People taking pictures of their cars. They used to do it more in the 20s and 30s, evidently, because this is the era from which we find the most of these auto photos. When we get our Chrysler Cordoba up and gleaming, we’ll take a picture of our entire staff (in uniform) smilingly applying Turtle Wax to its hood. That’s because a Chrysler Cordoba is uniquely special. But one doesn’t take 
pictures of one’s GEO Metro, just because it’s a horseless carriage, not anymore. Everyone has a car! Even People with Bad Credit! Why waste the film or the pixels?
The 70s had some super ugly cars, the insignias of which my hoodlum friends and I used to steal from the parking lot of the Ozark Theater every Friday night in Webster Groves, MO, long before rappers wore them as medallions, Sammy Davis Jr. style. Our screwdrivers were bent on nothing other than the thrill of thievery: no jewelry making ensued.
I freely (if shamefacedly) admit to this crime spree now, because the statute of limitations for vandalism committed by 13 year olds in 1974 has run out. Anyway, the most fun insignia to pry off was that of the AMC Gremlin. It was so cute! Google this beast at once!
When my nosy mother discovered my stash of stolen emblems, she insisted that I return them to their owners. I just laughed, and said something like, “Yeah, right.” That’s how horrible I was as a freshly-minted teen — and I fear it only got worse. If I had a daughter who pulled the same kind of disrespectful crap I once did, it would be off to Devil’s Island with her, no hope of parole. And forget about ever getting the car keys!
A roadhouse parking lot full of automobiles is a not-to-be-missed Photo Op.
Page Nine, Issue Eleven
Auto Photos
