When I first arrived in SoCal from the Midwest in March of '81, one of the first things that stood out to me (other than the difference in weather and everything being colorful and in bloom in March) was how many cars from the early '70s and late '60s were driving around and in such great shape. I honestly thought at first that maybe there had been a nearby car show or parade or something but I soon realized they were just daily drivers. There weren't many 10 - 15 year old daily drivers on the streets back east in '81, and the few that were still around were eaten up by rust. Now, of course, 20+ year old daily drivers aren't unusual even in the Midwest so the difference isn't as noticeable other than the presence or lack of rust, but I still see more older daily drivers here in SoCal than on my visits back east, especially ones that look nearly new, including every once in a while an unrestored 50 - 60+ year old driver. There's an unrestored '55 Chevy wagon I see running around here pretty regularly, obviously just out running errands on a weekday. No rust but the aqua paint is long faded.
Turns out that 30s Car you are referring to was a Bentley 2.5 Litre from 1932. Nice looking car. Also, most of the scenes in this video (especially the Plymouth and Bentley chase) are actually from a 1964 film called "Sex and the Single Girl".
Some of the best styling ever, the most iconic engine displacements, the most features. There's a reason why these cars are highly collectible and restored today.
Yesss , I wasn't born in that era and a i feel very nostalgic but I love Los Angeles ca , my father used to take me to los angeles to buy goods for our store
I sure like seeing those old cars again. I remember when they were everywhere. Notice that there are NO dark gray bubble-cars with angry looking headlights!
Videos like this are priceless catching it exactly as it happened! This is the closest thing you will get to time travel ! Love it ! Thank you, a jewel!!!
My grandpa was stationed in California for the airforce in the 50s when it was nice and he still couldn't wait to get out of the "goddamn desert" like he knew what was coming LOL
OK, so THAT explains why traffic on Sepulveda moved on both sides of the carriageway. I was about to ask how did that traffic pattern work...I'm like Ving Rhames in that Arbys advert for Loaded Curly Fries..."WHAT THE HECK ARE THOSE?!"
Arthur Cholakyan Of course it is. Half of Latin America was not here yet. There was much less people on the street too. Taxes & cost of living was much more affordable in relation to wages too.
Its almost as if he went back in time to the early 60's to record the video and the radio playing from his smartphone and then came back to our time to upload this gem of a video for us on this platform. What a great video and sound quality of the radio!
It's a clip from a '60s movie starring Natalie Wood. The road (Sepulveda, I believe) was closed for the filming of the movie and all of those cars are driven by movie studio drivers. It's common to see those same scenes as well as clips from many other Hollywood movies shot on roads around L.A. from the '20s - '70s presented on these YT channels as though they were actual random street scenes.
@@davaroonid1527 Well freeways in Los Angeles were built over a period of time, mostly between the 40s and 70s. Certainly the freeways being relatively younger (which they would have been in this video) would explain in part why they looked cleaner. But I suspect maintenance was simply much better at the time and the population was significantly smaller.
Are you aware that cars of that era rusted out faster than modern treated cars? Most Detroit products looked "done" in 4 or 5 years. They lasted longer in California than in a snow belt state. but corrosion never sleeps.
@@donofon1014 Tell that to my 1978 Oldsmobile with no rust! Daily driver. In 1980, the "Jap Scraps" "Rice Grinders" came in big, and those Toyota 4x4s were totally rusted out in 4 years.
@davidlinge4794 1979 Ford LTD II owner here. Nice car man, I can confirm they don't rust out as fast as they say. Great reliable cars those old things. Everyone turns their heads
@@davidlinge4794 well done for you. You never saw a 5 year old Maverick, Pinto Chevette, Gremlin in the Great Lakes region. And you are right.. the early Japanese and Korean cars dissolved in two winters. That all changed. I am trying to remember the metal condition of our family 59 olds when it got replaced by a 64. The 64 rusted badly and fast. I got 14 years out of a Toyota Tercel .. the skin intact, outlasted the trans. I almost got to teach my daughter to drive in a car I bought in her birth year. The subsequent X CAR Chev Cavalier was the notorious mistake.... my worst car purchase ever. I live in a GM town and the pressure was on to buy the cars your neighbours build. F that.
I've owned over 40 cars since the mid '70s, many of them back when I lived in the Midwest (now in CA). Although all cars back then rusted much quicker and worse than vehicles today, the rustiest vehicle I ever owned was a '79 Toyota I bought when it was less than ten years old. I got it just as a snow car and work commuter and paid only $1000 for it so I wasn't picky about how it looked, and the interior was in great shape, but what a rust bucket. It ran well and got good mileage though, which was all I needed to allow me to keep my better, newer car garaged and out of the salt and snow. Japanese vehicles from that era had notoriously poor corrosion resistance in the snow belt.
I think this is the one of the best things about the internet, I spent many hours on that very stretch of Sepulveda, theres even a tree I remember I would look at as I was sitting in traffic .
Very rare car at 1:37 a white 1961 Facel Vega Facellia convertible in the far right lane. A French luxury/sports car company that made cars for just a few years in the late '50's -early '60's.
Matrox One not to be rude but CHEVY is way less American than TOYOTA at this point. That Chevy is probably built in Canada or MEXICO while that Toyota was probably built in California, the carolinas or Alabama, maybe Georgia. The foreign car brands are definitely more American at this point then the big 3
Matrox One you are well aware that despite some american cars looking better than most, doesn’t make them better. American made cars are so shitty. They can’t compete with german, japanese, or Korean cars. Maybe if the American cars decided to put time and effort into the reliability of their vehicles I would be on your side.
stumbled across this weird twilight zone of youtube where its just an almost endless tirade of incredible videos of like everyday life that , are now only memories for some and a style for most so much history here and there but gone forever. somehow here it is still. incredible this is something i never, knew i needed in my life
Yes, it was rare even then,but not out of place. I grew up around Newport Beach, we saw a few exotics from time to time. My brother and I were pretty amazed while walking on Balboa Island one summer afternoon in 1965 and saw a Mercedes station wagon.
My DREAM CAR, in high school, was the Facel Vega Facel II, A 6.7L Mopar hooked to a 4-speed "Pont-a-Mousson" transmission! Talk about rare! Only 180 were built, probably worth a couple "mill" now!
The song being played here is "I Fought The Law" (1966) by the Bobby Fuller Four. Bobby Fuller died mysteriously of asphyxiation in the front seat of his car in 1966. The cops claimed it was suicide but others said it was a homicide so it remains unsolved to this day.
Good fact. If I remember, he died in his mother's blue car (Which I think it was a 1960s Oldsmobile or 1960s Chrysler). It has also been featured on the show "Unsolved Mysteries".
California looks so nice. I live in Canada where winter's suck. It would be cool to hang out in California during the winter.I can even watch NHL hockey there.
The low humidity weather is superb especially along the coast and there's hardly any bugs to wreck a nice evening.... but you'll end up working all the time just to pay for living out here. Unfortunately 56% of Californians' income goes toward real estate expenses like rent or mortgage. Combine that with a minimum 10% tax on everything including food and clothing (not every state taxes necessities) and that makes it really expensive, which is why so many are moving out of state.
My Dad used to make it from our home in the West San Fernando Valley to his job in Westwood in just over half an hour back in these days...every day.... And gas was what, a quarter a gallon??? This was when LA was paradise...just glad I knew it back then....
I remember in 1968 on a Saturday morning you could go from Burbank to Sorrento Beach (right where California Incline meets PCH) in 30 minutes. Gas? Why it was only 25 cents a gallon...Natch!
Saw a ‘’65 Ford wagon. Thanks for uploading this! KRLA, KFWB, and Boss radio KHJ. It was a great time and place to be a high school kid at that time. The black freeway signs, ivy along the sides of freeways. Awesome!
This video and music took me way back to the third seat in the back of my dad's 68 Impala station wagon out on a weekend drive through the valley through Hollywood to check out the Weirdos on Hollywood Blvd a stop at Tiny Naylors and back home to Wilshire district before they changed the name to Korea Town !
I grew up when they were building the 405 freeway. I lived on Sepulveda between Exposition and National. Nice video, best times with music with the Bobby Fuller 5. It is amazing that someone had the idea to film this footage, because those were the good old days, carefree and simplistic.. Those were real all metal cars, not these plastic junk cars.
I'm 10...But I love 1950s, 1960s and 1930s!I also love the classical cars.I wish I was raised in this time.It looks so happy!Though people say I'm "unique" for liking this stuff at such a young age.But is what I like.So I really do hate it when people say that, but that's just the downside.Though I will still love it!This me and this is what I like.So beat it!
@@davidmettam1134 It's fine. Just make sure to ALWAYS put a space after each period, exclamation mark, question mark, etc (more in latin) . I hope that helps!
My family had a 1960 Dodge Seneca like the taxi at 1:41 that can't seem to stay in it's lane, only it was more turquoise- the only car we ever bought new, until after I'd graduated high school. This footage is obviously near completion of the 405- it looks like one direction (south?) is up on the interstate portion, but this footage is of the other way now occupying what had been the old road in both directions- the explanation of the double yellow line being ignored. I lived on Sepulveda in Van Nuys for a year or so back in '86- I think it's called the longest continual running boulevard in the LA area, or was then at least.
Nice car you owned back then. Although, I think the taxi that you're mentioning (The light green one) is actually a 1958 Plymouth Fury. I just realized you were talking about that white car on the opposite lane, my bad.
Прикольно. Учитывая, что я живу в России и родился в 1991 году, у меня старые американские авто вызывают ту же ностальгию. Сразу ассоциации с фильмом терминатор 1984. У моего дедушки очень давно была машина "ГАЗ-24 Волга". Она была очень похожа на те старые американские авто. Если интересно найдите её в поисковике. До сих пор когда вижу "стоковые" экземпляры меня переполняют только положительные чувства. Сам езжу на "Hyundai Verna"😊
1:40 starts southbound Sepulveda Bl. exiting the tunnel underneath Mulholland Dr. 2:04 is the intersection of Skirball Center Drive which connects to Mulholland Dr. I wish I could go back in time and take Skirball Center Drive to my home which was in existence back in 1964. It is located less than a mile from this intersection.
Did you catch the red 68 Pontiac station wagon @ 11 seconds in? We had one of those and never did see many even back then. Sedans yes, but not the wagon.
This is a great video, I love it! And so everyoneknows, this isn't a typical clip (1:30) of a random day/time in ordinary circumstances. This was set up with all these special cars for the video.
first visit to Los Angeles was back in 1978 to celebrate my 21st birthday. Then I went again in 1981, in 1983, and in 2015. In fact, I stayed at the Best Western Royal Palace on Sepulveda Blvd; just about a block and a half south of Pico Blvd. on my last visit there back in 2018. Although I'm a lifelong and native Pennsylvanian (I was born and raised right here in Philadelphia area), Los Angeles is still my very favorite vacation spot.
I don't think they had designated it as Interstate 405 (aka "the 405") yet in 1964. I think back then it was just called The San Diego Freeway. I was a kid living in "the valley" back then. This Freeway thru Sepulveda Pass was brand new at about the time of this footage.
@@ChatGPT1111 Well you’re mostly correct. It was State Route 7 from 1961 to 1964 and then became I-405 when it was completed in 1964. Yes I did miss the sign in the beginning of video.
@@richardgerlach5156It was a little confusing before the 1964 "Great Renumbering" because "Route 7" included not just the current 405, but also parts of I-5, SR 14, and US 395. To make it worse, there were "Legislative Route Numbers", which didn't correspond with the "route" numbers (or the modern numbers). For example, US 99 (now SR 99) was part also part of Legislative Route 7. And 20. And 24. And Routes 4, 161, 165, 2, 26, 3, 6, 232, 245, and 87. And others. And I didn't see any cars with the blue and gold plates they started issuing in 1969
All of that part of this video with the cars driving on both sides of the road and weaving back and forth is footage from a 1964 Warner Brothers movie called "Sex and the Single Girl" starring Natalie Wood. The road was closed for the filming and all of those cars and the people driving them are part of the movie.
@@richthepontiacguys1412 thats the movie that told good girls that having sex while on the pill was fun.....starting the greatest decline in morality in history
One thing that is better now. The barriers they have now between the two sides of the freeway are far, far superior than the cables with the chain link fence they had back then. I remember seeing sections of the fence just tore up and cars just ripped apart. Many wrecks invloved both sides of the freeway, with head-on's not that uncommon. On the flip side, LA was a way nicer place; way less people and way cleaner, and way less dangerous. Music was hell of lot better too.
Gordon, As an old resident of metro LA back in the day, I agree with most of your thoughts. However, air quality was a BIG problem----air quality is better now. Also, LA dumped huge quantities of untreated sewage into Santa Monica Bay back then, so in that sense, it was not a cleaner city in the 1960s. As for crime......We had the Watts Riots. But yeah, most neighborhoods in the Valley and west side were very safe.
@@bbouchardeYou are right about the smog and air quality. The air is way better now. Like they say, "Paris will always be Paris." Well, Watts will always be Watts.
Grew up there/then, been down every one of those streets and ate at more than a few Bob’s. 93 KHJ and the competition KRLA ‘were it was at’, the Nilsson track is a bit out of location (NYC) and that time frame. Some Beach Boys and Canned Heat, ‘On the road again’ brings it home for me!
Not always. I remember driving up 405 from Long Beach, where we lived, to Mammoth Lakes on a Wednesday night in 1970 to spend Thanksgiving weekend. Took 4 1/2 hours to get from Long Beach to the San Fernando Valley. I could've WALKED to Palmdale faster than that.
Some of this apparently is stock footage for a movie (this was explained in the comments section of a similar clip of this uploader), hence the driving in opposite lanes, etc.
As they say in Monty Python, “ I’m not dead yet” Although you have a point depending on the age of the drivers. I didn’t get a drivers license until 1966 but I had a learners permit before that and drove over Sepulveda pass from the Valley to Westwood Village and UCLA. Some of us that remember those times are still around to talk to. Take the opportunity if you have it and you could learn something.
I was looking for the Kravit's and the Steven's in one of these cars going by......coming back from a neighborly dinner in their 1967 Chevy Bel Air or something.....ha ha
What on earth were those people doing? It looked like people were parking randomly in the middle of the road in an attempt to re-create a video game that had not yet been invented.
The cars werent backing up. The film was reversed. The camera would have been mounted on the rear of the camera car, and driven forwards against the flow of traffic. The traffic would have been moving forwards slowly as the camera car drove through. Then the film was reversed.
@@RMBB4202 yes was a movie with with Natalie Wood if you notice there there driving on both sides of road. in same direction with double yellow line its staged footage for movie.
All the clips of cars driving around this time show them going quite slow…probably so film crews could get good footage but still. I’ve never seen a car from that age go over 70 in any media I’ve found. Still a great video to watch!
going into the valley? down by the airport? i grew up a block east of sepulveda, a little later, but i still should recognize it, & i am totally, thoroughly lost!
I drove this route a lot from '67-'71 going to CSUN (then SFVSC) from my house near LAX. Sometimes there was a traffic jam, but usually not. Wouldn't do it now, though.