The secret abilities of 1950s cars?

"traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn" (el-peasant) 07/12/2015 at 18:16 • Filed to: None

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The post about the Tahoe stuck in the sand reminded me of this picture.

How is it that these 1950s humdinger cars without 4x4, low range, and deep-treaded radial tires, are lined up as far as the eye can see? Even right next to the waterline.

Either one of three things:

1. Driver input. Slow and steady wins the race. That said, I have yet to see a vehicle other than a specially-built 4x4 on the beach nowadays. I never hear anyone talking about driving their Camry or Focus on sand. That said again, Its been about 4 years since I last visited the beach.

2. Sand was more tightly stuck together. It just was back in the day?

3. The car is the truck of old. Many cars back in the day towed campers and trailers, until trucks replaced those roles to this day. And trucks are the main vehicles to drive on the beach today.

EDIT: This is Daytona Beach, one of the few, if not only place where 2wd cars can drive on the tightly compacted sand.

ly2v8-Brian > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 07/12/2015 at 18:24

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It's easy not to get stuck if you don't drive like a jackass.

E92M3 > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 07/12/2015 at 18:33

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It’s all about the sand. A jeep wrangler would of got stuck in that same spot. Florida has a lot of beaches you can drive on, but they have a designated driving lane. It’s packed tightly because it’s driven on all day. Very few vehicles would get far if they tried to drive in the loose stuff.

LongbowMkII > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 07/12/2015 at 18:35

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I don’t know which beach that is, but Daytona Beach was the most popular place for top speed runs thanks to its wide tightly packed sand beaches. I imagine there’s quite a few tightly packed beaches like that.

Flman1967 > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 07/12/2015 at 18:36

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The picture you’re showing is Daytona Beach. You can still drive a 2wd car there, as the sand is tightly packed. They allow beach parking all year.

Fair enough to say that fewer people tried to drive on softer beaches back then. The trick to driving on soft sand isn't really 4wd. It's about airing down your tires. I've seen plenty of people with bro dozers get stuck in obx, yet people with Volvo wagons do okay. If you air down, you about double your contact patch.

traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn > E92M3 07/12/2015 at 18:36

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And this photo was taken in FL. That settles it.

traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn > E92M3 07/12/2015 at 18:37

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Just for the lulz, here’s the same area in 1904

Baeromez > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 07/12/2015 at 20:21

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I’ve driven the Firebird on the beach in Daytona plenty of times. The sand is much firmer near the water than up on the dunes. Notice how none of the cars are parked past a certain distance from the water. That sand is so loose that your feet will sink into it.

j250ex > E92M3 07/12/2015 at 22:55

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Venture off the beach lanes in st Augustine and you will get stuck. I never did but I saw plenty of cuv’s with tires spinning in the sand.

Berang > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 07/13/2015 at 02:19

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More impressed by this motorcycle.

Aside from the explanation about the sand, I also think a lot of cars back then were driven with very low tire pressures compared to today’s cars.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > traderQAMobileTestAutomationMobileBoostOn 07/13/2015 at 03:01

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I’ve driven a RWD ‘13 E-Class on a PNW beach with very loose sand, more or less emulating that one top gear episode. Only got stuck once and that’s because I stopped in a stupid place. The sketchy, soft part was actually the part the water never touched. Driving in the wet sand close to the water was actually the most stable and smooth. The trick with the soft sand is to keep your speed up and not make any sudden changes in direction, throttle, or brake input.