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Here is the last Modernism Week classic car show post.

A rare, underappreciated second generation turbocharged Corvair Monza convertible is parked behind a terrific Healey.

A 1959 Citroen DS in light tan with a maroon interior.

An aqua mid-60s first generation Pontiac Grand Prix, license plate "Aquanet."

And a Studebaker Hawk.

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#ClassicCars
#PalmSprings
#Healey
#Corvair
#Citroen
#Pontiac
#Studebaker

I just have a few more posts from the Modernism Week classic car show, held Monday in Palm Springs.

A senior Ford Exec was a member of Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage, and took the name for their new sport roadster in 1955.

The dark turquoise "bullet bird" shown here is a 1961, with the new-for-61 swing away steering wheel.

There was also a lovely yellow 62,. And a 55 or 56 black two-seater.

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#ClassicCars
#PalmSprings
#Thunderbird

A dark turquoise 1961 Ford Thunderbird convertible is backed into a parking space at the Palm Springs, California convention center for a classic car show. The photo is from eye height, three quarters view from the front passenger's side. The top is down, revealing a light turquoise bucket seat interior. Wire wheels are visible, with wide whitewall tires.

This photo looks into the interior of the 1961 Thunderbird convertible from the back. As was the custom in cars of the era, the entire interior, including the steering wheel and the dashboard, match the light turquoise vinyl upholstery color. The futuristic trim beneath the instrument panel is ridged brushed aluminum. It extends all the way across in front of the passenger seat, and back down the center console. Ford offered the swing away steering wheel for the first time in this car this year. It is shown slid over to the right, to allow easier ingress and egress from the car.

A pale yellow 1962 Thunderbird convertible is seen with its top down from a low angle on the passenger's side from the rear, highlighting the very long sweep of the trunk and the fiberglass tonneau cover. The tonneau hides the back seats and has molded headrests behind the driver and front passenger's seats.

Visible behind the Thunderbird is a first-generation Pontiac Firebird 400 convertible in aqua. A Ferrari is parked in front of the Thunderbird.

A black 1955 or 1956 first-generation Thunderbird roadster was on display at the classic car show, seen here from the front. It has red steel wheels with chrome trim rings and hubcaps, and a white vinyl bench seat interior. A black and white houndstooth lap rug is draped across the back of the passengers seat. Just visible in the picture are a white Studebaker Avanti to the left and a cream mid-60s Cadillac to the right.

More Palm Springs Modernism Week classic car show: a couple of great Fords.

We were a Ford family, We had a 55 Ford wagon, then a 58 Country Squire, then I learned to drive in our Guardsman Blue1964 Galaxie 500 XL four-door hardtop and our white 1965 Custom four-door sedan. So this 1964 Country Squire and 1965 Galaxie 500 convertible are both close to my heart.

#ModernismWeek
#PalmSprings
#ClassicCars
#Ford

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A cream 1964 Ford Country Squire wagon with a tan interior. Since this is California, there's a surfboard strapped to the luggage rack. The badge just forward of the driver's door indicates it has the optional 390 engine.

Just behind it is a 68 GTO (correct me on the year if I'm wrong, but head restraints became required equipment in the US in 1969, and that GTO has none, so I think the model year is correct.)

A 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 convertible is pictured with the top down, seen from the front. The car is light aqua blue with a slightly darker aqua bench seat interior. I have always loved styling with a bold, straight beltline; this model year of Ford defines the concept. I mentioned our family's 1965 Ford Custom sedan I learned to drive on -- my Dad was a professor, and that year he was in sabbatical residence at the geology school at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Needing a car there, Dad went to our Ford dealer, a family friend from church, and said "give me the cheapest thing on your lot." The Custom was the entry level big Ford. It was white with a tan bare-bones interior, had an AM radio and a heater, and nothing else. It was a 2-barrel 289 V8 with automatic, no power steering or brakes, no air conditioner. When I drove it, people frequently slowed down around me, thinking it was an unmarked police car.

More from the Palm Springs Modernism Week classic car show.

This beautiful 1960 Lincoln convertible is a near-twin of the 1958 model Eva Marie Saint drove in Hitchcock's North By Northwest. The guy in the maroon t-shirt is my husband, Craig.

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#ModernismWeek
#PalmSprings
#ClassicCars
#Lincoln
#NorthByNorthwest

A 1960 Lincoln two-door convertible with its classic massive proportions and gingerbread, all of which would be dropped for the 1961 model year. This example is off-white with a golden tan leather interior. The picture is from eye height on the driver's side, a front three-quarter view.

The elaborate rear chrome molding, fins, and taillights of a 1960 Lincoln convertible. The taillight surround is a series of 1 inch matte black squares each with a chrome center dot and each surrounded by chrome. It extends the width of the car, and features a gold-tone Lincoln emblem in the center. A deep chrome band extends from the bumper up the sides of the car and its tail fins, the across the trailing edge of the trunk.

The front seat of this 1960 Lincoln convertible and its instrument panel, every bit is color-coordinated in tan and cream to match the car's exterior. There are four round binnacles for the instruments, a filigreed chrome decoration extends on either side of the binnacles beneath the dashboard and the autronic eye which automated high beams, a highly regarded luxury feature of cars of the 50s and early 60s.

Yesterday I promised more photos from the Palm Springs Modernism Week classic car show.

Yesterday when we were driving to breakfast, there was an old white roadster a few cars back, and I wracked my brain trying to place it. Turns out, it was in the car show later in the day, and it's a very rare 1967 Ghia/Chrysler:

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#PalmSprings
#ClassicCars
#Ghia

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