This was a cute idea – to celebrate the opening of a freeway extension by getting a trio of vintage cars to kick things off in 1962. My friend at the Petersen Automotive Museum on Wilshire Blvd tells me that they’re all Fords. The one on the far left is a circa 1907 Model N while the others are Model T’s built between 1908 and 1916. I can’t imagine they led the pack for very long. Even in 1962 I’m sure that L.A. motorists were keen to get where they were going.

Andie P says: “That was an invitation only gathering and my dad was there with Ernie Bernardi, his friend of many years. There were vehicles from each decade, Ernie had a ’56 Chevy and my dad had a ’49 Packard (that he rarely drove). The freeway wasn’t officially opened until the next day. Ernie was a City councilman for more than 30 years, for the Valley and championed anything that made the Valley more accessible and more enterprising.”