported back in time. The owner informed me that this was his very own high school letterman’s sweater, dating back to 1961 when he received his first letter. I could easily envision being in the parking lot of his high school in 1961. And for those in attendance who grew up in the ’50s or ’60s, I am sure they experienced a brief moment of nostalgia too.
So, when you are at your next car show or cruise-in, please take some time to notice these little things.
Scott Johnson
– Junkyard Life contributor
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