Maddie’s First Car
Have you ever fallen in love with a car?
1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria
I gave my heroine Maddie a car she could love.
I was inspired by a real-life beauty - my neighbour’s 1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria. I can’t help but wander over to his house every time he brings it out. Her bright robin’s-egg blue and white paint with lots of shiny chrome accentuating her points and curves draws me in. It’s a great-looking car.
Researching for the book I came across commercials for the 1956 Fords. They highlight the latest technology and power but emphasize the affordability. It was the beginning of the era of the two-car family. Father took one to work and Mother had the station wagon to do groceries and errands. A woman with her own car in the 50s had freedom her mother never had.
I imagine Maddie would have been very proud to be seen in her car. But it wasn’t how good she looked behind the wheel that made her first car special.
For a young woman to have a car at university in the late 50s, as I’ve given Maddie, would have been an anomaly. Having a car gave her independence and control. It was a powerful signal that she was going places - and she didn’t need a man to do it.