Fins: Detroit's Idea of Fun: www.rt66pix.com

THE PINK FIN (Rt 66 Oklahoma City)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:00:14 GMT

]]>What's going on here? That appears to be the tail fin of a 1959 Cadillac, with some kind of modern generic SUV speeding toward it.

But from this angle the fin looks like a weapon, about to fire on the intruding SUV. The fin is roped off, in a danger zone, with black-and-yellow warning stripes. The chrome nozzles on the fin could hold rockets--or even death-ray blasters!

Maybe the doomed SUV will crash into the giant fin and explode! It's all too horrible to contemplate! Oh, the humanity!

Actually, what's going on here is a bit of fun with "perspective." It wasn't hard to fill more than half the photo with the ridiculous pink fin...and passing traffic on Rt 66 in Oklahoma City created an equally ridiculous scenario to go along with it.

We've given up trying to rationally explain the '59 Caddy, and have come to love it. After all, 142,272 people bought one. (Can 142,272 people be wrong?)

In reality, this Caddy "protects" a legendary Rt 66 fried-chicken restaurant. Intruding SUVs are welcomed, not fired on.

General Motors obviously had fun with the fins on the '59 Caddy. And I figured I could too.

(This image is on display at the Route 66 Interpretive Center, Chandler OK.)

BUICK AND KIDDIE CAR ('59) (Rt 66 Sapulpa OK)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:02:16 GMT

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RED FIN #1 ('59 Chevy) (Rt 66 Sapulpa OK)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:03:44 GMT

]]>Suddenly you're a young child again. What would a picture-perfect day on Rt 66 look like?

How about a classic car show, right on the Mother Road. Shiny exotic vehicles you've never seen, or even imagined. It's a Saturday morning in June. Temperatures heading toward 90. Not a cloud in sight. '60s rock-n-roll plays over loudspeakers. There's a nice friendly crowd in some place with a uniquely-Oklahoma name...like Sapulpa.

Since this is a picture, it needs great imagery. A US flag and a Oklahoma flag flying in front of a government building in the background. Maybe a generic man in a baseball cap, T-shirt and sunglasses in the middle distance, adding a sense of scale. A tree might be nice too (they always are)...around the edge somewhere.

And right in your young face, practically filling your field of vision, is the biggest baddest hunk of tortured and twisted sheet metal ever intentionally produced: the chrome-edged fin of a bat-wing 1959 Chevrolet, painted bright red.

You ask what THAT was for. But some things cannot be explained.

(This image is on display at the Route 66 Interpretive Center, Chandler OK.)

RED FIN #2 ('60 Chevy) (Rt 66 Litchfield IL)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:04:26 GMT

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CADILLAC CAFE (@'55) (Rt 61 Blues Hwy Leland MS)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:05:26 GMT

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IMPERIAL FIN, LIGHT & CONTRAIL (Rt 66 nr Albuquerque NM)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:06:54 GMT

]]>You've never seen one of these before? It's a '61 Imperial--Chrysler's feeble attempt to compete with Cadillac and Lincoln. This year is highly unusual, only 12,258 were made.

The unusual sky comes from film, not Photoshop. Only color and contrast were adjusted after the fact.

Albuquerque's airport and Kirtland Air Force Base are close by. The top sky element is obviously a jet contrail. The camera angle makes the lower one appear to come from the Imperial. The car's designers would have approved.

CADILLAC STYLE ('48 FASTBACK) (Rt 66 Sapulpa OK)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:07:25 GMT

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CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF ('61 CHRYSLER) (Rt 66 OK)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:08:16 GMT

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THE AMERICAN DREAM (nr McAlester OK)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:08:56 GMT

]]>The American Dream: Futuristic Fins, Fossil Fuel, Fried Food.

IMPERIAL CROWN REAR ('62) (Rt 66 Flagstaff AZ)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:10:21 GMT

]]>Here's a styling trend that nobody else followed: the back end of a 1962 Imperial. The inspiration came from...what? My guess is a cup dispenser lying on its side. Whatever it was, it failed to impress buyers, and arch-rival Cadillac (still sporting fins) outsold Imperial this year by 11 to 1.

FIN ('57 T-BIRD) AND BLUE SWALLOW SIGN (Rt 66 Tucumcari NM)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:11:17 GMT

]]>The fin on a white Thunderbird convertible plays off the shape of the 1960 Blue Swalllow sign at sunset.

T-BIRD ('57) AND BLUE SWALLOW SIGN AT SUNSET (Rt 66 Tucumcari NM)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:11:56 GMT

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MADE IN THE USA ('57 T-BIRD) (Rt 66 Amarillo TX)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:28:51 GMT

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BILL'S 57 CHEVY & MOVIE STARS (Rt 66 Tucumcari NM)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:30:12 GMT

]]>The scene is from a garage at the Blue Swallow Motel where then-owner Bill Kinder had parked his classic car for the night. I came upon this arresting combination of light, shadow, fin and fantasy right at dawn.

Murals decorating much of Tucumcari are by local artists Doug and Sharon Quarles. Ones on the Blue Swallow were done by other painters.

This one shows characters from the delightful "Cars" movies.

Because of Copyright reasons this image is not for sale.

FIN FINIS ('47 CADILLAC) (Rt 66 White Oak OK)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:31:17 GMT

]]>This chrome piece represented, in a sense, the beginning of the tail fin era. Here it's on a Cadillac hearse. The cut-out section at top would have held another light element, now completely gone. Only part of the lower light remains. The chrome embellishment remained in use until 1955 on some models, before the actual sheet metal began to rise--often topped with chrome trim.

GOLD FIN ('58 PACKARD HAWK) (Rt 66 Afton OK)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:32:17 GMT

]]>Pretty sharp! This was a 1953 Studebaker body slathered with chrome and fins to make it look like an up-to-date, and up-scale, Packard.

The gold-tone on the side was pretty cool too. Of course, we thought LP records were cool in 1958!

Too bad this model was marred by a bolt-on front (shown elsewhere) that had an unfortunate resemblance to a fish. Only 588 of these Packard Hawks were sold, not nearly enough to recoup tooling costs. It was the last year for the Packard, once a strong challenger to GM'S Cadillac.

This one is on display at Afton Station, a restored D-X (later DX) gas station in Afton OK.

CHEVY ('59) WITH CONTINENTAL KIT (Rt 66 Springfield IL)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:32:56 GMT

]]>In a pinch, that rear deck could serve as a picnic table.

FIN TIP ('59 CHEVY) (Rt 66 Springfield IL)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:33:41 GMT

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BATWING VIEW ('59 CHEVY) (Rt 66 Springfield IL)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:34:52 GMT

]]>GM never pictured the car from this angle...but it's simply a lateral view with a wide-angle lens. What makes this car special is the bumper extension and Continental tire kit.

FIN ON 1960 DESOTO (Rt 66 Springfield IL)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:35:23 GMT

]]>Pinstriping adds a special touch to this purple car. By 1960 GM was backing away from fins, and Ford never truly embraced them. But over at Chrysler--where fins really took off--they were still going strong.

DeSoto lasted just a few more months before production ceased after introduction of the 1961 models.

RAMBLER AND RUIN ('61) (Rt 66 Newkirk NM)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:37:33 GMT

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SUN-BLEACHED DODGE ('49) TAIL LIGHT (Rt 66 nr Amarillo TX)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:40:38 GMT

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ROUTE 66 MONUMENT-WEST VIEW, SUNSET (Rt 66 Tucumcari NM)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:03:09 GMT

]]>Steel, the setting sun, and a clear New Mexico sky come together in this interpretation of a chrome sculpture by Tom Coffin.

ROADSIDE ATTRACTION AT SUNSET (Rt 66 Tucumcari NM)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 01:23:17 GMT

]]>Tail-lights have just gone on for the night. This late 50s classic is westbound on Route 66.

The sculpture is by Tom Coffin and sits on a faux-adobe (if there is such a thing!) pedestal outside the Tucumcari Convention Center.

ROADSIDE ATTRACTION AT SUNSET (SOLARIZED) (Rt 66 Tucumcari NM)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 01:23:45 GMT

]]>No, looks okay to me. That New Mexico sun IS pretty bright. Maybe you just need polarized sunglasses.

ROADSIDE ATTRACTION AFTER SUNSET (Rt 66 Tucumcari NM)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:11:10 GMT

]]>A westbound fin, likely inspired by a late-50s Dodge or DeSoto, heads into the magical afterglow of a New Mexico sunset.

The sculpture by Tom Coffin is on a faux-adobe pedestal outside the Tucumcari Convention Center.

FORD FAIRLANE ('55) AT DRIVE-IN (Rt 66 Carthage MO)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:13:26 GMT

]]>This unrestored classic might have been used to haul the whole family to a first-run showing of Cinderella here in 1957. The cost was $1. Not per person, but per car.

FIN ('58 CHRYSLER) AT HAPPY BURGER (Rt 66 Sapulpa OK)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:51:25 GMT

]]>A "lipstick" fin mimics the color scheme and late 50s dynamism of canted windows on the Happy Burger. They are bathed in strong directional light just before sunset.

CHRYSLER ('58) AT HAPPY BURGER (Rt 66 Sapulpa OK)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:51:25 GMT

]]>A rare "lipstick" Chrysler mirrors the flair of the Happy Burger.

CONTINENTAL SHELF ('57 FORD) (Rt 66 Staunton IL)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:52:52 GMT

]]>The 1957 Ford actually outsold Chevy that model year. Chevy was offering a reworked 1955 model. Ford had tasteful all-new sheet metal with a sleek low design and canted fins.

But not everybody's into good taste. For them, there was the continental tire kit that stuck way out and made getting into the trunk all but impossible. It also created a lot of wind drag--not that it mattered much with gas so cheap and plentiful.

THE SHINY AND THE FINNED ('58 CHEVY) (Rt 66 Springfield IL)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:42:02 GMT

]]>Full of swoops and fantasy, signifying nothing.

3 FINS 3 ('57 CHEVY) (SOLARIZED) (Rt 66 Springfield IL)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:48:47 GMT

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MINIATURE CAR (Rt 66 Pontiac IL)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Sat, 19 May 2012 14:46:28 GMT

]]>Several colorfully-decorated miniatures grace the sidewalks of Pontiac. This one is next to the Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum. The red footstep indicates a walking tour.

TOWED EDSEL (Rt 66 Chenoa IL)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Fri, 25 May 2012 00:03:29 GMT

]]>This is just sitting and rusting outside a former Texaco gas station now used for repairs.

CRUISIN' 66-STYLE #2 (Rt 66 Sapulpa OK)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 23:05:35 GMT

]]>The car is a 59 Ford, actually pretty restrained that year compared to Chevy and Plymouth.

LINCOLN MOTEL (Rt 66 Chandler OK)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 17:21:33 GMT

]]>It's not the most beautiful or elaborate neon sign, but it may be the most cost-effective. The design mimics fins on a 1957 Lincoln. A single neon band around the edge is visible in both directions.

BLUR ON 66 #12 (Rt 66 Springfield IL)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 15:30:04 GMT

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FORD WAGON & WIGWAM (Rt 66 Holbrook AZ)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 04:14:18 GMT

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BATWING & WIGWAM (Rt 66 Holbrook AZ)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 04:14:34 GMT

]]>There is also a solarized/colorized variant of this image.

BATWING & WIGWAM (SOLARIZED) (Rt 66 Holbrook AZ)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 04:14:51 GMT

]]>A non-solarized variant is also offered.

MERCURY ('59) TAIL SECTION (Rt 66 Hackberry AZ)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 23:12:55 GMT

]]>Metal rusts even in the dry climate of Arizona. Here the rust almost works in conjunction with the car designer to dress up this mid-range station wagon.

DESOTO SALON FOR SALE (Rt 66 Ash Fork AZ)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 19:05:53 GMT

]]>A finned fantasy on the roof can't mask hard reality.

TAKHOMASAK #2 (Rt 66 Springfield MO)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 19:02:39 GMT

]]>A front view offers a sampler of classic signage that landed this 1962 restaurant on the National Register of Historic Places.

E & FIN (Rt 66 Springfield MO)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 19:55:12 GMT

]]>Here's the fin Detroit always wanted to build. A 1957 Chevy came close, but this has a lot more irrational exuberance...and wattage.

This is from a rooftop sign on a 1962 Steak 'n Shake. An artistic effect has been added.

DANO (Rt 66 Cadillac Ranch TX)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 22:56:30 GMT

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TRIBUTE TO FINS (Tulsa OK)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 22:14:33 GMT

]]>Triangular shapes recall the fins these two vanished makes contributed to Route 66 and other American highways. The letters "P" and "H" are especially good.

The original is a neon sign inside Tulsa's Stokely Event Center: www.stokelyeventcenter.com.

59 PONTIAC MURAL (Rt 66 Pontiac IL)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 20:21:55 GMT

]]>Several murals decorate Pontiac's downtown--this is a fragment of one. Pontiac IL and the defunct car brand were both named after the Indian chief. The cars were never produced here.

88 CHROME (Rt 66 Staunton IL)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 20:15:42 GMT

]]>Now pitted and peeling, this ornamentation was on a hot car of the time. The 1950 Oldsmobile inspired what may have been the first rock-and-roll song: "Rocket 88." And from this tasteful chrome would come the massive fins of later that decade.

CRUISIN' 66-STYLE #29 (Rt 66 San Bernardino CA)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 01:40:33 GMT

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CRUISIN' 66-STYLE #30 (Rt 66 San Bernardino CA)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 01:43:10 GMT

]]>The security fence, "No Trespassing" and "Do Not" (Block) signs complete this all-American scene. A non-cropped version is also available.

57 CHEVY TAIL (Rt 66 San Bernardino CA)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 02:28:51 GMT

]]>The glow comes from neon-style lights under the car. An artistic effect has been added.

DASHBOARD TABLEAU (Rt 66 San Bernardino CA)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 18:40:17 GMT

]]>Here's a miniature 57 Chevy on the dashboard of a real 57 Chevy. One of the dice reflects onto the painted dash in strong directional sunlight. An artistic effect has been added.

DASHBOARD DETAIL (Rt 66 San Bernardino CA)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 22:35:25 GMT

]]>A toy and Route 66 dice dress up a 1957 Chevy. An artistic effect has been added.

1952 CADILLAC (Rt 66 San Bernardino CA)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 02:10:37 GMT

]]>An artistic effect has been added, but the scene is 100% real. It was just sitting there all by itself. A car show was underway nearby but this parking lot wasn't part of it.

FIN & PALMS (Rt 66 San Bernardino CA)

rt66pix@hotmail.com (www.rt66pix.com) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 02:12:03 GMT

]]>An artistic effect has been added. The entire 1952 Cadillac convertible is shown in a companion image.