Vintage Texas State Fair Photos

[propayne]

Some incredibly cool photos here.

https://www.curbsideclassic.com/vintage-snapshots-and-photography/vintage-photos-the-texas-state-fair-auto-show-1965-1966-1967-1968/

- Phillip

[JD]

some good photos there, I don't think they employ as many women and their outfits today as they did back then or as much effort & expense in the set-ups.

[gt350shelb]

rare to see the ash tray these days

[FL SAAC]

Phil thanks for enlightening us on this website

Remarkable period shots

Thanks and keepem coming!

Some incredibly cool photos here.

https://www.curbsideclassic.com/vintage-snapshots-and-photography/vintage-photos-the-texas-state-fair-auto-show-1965-1966-1967-1968/

- Phillip

[Royce Peterson]

I was there. From 1965 - 74 the Texas State Fair was pretty good. I remember the girls (and guys?) who were the speakers by the cars were pretty unpleasant. I went a couple years ago and the Automobile building was pretty much the same except the prices were astronomical!

[rhjanes]

My wife still wants to go every year. We browse through the two car buildings.

[stillSamr]

Some great nostalgia in that thread! Vintage auto shows like the Texas State Fair back in the '60s really had a level of spectacle that's hard to match today. The elaborate displays, the promotional models in coordinated outfits, and the sheer excitement around new car releases—it all added to the magic of the era.

The comments about the ashtray being a rarity these days made me chuckle. It's true—seeing a factory ashtray in a modern car is about as rare as finding an unmodified classic on the road! And Royce's mention of the speakers by the cars being "pretty unpleasant" is an amusing little detail. I can imagine a mix of rehearsed sales pitches and maybe some overzealous enthusiasm!

It's cool that some folks still make it a tradition to visit the fair, even if the prices now are through the roof. Events like these have changed so much, but for car enthusiasts, there's always something to appreciate.

Did any particular photo in that collection stand out to you?    

[Royce Peterson]

Did any particular photo in that collection stand out to you? 

The ceiling treatment in some of the photos is something i don't remember. Maybe I never looked up there. I just remember the ceiling being very high. Maybe the fabric covering was wasted on kids like me. We just accepted adults smoking everywhere. It was a very different world.

[rhjanes]

Did any particular photo in that collection stand out to you? 

The ceiling treatment in some of the photos is something i don't remember. Maybe I never looked up there. I just remember the ceiling being very high. Maybe the fabric covering was wasted on kids like me. We just accepted adults smoking everywhere. It was a very different world.

I was the same.  I sort of remember some ceiling treatments in the two main buildings.  I don't remember any in the building that usually has the foreign stuff in it.    Back when Clinton was president, our North Texas Mustang Club put on a display at the Fair.  We were over in the back of the foreign car building but had a lot of traffic.  We had Clinton's old Mustang.  I think it was a 1967 or 8.  It was ragged out.  We took turns doing duty at the exhibit, watching the cars and talking with people.  It's a mad rush to get out of the building and my car battery, even disconnected, was dead!  My buddy jumped it and I towed it home.  I think I towed it.  But that battery then was fine for a few more years.  Odd that it discharged while parked on carpet, inside, and disconnected.  Connected, in a hot/cold shop on concrete....worked fine.  Now days, I walk through the F250/350 (Outside), walk by the new Mustang and look to see which door my wife has already exited out of.