Charles’ 
Slide of the Week: June 20th, 2008
Blowout! Between Phoenix and Tucson, AZ, 1958
I hate when this happens! Don’t you? Getting a flat speeding down the highway in a 1958 Oldsmobile hauling a trailer in the blazing heat of the noontime sun is not exactly the sort of thing one might want to remember. It could’ve been worse. He could’ve lost control but he didn’t. He managed to pull his stylish, space age rig safely over to the side of the road.
The trunk is open, door is open and the windows are down. The car is saying ahhhh!
The spare is out and ready for duty. Notice how it ever so fashionably matches the metallic sky blue roof, which goes so well with the lighter, non-metallic blue body and heavily padded front seat. Even the wraparound rear window is tinted blue. Not only is the entire car color coordinated with the sky so is his shirt. Khaki pants, sunglasses and a straw hat with a medium brim complete the warm weather look of a man who strikes a confident pose before jacking up his car and trailer to change a flat tire.
Here’s to 1958 Oldsmobiles, color coordinated spare tires and YOU!
Charles Phoenix
Los Angeles
June 2008
7 Comments on “Blowout! Between Phoenix and Tucson, AZ, 1958”
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June 20th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Oh Charles! You have such a way with words (a regular Hedda Hopper!). This brings back a fond memory from the “era” 1965. Picture it…a Robin’s Egg Blue ‘64 Continental in the middle of the Mojave Desert alongside a train track (yes, the train passed by at least once in the searing heat) with my father feverishly changing the tire. It was the dead of summer and the family was returning from a vacation at the Flamingo in Vegas. Is that chrome trim I see on the top back edge of the front seats of that Oldsmobile? I guess not enough people had cracked their lips open (like me) during sudden stops by the time Lincoln had designed the interior of their 64 Continental. I guess innovation, the learning curve and timeliness were much broader concepts then than they are today (see Edsel, noun).
June 20th, 2008 at 11:32 am
I grew up in Tucson and traveled this route many times. There is nothing to compare with driving through the Sonora desert in a big ass car with all the windows rolled down. Especially on a hot summer night; even better if you end up at a Dairy Queen for a lemon slush!
June 20th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
This fellow looks prepared. Is that a safe bottle jack he is using to lift up the car as opposed to the stock, wobbly, notch-in-the- bumper jack? Even so, shouldn’t he disconnect the trailer first so the weight isn’t so huge?
June 20th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Charles, I gotta laugh…believe it or not, I had a flat tire today! Called AAA on my cell phone; 15 minutes later, my rescuer was there, and 10 minutes later…I’m on the road again. My, have times changed!
June 20th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
This motorist is about to learn something special about his new Oldsmobile; it has coil springs in the rear and not leaf springs.
What is the difference you ask? You need to jack up the rear bumper MUCH HIGHER to get the flat off the ground. He is about the discover that this cannot be accomplished without first disconnecting the trailer. (the hitch wont permit the bumper jack to lift the car high enough)
This means that mom may have gotten out and taken a picture of a disappointed dad when they first stopped, but he was not going to want a second picture taken when he becomes throughly enraged at the extra work that will soon be necessary to get the tire changed.
Reminds me of a family trip to Arizona in 1962 with a 1958 Rambler station wagon towing a 1959 Coastline trailer. EIGHT (8) flat tires on one 2 week trip!! The old 4 ply tires coupled with a heavy load and hot weather and they popped like ballons at a party. Dad got very good at changing them quickly.
Great pictures Charles, Thanks for sharing.
June 20th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Charles, this slide is perfect for this 100 degree + weather we’re having this week, made all the more enjoyable by your clever comments that come from your eagle eye to every detail and nuance. I appreciate a great picture all the more because of your observations each week.
June 21st, 2008 at 12:39 pm
And not just any Oldsmobile either Charles. the chrome hashmarks on the roof above the rear window show that this is not the entry level Dynamic 88 series oldsmobile Holiday Coupe; oh no, this has to be either the Super 88 or the 98 series. I vote for Super 88 although the thermometer was probably closer to 98 that day!