In his teens, he drove an old 1937 Dodge ("Man, what a car!"). He and two buddies left town in July 1950 for a holiday excursion through Ontario, Quebec, New York, and Vermont, covering 1,600 miles (2,575 km.) in the old car. That old Dodge delivered 28 miles per gallon but used about eight gallons of oil! Bob had to add a quart of oil every 50 miles (32 quarts in all) but the car took them there and brought them home.

He was working by now at the A&P grocery store in town, where he saved enough money to order his first new car on Nov. 13, 1952. It arrived Jan. 30, 1953 at Hyatt Motors and Bob said: "She was worth waiting for."

The proud new owner of this 1953 Plymouth Cranbrook club coupe took several photos of the car after putting 1,100 miles on the odometer. Bob then wrote the following information in his family photo album:

"Fully-equipped factory equipment includes heater-air conditioning unit, undercoating, back-up lights, directional signals and automatic door and glove box lighting. Extra equipment includes inside-controlled spotlight, lighted auto compass, 8-tube Motorola push-button radio, top-of-door side mirrors, and whitewalls."

Even though the car was brand new, Bob proceeded to customize it into "the smartest automobile in town."

In his own words, here is what he did: "A two-tone paint job in gleaming black with light blue roof, and chrome rear window dividers to give her a hardtop convertible look with the safety and tightness of a coach. The hood is completely shaved and headlights are equipped with chrome 'eyelids.' At the rear, the trunk lid is completely shaved and equipped with a dash-controlled electric deck latch, chrome license plate frame lowered to the bumper, blue dot taillights, and 12-inch stainless cans on the tailpipes. Speed equipment includes a Mallory hot ignition and reworked exhaust system."

218 cu. in 6 cylinder

Under Bob's hood was the factory-installed flathead six cylinder with 218 cubic inches cranking out 100 horsepower in stock form. This engine had been used in Plymouths since 1942 and was both economical and reliable.

By purchasing his '53 Plymouth brand new, Bob Pursel helped the Chrysler Corporation achieve its best year ever, with 1.27 million cars built for the 1953 model year (including Dodge, DeSoto, and Chrysler cars).

Do you have any car stories or photos to share with our readers? Email: bill@carstory.com or write Bill Sherk, 33 Oak St. E., P.O. Box 10012, Leamington, ON N8H 2C3.