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MV Chronicle

          Hardtops

Early hardtops were often referred to as “hardtop convertibles” They were convertible bodies with a fixed steel top. They had frame less windows and the rear side windows rolled completely down giving the car a light and airy appearance. GM first offered them in 1949 on Buick and Olds senior models as well as Cadillacs. By 1950 they were available on every GM marque except the Buick Special. They had to wait until 1951 for the new Fisher B bodies. By 1952 almost every automaker offered a hardtop. They became very popular by the mid ‘50s and many makes dropped their 2 door sedans. Almost every American auto manufacture offered a 4 door version by 1956. Because of increased popularity of air conditioning and the demise of the convertible they started to disappear by the late ‘70s. The few hardtops available to day have a fixed rear window.
Ford Motor was late in developing a hardtop, instead they offered specially trimmed coupes with canvas or vinyl tops The Lincoln Capri and Lido, the Mercury Monterey and the Ford Crestliner.


When the auto makers first introduced hardtops the gave them names such as Bel-Air,  Catalina or Victoria. How many can you name? Later some makes used those names on an entire model series.

 

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1951 Ford Crestliner
Once offered by Motor City in 1/43 but hard to find and very expensive

 

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1960 Pontiac Catalina Vista (4 door hardtop) by Brooklin

 

 

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1952 Chevrolet Bel-Air by American Excellence (NEO)

 

 

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1959 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday by American Excellence (NEO)

 

 

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1953 Studebaker Commander Starliner by Brooklin

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My '60 Impala was a hardttop, as was my '66 Charger, but my '73 Charger was not,

but the roof was styled to kind of hide that omission.  I did not miss it much for the

'73 was a great car, and, apparently, the last of same from Chrysler, although, the

'74 was unchanged.  Both of the Chargers were good cars, with the '66 being my

all-time favorite.  Highly practicaL body, widely used by me for camping, and for

towing home relics.

My only 2 door hard tops were a '54 Dodge Royal Lancer 500 with a Continental kit and Kelsey Hayes wire wheels...  It had a 150 hp Red Ram V-8.  (I wanted the 200HP Offenhauser version, but it wasn't to be, and th 150 was hot enough for a high school kid.)... and a '57 Dodge Royal lancer that I bought for $450.00 and drove for about r months while going to Army courses at APG, MD and Ft. Lee, VA.

Originally Posted by Forty Rod:

My only 2 door hard tops were a '54 Dodge Royal Lancer 500 with a Continental kit and Kelsey Hayes wire wheels...  It had a 150 hp Red Ram V-8.  (I wanted the 200HP Offenhauser version, but it wasn't to be, and th 150 was hot enough for a high school kid.)... and a '57 Dodge Royal lancer that I bought for $450.00 and drove for about r months while going to Army courses at APG, MD and Ft. Lee, VA.

My first car was a 54 Dodge Royal Club Coupe. It gives me bragging rights to claim my first car was a Dodge Hemi.

 

 

fa08ce839a6267e048ed8f9707d16a5f

This is not my car but is exactly the same. The sedans were generally better cars. Early hard tops were drafty and rattled, but looked better.

A few years later I had a 57 Dodge convertible, but tht thing was possessed by demons 

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Last edited by Richard E

Oh my!  I covet that '51 Ford!  Gotta find one.  

 

I went up and decided to snap a picture of whatever hardtop coupes I had on the layout right not.  I also have a few more included the Studebaker you picture, but:

 

My grandfather's first Cadillac - he got it in '53 or so, and for the rest of his life was a Cadiilac only man . . . first car I ever saw with power windows and AC, and the signal seeking radio - I could not get enough!

Slide1

 

I have this is two colors, the other sort of a brown and coral . . . I alternate them on the layout. 

Slide2

 

This Chevy you had pictured - great car.  So is the Ford in the background.  Rather recent, I think IXO, not sure though . . . 

Slide3

 

I think this is Yat Ming or New Ray.  Anyway, it was my first 'Streets conversion.  Still running after all these years, even though, on my first try , I accidentally epoxiedthe front wheels solid - they don't turn, but just slide along the rails. The '49 or '50 Olds couple int he backgroun is Brooklin and among my favorites.  Nothing says "very early 50s" like a rounded coupe that is not a hardtop . . . Slide4

 

This Buick is a bit dusty from being to near the boatyard construction, but nice, and on the layout almost all the time. 

Slide5

 

And that's it . . . except I took these four down from the "'60s shelf" to get this photo.  You've see the Olds of course, but these other four are on roughly the same period, and very cool . . . 

Slide6

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Originally Posted by Lee Willis:
Originally Posted by Joe Hohmann:
 . . . .You certainly don't want to be on your "death bed" wishing you had bought one. It's only money (sheets of germ-laden paper).

It could happen.  But the '37 White tanker truck ought to arrive in a week or so. . . thus there is a high probability I won't be in that situation.  Here's hoping.

Years ago, my wife's uncle told us he loved lamb chops, but they cost too much. I told him the above. Years later, he really was on his last few days, and he thanked me for the advice (true story, I swear).

My first car was a 1951 Ford Victoria hardtop, the first year Ford made a hardtop. It looked exactly like this Brooklin model (will almost; this is not one of Brooklin's better 1:43 models). Same colors, though. I paid $125 in it in 1958, the summer after I graduated from high school. My goal was to get it into Frank Maratta's auto show at the Hartford Armory, at that time the biggest and best custom car show in Connecticut (Frank was the owner of the local hot rod/speed shop in Hartford). So, that very first summer I began working on the car and actually got a summer job in a local body shop as a gopher. I'd do whatever I was asked to and in return one of the bodymen took me under his wing and began to help me learn something about body work and helped me after hours on the car. The next summer I worked for the State of Connecticut highway department mowing center strips on the highways from 7 am to 4 pm, went to work at the body shop from 4:30 to 8:00 pm and then had the use of the shop until I would finally drag myself home around 1:00 am. (Golly, I wish I had such energy now). Finally. in the summer of 1960, we sprayed the car with twenty coats of 1958 Buick Garnet Red lacquer and I had a friend scallop it and pinstripe it. The finished car featured frenched headlights and tailights, shaved hood, trunk and door handles, 49 Plymouth bumpers, 58 Ford side trim and a early Corvette grille. Wheels were 14" and the flathead V-8 was detailed although stock. Interior was all redone in black and white. I especially remember the grille; a friend brought me a package all wrapped in a towel and warned me as I unwrapped it that the contents might still be a "little warm". I gave him, no questions asked, $25.00 for that grille. Finally, in February 1961 the car was accepted into Frank's show and I skipped a whole week of classes at college to be at the show. It was a joyous time I never forgot. Sadly, I sold the car a year later and never saw it again. I sure wish I had it today, but at least the Brooklin model brings back fond memories of a time long past!

Fred Dole

51 ford victoria

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Last edited by Former Member
Originally Posted by Richard E:
Originally Posted by Forty Rod:

My only 2 door hard tops were a '54 Dodge Royal Lancer 500 with a Continental kit and Kelsey Hayes wire wheels...  It had a 150 hp Red Ram V-8.  (I wanted the 200HP Offenhauser version, but it wasn't to be, and th 150 was hot enough for a high school kid.)... and a '57 Dodge Royal lancer that I bought for $450.00 and drove for about r months while going to Army courses at APG, MD and Ft. Lee, VA.

My first car was a 54 Dodge Royal Club Coupe. It gives me bragging rights to claim my first car was a Dodge Hemi.

 

 

fa08ce839a6267e048ed8f9707d16a5f

This is not my car but is exactly the same. The sedans were generally better cars. Early hard tops were drafty and rattled, but looked better.

A few years later I had a 57 Dodge convertible, but tht thing was possessed by demons 

My '54 had the late chrome side trim, more like the '55-'56 style... and it was a rattling, windy, noisy fool.  I swapped a '56 Dodge pickup manual trans into it and it ran like a dream.  The old automatic transmission was a true POS.  I've only seen one like it since, but it was funny two tone orange color and mine was two tone light green and a green tinted off-white.

 

I'd buy another in a minute.

 

My '57 was shot when I bought it but I only needed it until I graduated from my schools. Left front cylinder blew a plug completely out and I replaced it with a helicoil and a different threaded plug.  It ran... not well, but it ran.   Ugliest car I ever owned.

It arrived, and is an incredibly good looking, interesting, and different truck!  

 

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It is listed and sold as Brooklin, and on the bottom of the chassis, it is labeled as such like all other Brooklin models, but here is the label as on the box is the label the Canadian manufacturer.  It may be they just repainting it or something, I don't know . . . . seems like Brooklin could easily sell more than 250 of these.

Slide4

 

It is big - it was apparently built on a full size truck frame and quite tall and wide.  So it does not mix well with the many 1:50 tractor trailers I normally run on my 'Streets. 

Slide5

 However, it is definitely 1:43 scale and you can see if fits in nicely with other 1:43 trucks, as here,with a 1:43 MAN garbage truck.  I have not decided if it will convert it to 'Streets, but probably . . . 

Slide6

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Love the "streamlined" White tank truck.  Also love the White streamlined LaBlatts truck: https://www.diecastdirect.com/...?ProductCode=BR-S-01       Just can't quite scrape up the courage or wrecklessness to part with 349 "soiled, germ laden pieces of paper" for it. But as Jack Benny said, "I'm thinking; I'm thinking!!"

White Motor was a unique company in the annals of American automotive manufacturing and marketing.

Last edited by mark s

Ford introduced their make-do response to the hardtop with the 1950 Crestliner, lest it be thought the '51 was first.  I've put many a happy mile on one of these back in the '70's.  You'll see 100 '50 Fords before you come across a Crestliner.

 

 

The first generation hardtops from most of the major companies were adaptations of existing convertible bodies.  Close inspection reveals steel roofs that are simply welded on to convertible bodies, in place of folding top components.  Doors, quarter panels and windshield frames, all interchangeable.   Strength and integrity concerns that were addressed in the convertible also found there way into these hardtops.  Most significant being the frames on both being shored up with extra steel.

 

Bruce

Originally Posted by brwebster:

Ford introduced their make-do response to the hardtop with the 1950 Crestliner, lest it be thought the '51 was first.  I've put many a happy mile on one of these back in the '70's.  You'll see 100 '50 Fords before you come across a Crestliner.

 

 

The first generation hardtops from most of the major companies were adaptations of existing convertible bodies.  Close inspection reveals steel roofs that are simply welded on to convertible bodies, in place of folding top components.  Doors, quarter panels and windshield frames, all interchangeable.   Strength and integrity concerns that were addressed in the convertible also found there way into these hardtops.  Most significant being the frames on both being shored up with extra steel.

 

Bruce

1950 was the first year for the Crestliner but the 1951 was mildly restyled and better looking.

 

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Originally Posted by Lee Willis:

I would like to have a model of a Crestliner, but I can't find any that are reasonably priced.

 

Richard, did they come only with a vinyl roof?  I can't find a photo of a '51 Crestliner that does not appear to have one. That's pretty early for vinyl roofs isn't it?  It certainly makes the "convertible look" more real.

Lee :

They all came with a Vinyl or canvas roof

 

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