The innovative new cars of '57
Note: material is expanded from sections of the Granville Then & Now columns of November 18 and 25, 2021.
By Erik Pekar
Every fall, the auto makers introduce the new cars for the new model year. The fall of 1956 was no different in execution. It was groundbreaking in reveal, however, as the 1957 cars were all improved upon from their predecessors. The new cars below could be seen in dealerships across America.
For five makes, the cars could be seen and had right here in the Granville area; there were four car dealerships in the Village of Granville at the time. The makes' different ways of advertising themselves, and the ads themselves that appeared in the Granville Sentinel, follow:
(From the Granville Sentinel of November 15, 1956) [2b]
Ford Motor Company overhauled the Ford car lines, in both looks and design, for 1957. Advertisements for the '57 Ford termed it “a new kind of Ford”. The reader was asked rhetorically, "what puts the Mark of Tomorrow in the new kind of Ford?" The ad then answered the question, by naming the improvements Ford made for '57. These included a “sculptured look” with “long, lean lines”, a good styling for the hardtops, with freedom of choice in customizing the car’s appearance, with a “ride that stays gentle”. Also touted was the power of the V8, including that in the relatively new Thunderbird. This "new kind of Ford" appeared in dealerships on October 3.
The local Ford dealers included Trumble Ford of Granville, F. H. Kingsley and Sons of Whitehall, and a few others. The Kingsley dealership lasted into the 1970s. Trumble wasn't a dealer for much longer, however; it closed in early 1958, and in a year’s time the building would become a new location for the Granville Grand Union.
An even more striking new look could be spotted on some cars in the Granville area. Automobile manufacturer Chrysler Corporation introduced a styling overhaul for all their makes for the 1957 model year, termed the “Forward Look.”
The Dodge advertising invited the potential car-buyer to “step into the wonderful world of autodynamics,” to get a “swept-wing” Dodge with an engine of sufficient horsepower to “unleash a hurricane of power”.
The Plymouth ads emphasized the great improvement in styling and features, hyperbolically stating that the car’s design was “three full years ahead” and “suddenly, it’s 1960” when one had a ’57 Plymouth. Both lines’ advertisements noted the “Torsion-Aire” feature allowing for smooth rides, total contact brakes, and the pushbutton automatic “TorqueFlite” transmission.
Granville area people could see the "Forward Look" in action at local dealers. There was a Dodge-Plymouth dealer in Granville, the Mettowee Garage on North Street. Then owned by Howard Munton, its building stood on the site now occupied by the former TD Bank building, but with frontage facing North Street. There also was a Chrysler-Plymouth dealer in Poultney, the H. N. Wescott garage on the road between Poultney and East Poultney; they did not advertise in the Sentinel beyond the "tell u where directory" feature.
Ross Pontiac ad for the '57 Pontiac, "completely new from Power to Personality"
(From the Granville Sentinel of November 8, 1956) [7a]
The 1957 Pontiacs premiered in dealer showrooms on November 9. The ads touted the cars’ power, and “personality” of styling; these features included “Star Flight body design”, new interior styling, the new Strato-Streak V8, that would result in a “cloud-soft, level-line ride”. Among the details touted was that the new Pontiacs had gone through “100,000 miles of testing.”
Ross Pontiac, then on Church Street, was the Granville area dealership; it was also the only Pontiac dealership between Glens Falls and Rutland.
Beecher & Guthrie ad for the "sweet, smooth and sassy" '57 Chevrolet.
(From the Granville Sentinel of November 1, 1956) [2b]
Chevrolet started their advertising for 1957 earlier than its competitors; their big push was done over September and October. The 1957 models premiered in showrooms in Granville and across America on October 20. The ’57 Chevrolet was well promoted. With a catchphrase of "sweet, smooth and sassy", the ads touted the new '57 models' design of being “longer and lower,” the new V8 engines having more power and fuel injection, and making available a choice of automatic transmissions.
There were a few Chevrolet dealerships in the vicinity. Granville's dealership was the Beecher and Guthrie, on Church Street in Granville. There also was the Walter J. Newell Garage in Whitehall, which sold Chevrolet and Oldsmobile; and Williams Chevrolet in Poultney. Williams advertised as lightly in the Sentinel as did H. N. Wescott. Newell didn't advertise in the Sentinel, but did so regularly in the Whitehall Times.
Today, one would be hard-pressed to sight some of these cars. Most common would be the '57 Chevrolet, the popularity of which has grown to unimaginable proportions in the intervening years, and is now considered an "iconic" car. The Pontiac, Ford, Plymouth and Dodge cars of '57 would be less common to see. In any case, the best chance of seeing a '57 from one of the above advertisements would be at a car show.
As for the dealerships, none are owned by those who owned them in 1957, and excepting the Newell Garage, they are out of business. The remaining one has changed hands and is now Ross Chevrolet, which as of this writing is the last locally owned dealership in the county.
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