Danville Street Sighting - 1947 Willys Jeep CJ-2A

November 11 marks the Veterans Day holiday in the United States. Unfortunately I don't have any military vehicles in my archives to commemorate the day, but here is the next best thing. It's one of the earliest examples of a civilian Jeep, a Willys CJ-2A.

Oakland Street Sighting - 1947 Ford Super DeLuxe V8 Fordor

Some of the best cars only seem to appear when I don't have my camera with me. I had jury duty. No point in bringing my camera. The thing was, there were no trials scheduled that day, so the entire group was excused. I went to hang out with my friend in Oakland, and naturally there at the curb was the "old forties car" he had previously told me about next to the coin laundry place near his house. He loaned me his point-and-shoot and I pointed and shot.

Petaluma Street Sighting - 1947 Studebaker M-5 Coupe Express pickup

Have you ever had those times when you really wanted to take pictures of a vehicle, but the town you're in is a small, close-knit community and there are neighborhood watch signs posted on every street light claiming that "We report all suspicious activity to the police"? It's a bit intimidating, even though a city street is public property and what I do is perfectly legal. Some people just freak out, and when there's risk of freaking them out it makes me nervous.
It all started about five years ago when I was berated by a woman who thought I was scoping out her street. Apparently someone had stolen several vehicles from her neighborhood at some point in the past and so the residents were on edge. I was told that the police would be called if she ever saw me again. I believe that I was within my rights to take pictures, since I never strayed onto anyone's private property and never touched anyone's car. But I can also understand why a person would be concerned that a perfect stranger is photographing every interesting vehicle on the street.

Santa Cruz Street Sighting - 1947 Cadillac Series 60 Special Fleetwood

In rural areas without sidewalks, sometimes it's difficult to tell what's public property and what's part of someone's yard. I try very hard not to trespass on private property or touch anyone's vehicle without permission when I go to photograph cars. In this case, while returning with two friends from the 'world famous' Mystery Spot tourist attraction in Santa Cruz, I had to pull over and snap this cool creamy yellow 1947 Cadillac Fleetwood. The owner's driveway opens out onto a road that began in town and runs out into the woods, and the paved area where the car was parked resembled an easement of sorts, guarded by a painted plywood stand-up of Batman. I know I'm nitpicking here, but I understand that watching a young man pull up, get out of a car with a camera and start photographing your classic car has to look slightly suspicious. For that reason, I do my best not to do anything that could be construed as illegal. I honestly hope I didn't trespass on the owner's property to obtain these photos. Because the car was located outside of a fenced yard, I treated the fence as the boundary between the property and the road.

Auburn Street Sighting - 1947 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith

Now, I don't pretend to be any manner of expert on vintage cars. I know what I read and I read a fair amount. I go to car shows, do research and try to learn what I can. Unofrtunately I'm still useless under the hood. Most of the cars that have been featured here are mass-produced, usually middle-class models that can be researched on Wikipedia and HowStuffWorks.com.
And then there's this. As far as I can tell, it's a 1947 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, and it is an incredible car. These were the last "chassis-only" Rolls models, sold to customers without bodywork so they could commission a coachbuilder to fabricate a body to suit their own tastes. The coachwork on this car is likely supplied by Hooper, which according to JamesList (the craigslist of the super-rich, apparently) is one of the "more graceful and desirable bodies made" in the postwar era. The swoopy and dramatically curved bodywork with four (count 'em, FOUR!) suicide doors makes a statement of luxury and extravagance that sets it apart from other dowdy cars produced in the years immediately following World War II.