1963 Chevrolet Chevy II Nova 400 Convertible

Chevrolet's compact Chevy II was introduced in 1962 as a counterpart to Ford's Falcon, which had been easily outselling Chevrolet's air-cooled rear-engine compact Corvair since 1960. The Chevy II was a conventional front-engined car like the Falcon, and was powered by an in-line 4-cylinder or 6-cylinder engine. The Chevy II outsold the Falcon in 1963, though that would be the only time. The Chevy II's top trim level was the Nova 400, which was also available as a convertible, as seen here.

This 1963 Chevrolet Chevy II Nova 400 convertible was in the Days in the Park parade in Rainier, Oregon, in July 1996.

1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Convertible

1972 was the last year for the third generation of the Oldsmobile Cutlass and Cutlass Supreme. Oldsmobile's mid-sized line had been redesigned in 1968, and the styling had seen only minor changes since 1970. For 1972, the base in-line 6-cylinder engine had been dropped, making all 1972 Cutlass and Cutlass Supremes V8-powered, with the base engine being the 350-cubic-inch Rocket V8. 1972 was also the last year for the Cutlass Supreme convertible, as seen here.

This 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Convertible was in the Days in the Park Parade in Rainier, Oregon, in July 1996.

1953 Packard Deluxe Clipper 4-Door Sedan

The Packard line had been completely redesigned in 1951, which included the introduction of the 200 series at the bottom of the line on a 122-inch wheelbase. In 1953, this same basic design was still in production, but the Packard 200 was renamed the Packard Clipper. Like the Packard 200 that preceded it, the Packard Clipper was available as either a 2-door or 4-door sedan. The standard engine for the Packard Clipper was a 150-horsepower, 288-cubic-inch in-line 8-cylinder engine. The Packard Deluxe Clipper was powered by a 160-horsepower 327-cubic-inch 8-cylinder engine.

This 1953 Packard 4-door sedan was in the Days in the Park Parade in Rainier, Oregon, in July 1996. It appears to be the Deluxe Clipper model.

1941 Ford Super Deluxe Sedan

Photo by Cliff West

The 1941 Ford was newly redesigned, and featured a number of changes over the previous design, including an increase in both wheelbase and overall length. The entry-level 136 cubic-inch V8 had been replaced by a 90-horsepower 226 cubic-inch inline 6-cylinder engine. The trim lines were changed, with Standard becoming Special, and Super Deluxe being introduced above Deluxe. This design would continue through 1948.

This 1941 Ford Super Deluxe Sedan is pictured at the Towe Ford Museum (now the California Automobile Museum) in Sacramento, California, in March 1992.

1940 Ford Deluxe Convertible

Photo by Cliff West

1940 was Ford's last year for the design it introduced in 1937, and the last year for the 136 cubic-inch V8 as the base engine. Better remembered was the 221 cubic-inch flathead V8 of the Deluxe, which produced 85 horsepower and would continue to be offered. 1940 Fords, like this 1940 Ford Deluxe Convertible pictured at the Towe Ford Museum (now the California Automobile Museum) in Sacramento, California, in March 1992, seem to be the favorites among collectors out of the 1937-1940 model years, with a high, flat-topped hood and wide-set sealed-beam headlights.

1952 Cadillac 4-Door Sedan

Photo by Cliff West

Cadillac introduced new models in 1948, and gave them a facelift in 1950. Satisfied with the results, the 1951, 1952 and 1953 models saw only minor changes in the details. This 1952 model, pictured at the Towe Ford Museum (now the California Automobile Museum) in Sacramento, California, in March 1992, is most easily distinguished by the gold-colored winged emblem in the trim beneath each headlight, signifying Cadillac's golden anniversary of its introduction in 1902.

1950 Studebaker Commander 4-Door Sedan

Photo by Cliff West

Studebaker was "first by far with a postwar car," introducing all-new models designed by Raymond Loewy in 1947, while the other automakers were still selling facelifted versions of their prewar models. Unfortunately for Studebaker, the high demand for new cars after the war meant that their new design was wasted on consumers who just weren't that discerning. By the time the other automakers introduced their truly new cars, Studebaker's design looked dated.

For 1950, Studebaker responded by giving its models a facelift in the form of the bullet-nosed front-end pictured here. The look was definitely different, though there were some similarities to the 1948 Tucker, and Ford used a similar though less dramatic bullet in its grilles for 1949 and 1950. Studebaker called the aircraft-inspired styling the "next look," but it would tone-down the styling for 1951 and become much more conventional in 1952 before finally introducing new designs in 1953.

Along with the new styling, the 1950 Studebakers also introduced a new fully automatic transmission as an option. Called "automatic drive," it was developed with the Detroit Gear Division of Borg-Warner.

Pictured here at the Towe Ford Museum (now the California Automobile Museum) in Sacramento, California, in March 1992 is a 1950 Studebaker Commander 4-Door Sedan. The Commander was Studebaker's higher-priced model, riding on a 120-inch wheelbase, and was powered by a 102-horsepower 245.6 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine. The lower-priced Champion had a 113-inch wheelbase and an 85-horsepower 169.6 cubic-inch 6-cylinder engine.