You Can Have Anything in
There's not much demand for such custom accessories as a built-in
popular options can mean a lot at trade-in time
The 196S Thunderbird sports roadster (top) is a
racy model with special cover over rear seats; it
becomes four-seat convertible with cover removed.
ss
A conventional Ford Country Squire station wagon
transforms into complete camp site with dining
and sleeping tents, tail-gate kitchen, and boat.
The nation's largest auto maker was curi
ous. How many Chevrolets could it build
before one was duplicated?
The problem was fed into a computer, which showed
signs of electronic indigestion before it came up with this
astonishing answer: duplication could be avoided for the
entire 1,900,000-unit production that the company was
planning for 1963!
Of course, it won't be. One reason is that 25.6 percent
of the Chevrolet buyers are likely to choose white body
paint. And there are such matters as the limitations in
herent in the design of ignition locks: in a parking lot
containing 1,000 new Chevrolets, it theoretically would
be possible to drive them all away with only 500 keys.
Nevertheless, the choice is still tremendous. This year,
Chevrolet will offer 33 models, just so no one can say that
the kind of car he wanted wasn't available with the Chevy
name plate on it. When you add to this the wide choice of
colors, engines, and accessories available, the possible var
iations skyrc-ket.
By buying everything listed in the catalog, ranging
from what is called the "A" accessory group to air condi
tioning for a convertible, it is possible to pay slightly more
than $5,500 for a Chevrolet, Ford, or Plymouth.
An air-conditioned convertible may seem irrational;
but Cadillac, for one, installs air conditioners in 35 per
cent of the convertibles it builds.
Judicious choice of accessories makes excellent eco
nomic sense, aside from your own satisfaction in "per
sonalizing" your purchase. An automatic transmission
that costs an extra $250 when new probably will return
$200 of this at trade-in two years later. Dealers report
that used cars are practically unsalable today without
radios and heaters. Power steering and power brakes also
depreciate at a rate substantially less than the car itself.
In a sense, purchasing the most de luxe model can be
considered buying accessories in bulk and at bulk rates.
Even hardheaded corporations that buy fleets of cars by
the hundreds are drifting away from their traditional
austerity. Reason : no used-car buyer wants, a drab two
door that lacks such essentials as armrests, sun visors,
and cigarette lighters. The cheaper fabrics do not age
gracefully, and the lack of chrome becomes more stark as
the paint dulls with time. Auto auction data indicates de
luxe models of any make are a sound investment com
pared with their austere counterparts.
It is usually advisable to order accessories with your
new car. The factory can install them for less cost on the
production line than the dealer can later. For example,
Rambler charges $64.95 for a radio; but if you decide to
wait and buy it later through a dealer, there is an addi
tional $8 installation charge.
Beyond the norm that makes economic sense, however.
This Buick built for the King Ranch in Texas has
wrangler's seat, gun holders, two-way telescope.
Ex-President Eisenhower's Chrysler has handy
accessory built into door: unique umbrella holder.
President Kennedy's custom Lincoln Continental
has interchangeable tops, rear-seat elevation.
family Weekly, October 11, 1M1
Your Car
shower; but several
By DONALD MacDONALD
car accessories can become as personal as anything in
your home or wardrobe. If you are one of those people who
derive great pleasure in knowing that they are headed
precisely ESE, then the built-in compass offered this year
by Chrysler would be nice to have. If you are caught in
a squeeze between auto streamlining and your girth, then
the tiltable steering wheel offered by General Motors and
Ford is worth more than its weight in dollars.
Or do it yourself. Some years ago Lewis Mattar of San
Diego converted his Cadillac sedan into such a self-sufficient
home on wheels that he was able to drive 8,000 miles
without getting out of the car. Its equipment ranged from
an electric coffeepot to a shower. It also proved to be hard
to sell no one else wanted to stay in a car for 8,000 miles.
Show people often express (or, more likely, advertise)
their personalities by customizing cars. Liberace ordered
the upholstery in his Cadillac patterned after piano keys.
When Buick was sponsoring the tv oat opera, "Wells'
Fargo," it provided the star, Dale Robertson, with a con
vertible decked out in the best traditions of ornate West
ern saddlery, including holsters for four chrome-plated
but harmless guns.
On the other hand, Lily Pons for years maintained an
elderly limousine because its roof was high enough to
allow an exit worthy of the tiny diva's outsized dignity.
And Mrs. Edsel Ford still is driven around the streets of
Detroit in a similar car, scorning the sleek products made
today by her three sons.
Ostentation in cars reached a fictitious but quite believ
able height with this current joke: Joe and Sam are mor
tal competitors in social and business life. Each buys the
most expensive Cadillac just as soon as the new -model
is introduced each year, and each installs every accessory
available, including a radiotelephone. One day they pull
up to a traffic light together, and Joe notices an extra
antenna on Sam's car. He picks up his phone to ask what
it's for. There is a long delay, iut Sam finally answers:
"Sorry, Joe, I was busy on the other phone."
ANOTHER PHONE actually exists in the special limousine
. the Ford Motor Co. built recently for President Ken
nedy. There is one for the Secret Service guard in front
and another for the President's use in the rear. The car
is 41 inches longer than a production Lincoln, and has a
transparent plastic roof and a rear seat that can be elec
trically raised nearly a foot to give its distinguished pas
sengers even greater visibility.
Once a man has left the White House, the need for such
motorized panoply doesn't end. Former President Eisen
hower has had a hole cut in the roof of his new Chrysler
limousine so he can stand up to wave at the crowds that
still cheer him.
A significant number of lesser VIPs feel that Cadillac's
tail fins are undignified and thnt old-style, landau-like pri-
(Conlinued on page 9)
Family Weekly, October 21, 1962 7
Two simple exercises that
can add years to your life
! 1BBS - , P
LFQJJ
This afternoon, get into your car and push your brake pedal.
Have someone in your family make sure both your stop
lights are working. If one is out, replace it tomorrow. You'll
make it easier for the other driver safer for yourself.
0
Then pull the light switch. Make sure all your headlamps
(don't forget the upper beam) and your rear lights are
working. And while you're at it, check your turn signals.
These Push-Pull exercises will do you good especially if
you find a burnout. It's very possible you will because one
out of six cars needs a new bulb.
When you find a burnout, replace it with a dependable .
General Electric lamp. It's the brand most people prefer. fcT VAUII
k, Cleveland 12, Ohio a,
Miniature Lamp Department, Nela Park,
7hgress s Our Most Important footvet
GENERAL
ELECTRIC