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July 1939. "Rooftop parking, Washington, D.C." Pedestrians look left, right, and up. Medium format negative by David Moffat Myers. View full size.
I was born in October 1945 so there must have been some of the Airflows around but only remember them in the cartoons. I think it was the Airflow that had soft motor and transmission mounts to reduce vibrations. Chrysler called it "Floating Power" and the cartoons depicted it as the motor sitting in a pool of water.
To the tune of "Jingle Bells:"
"Floating power,
Floating power,
Floating all the way..." :-)
Imagine you are the driver of the car parked on the corner of the building. You open the door and encounter 18 inches of roof to walk on between your car and a 3 story fall to your death! Eek!
How did they get up there? There must be an elevator or ramp in the unseen area, possibly that open door is a clue.
Also, it must be a fairly new lot, no oil stains visible in the empty spots.
[The is the old Emerson & Orme Buick dealership. Showroom below (note the signs -- We've Moved), service garage in the taller building. - Dave]
It must have been a real challenge to maneuver these cars on a roof considering there was no power steering and they were all stick shifts. Especially those parked up next to a wall.
I wouldn't want to be the driver who parked on the edge of that roof. Looks like only inches of clearance to the very edge and a low knee wall. One slight slip and its over for sure. Likewise, you better hope your brakes are good or over the front you go. I'd rather take the bus.
Just about dead center on the roof is what appears to be a Desoto Airflow, smaller and less common than the Chrysler version. It had a shorter wheelbase and, some thought, a more pleasing physiognomy than the Chrysler's.
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