About That 1950 Bel Air Convertible

Growing up, I spent more time in service stations than most girls my age. When your dad owns and operates a Texaco (and later, a Gulf) station, you find yourself hanging out around the garage. As one of my sisters commented, “It was like an amusement park!”

This past Labor Day weekend, I posted onto Facebook one of my favorite photos of Slane and Johnson Texaco. (There’s a version of this photo in the NSTS banner.) I commented that I’d love to have the car on the left.

Slane and Johnson Texaco

Slane and Johnson Texaco, Columbus, Ohio. Circa 1952.

It’s not a photo that was new to me. I’d had it for some time. But I was surprised when Dad left this comment on Facebook: “That car was mine and I had it when I was courting your mother. It is a 1950 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible.”

Really?! This was the car that Dad had while courting Mom and I’m just now finding this out?! Of course, I couldn’t let this story just stop there, so I called Dad to ask him more about it.

Turns out he bought this car after his brother borrowed his previous car and rolled it. (“It was a great car, but I needed to buy another one after that.”) So he ended up with this 1950 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible. (Though the photo doesn’t show it, it was blue.)

Dad loved this Chevy. “I loved that car so much, I carried a picture of it in my billfold for years.” That’s when it clicked. This was the car in the photo that we teased Dad about. See, for a long time, Dad didn’t carry photos of any people in his billfold, but he did have a photo of a car. This car. The blue 1950 Chevy Bel Air convertible. The car he courted Mom in. The car he sold for a new 1953 Mercury hardtop after they got married.

The car that I really want now.

5 thoughts on “About That 1950 Bel Air Convertible

  1. Nancy

    What a fun story, Amy. A man and his car! I hope you find a 1950 Chevy Bel Air convertible just like your dad’s. He’d probably love to take it for a drive.

    Reply
  2. Denise Coughlin

    I have to laugh as my late father also had photos of cars in his wallet!! As I’m going thru the piles of unlabeled photos from my parents, I can tell which ones are from my dad….CARS & SHIPS :)

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

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