Classic Chassis Car Clubs of Texas

The Dallas Chapter of CCCC Texas would like to invite each of you to participate in this years Golden Girls Event which will be held in Fort Worth, TX from November 8th to the 11th.

This years theme is “Classic Cars, Cowboys and Culture”. Fort Worth offers a wide range of activities and attractions, and the organizing committee is planning on highlighting as many of these as we can fit into a long weekend.

Our official hotel is the Residence Inn by Marriott which is located in the heart of Fort Worth’s cultural district, and literally across the river from downtown. You will have the opportunity to experience Fort Worth’s world-class museums, downtown’s Sundance Square, as well as the historic Fort Worth Stockyards.

We will be conducting our annual Car Show along the banks of the Trinity River in Trinity Park, and have reserved a wonderful gazebo in the heart of the park for this event.

We will be posting additional information regarding hotel reservations and an outline of events in the coming days.

Until then, please mark your calendar for November 8th to the 11th and plan to join us for what should be a wonderful weekend!

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Dagmar bumpers, also known simply as Dagmars (dag-mar), is a slang term for the
artillery shell shaped styling elements found on the front bumper/grille
assemblies on several makes of cars produced in the 1950s, an era recognized for
its flamboyant designs and prominent use of chrome details.

The term was coined by customizers in direct reference to Dagmar,[1] an early
1950s television personality well known for her pronounced cleavage on Broadway
Open House. Dagmar’s physical attributes were further enhanced by low-cut gowns
and the shape of her bra cups, which were somewhat conical. She was amused by
the tribute.

Evolution

As originally conceived by Harley Earl[2], GM Vice President of Design, the
bumper guard elements would mimick exaggerated artillery shells and were placed
at either end of the front bumpers of Cadillacs. Their presence was both as a
styling element indicating speed (as in the speeding bullet or projectile) and
as bumper guards.

However as the 1950s wore on, the element on the Cadillac grew more pronounced,
and in 1957 the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham gained black rubber tips, which were
referred to in slang terms as pasties[2].

As the 1959 model year designs approached, American car designs were beginning
to shed both their rear fins and the missile shaped grille elements. In 1960 the
era of the Dagmar bumper ended when Lincoln dropped the element from its 1961
Lincoln Continental.

Dagmars as a massive grille or bumper decoration competed against not only
“spinners,” as on the 1949 Ford and 1950 Studebaker, but also against a similar
decorative element, which had a concave tip. Buick had these in a circular form
both before and after the firm’s stint with dagmars. Oldsmobile had these in an
oval form and never used dagmars.

Vehicles sporting Dagmar bumpers

Postwar Cadillacs began sporting missile pointed bumper elements with their 1946
models. Beginning with the 1951 models, stylists began lifting these bumper
guards up into the grille work, however by 1953 their shape and detail began to
take on a bullet motif with the tips of the element being scored in the manner
in which a bullet casing is shaped. In 1957 black rubber tips were placed on the
element which was now placed at the top of the grille, approximately ten inches
above the lower bumper. The element continued to become more pronounced in size
through 1958, but were eliminated in the 1959 Cadillac redesign.

Mercury sprouted prominent Dagmars in 1953 and continued the look through the
1956 model year. Lincoln added Dagmars to its 1960 Lincoln and Continentals. The
design took a different approach than GM, with the use of a black rubber ring
separating the body of the element from the chrome tip.

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On our recent journey to Australia and New Zealand it was interesting to see all the different automobiles on the road that have a familiar look yet are different. Name plates no longer seen in the U.S. are still alive and well down under. When was the last time you saw a 2008 Ford Fairmont? These were built in Australia from 1965 to 2008. Have you seen a Ford Maverick that is a SUV type vehicle and not the economy car of the 1970’s? Or a Nissan Skyline that is the Infiniti G35 in the U.S.?

One of the popular type of cars available in Australia is the Ute, which is Australian slang for utility vehicle. They are the equivalent of the Chevrolet El Camino or Ford Ranchero. They are manufactured for the Australian market by Holden (GM Australia), Ford and other foreign manufacturers. The Holden cars are really good looking and sound very impressive with their V-8 engines.

I can only wonder if Holden had planned to build these Utes as Pontiacs like the G8 and GTO and how they would have been received in the U.S. Who knows? They could still appear as a Chevrolet El Camino.

We were also curious to see how much cars cost here in Sydney and were able to purchase some of the local car trade magazines. We are fortunate that cars are so affordable in the U.S. compared our Australian counterparts. In Australia, a used 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS convertible is selling for $115,000 (Aus) or $119,000 (U.S.) and a 2005 Ford Mustang GT convertible is selling for $70,000 (Aus) or $72,500 (U.S.). This includes shipping and any modifications such as right-hand drive conversions and all kinds of import taxes. And with gas prices running at $8.35 per gallon. We are so lucky!

G’Day Mate – David Bacalzo

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