Danville Street Sighting - 1954 Chevrolet 3100 Pickup

These pictures are old but I quite like the subject matter, so let's take a closer look. It's a 1954 Chevy 3100 pickup truck.

Pleasanton Street Sighting - 1954 MG TF Roadster

I guess I went hog wild photographing this one. I typically don't pay much attention to old British sports cars but this first-year MG TF caught my interest. Where I work, a fellow comes into the shopping center occasionally with a beautiful black '55 TF roadster, and since I first saw it I've wanted to spot one on the street to feature. This one was out on Pleasanton's historic Main Street and it is lovely.

San Francisco Street Sighting - 1954 Ford Customline Tudor Sedan

Low-budget custom cars are inherently interesting, especially a fully customized cruiser. A proper "kustom" is expensive and labor-intensive, usually left to professional builders with shops full of specialized tools and equipment. It takes lots of planning and design work before the fabrication even begins. It can be done at home in the garage, and even on the cheap if the builder has the know-how and the will to do the work himself.

Danville Street Sighting - 1954 Ford F-100 Pickup

Last Fourth of July I was in Danville for the Independence Day parade, which attracts many local classic car owners who enter their vehicles in the parade as rides for local politicians, high school teams, dignitaries, and special interest groups. I've driven my father's pickup in the parade once and know that rolling along at walking speed in gear for two hours takes its toll on a vehicle's cooling abilities. I had the truck bed full of cheerleaders throwing candy and U.S. pocket Constitutions to the crowd while I sat in the cab with the windows down and heater on full blast to keep the engine from overheating. Not everyone is so lucky. This 1954 Ford F-100 pickup had to bail on the parade after a couple of blocks and sit awhile to cool down.

San Francisco Street Sighting - 1954 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 60 Special

Some people are crazy about '50s Cadillacs. Something about the tail fins, chrome, powerful engines and luxurious floaty ride made the Caddy the car everyone dreamed of owning back in the day. It was what you wanted to trade up to once you became successful and could finally prove to everyone that you were, because you drove a Cadillac. That was back when Cadillac was the Standard of the World and could actually back up the claim. Today everyone best remembers the outrageous fins of the 1959 Cadillacs, but earlier Cadillacs were more subtle.

Santa Cruz Street Sighting - 1954 Chevrolet One-Fifty Handyman

I actively search for new cars by exploring new areas, but I also utilize other resources such as Flickr and Google Street View, word of mouth from friends and sometimes even advice from fellow owners who tip me off on where to find cars. My interest in this 1954 Chevrolet 150 Handyman wagon was piqued by a few close-up photos I found of it on Flickr with no location given. I searched in vain for the car online until I was puttering around Santa Cruz with a friend one day and by chance it turned up.

Oakland Street Sighting - 1954 Ford Mainline Fordor Sedan

I'm not sure what the odds are of finding a Yugo and a '54 Ford on the same block, but interesting coincidences do happen. This 1954 Ford Mainline Fordor sedan has beaten the odds and endured city life.

San Francisco Street Sighting - 1954 Hudson Hornet Special

Rounding out this week of Hudson automobiles is the last of the Step-Down Hornets, and really the last true Hudson.

San Ramon Street Sighting - 1954 Ford Crestline Victoria

One of the things I like about my job as a delivery driver is that I get to see new places I wouldn't otherwise go. One of the side effects of passing through new locations is finding the occasional interesting vehicle. Sometimes I get lucky and it's still there after work, so I grab my camera out of my car and photograph it.

San Francisco Street Sighting - 1954 Studebaker Commander

One of my favorite 1950s car designs is the 1953-54 Studebaker coupe penned by the Raymond Loewy studio. The '53 Studebakers appeared almost completely new, replacing a body that dated back to 1947. That body reached its design pinnacle in 1950 with a bulletnose motif which lasted for two years. An unfortunately awkward restyle for 1952 introduced a split grille which was translated far more successfully onto the 1953 body. These new cars had low-slung bodies with light ornamentation that made them look remarkably sleek and modern for their time.

San Francisco Street Sighting - 1954 Pontiac Chieftain

I have a reaction toward many pre-1955 General Motors cars that couldn't be called "love-hate". It's more of a "like-don't care" relationship. It's easy to accuse me of being a classic car snob because of statements like that, and perhaps you'd be right, so allow me to qualify my statement. Pre-1955 GM sedans and convertibles often appear much taller and stodgier than the all-new '55s, led by the standout Chevrolet Bel Air as the mainstream styling leader complete with its new small-block V8 engine. In 1949, GM finally replaced their pre-war designs with a plethora of brand-new cars. Since all they had to work with in the regular brands were old six- and eight-cylinder engines, styling was important to their success. It was GM's goal to be the styling leader of the Big Three and fight against the relatively dull but reliable straight-six Dodges and Plymouths and quick flathead V8-powered bulletnose Fords and slick Mercurys for sales superiority.
The 1949 GM bodies continued with gradual design improvements and styling changes until 1954. Some of these changes were made only to keep the car fresh and tell customers that it was a different model year. I like the look of the 1951 and '52 Chevys, for example, as well as the '54. I am largely apathetic toward the '49-50 and '53. It's nothing personal, I just don't care for their grille designs. But here I go talking about Chevy again. As you probably gathered already, this car is a Pontiac.

San Francisco Street Sighting - 1954 Chevrolet 3100

Coming from the CaliStreets Lite files is this 1954 Chevy 3100 pickup. Basically, that's anything I've shot but didn't get very many pictures of. It was getting dark; I had no tripod. You know how it is. This truck represents the end of an era at Chevrolet. 1954 was the last year of full-fendered pickups and the last full year of the Advance Design series that was introduced in 1947. GM got a lot of mileage from the Advance Design body, and the Stovebolt 235 six. Come 1955, everything would change. The 1954-style body actually continued into '55, but was replaced halfway through by the all-new 1955 models, which were finally available with the new-for-'55 small block V8. That means this could theoretically be an early 1955 truck, but 1954 is more likely.