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When I first came to San Antonio in 199, the
Mitchell name was still very much in evidence on the backs of cars. Up
until the creation of Loop 410 around 1960, most of the larger dealerships in
town such as Hemphill-McCombs, were located on San Pedro and Broadway. On
Main there is a very nicely restored Packard building and near down downtown are
what is now known as the Cadillac Lofts. It's been a good long time since
either building experienced a vehicle inside.
I happen to be writing a book about this very
topic, to be called "San Antonio On Wheels." I was hoping to add my 58 to
the long list of other Imperials to be found on the cover of a book but I don't
know if this is going to be possible anymore. My car was purchased on July
3, 1958 from Pete Smith Motors in Seguin, Texas. On a recent research trip
there I was lucky enough to find a picture of the staff, including Mr. Smith,
posing at the service counter desk. This add nicely to the collection of
this dealerships images that I have already acquired. When Smith retired
the franchise was relocated nearer to the interstate and the site is now just a
parking lot. Although the first owner of my car, Alvin Kroesche, did not
have kids, I did find his niece who had several pictures of him but not one with
this or any other Imperial. By the late 60s he switched to
Cadillacs.
While I'm glad I know so much about the car's first
owner, it was not really him who saved it. That honor would go to maybe
the third or fourth owner. By that time the bloom would be considerably
off the rose. All of our cars have had some somewhat odd individual who
decided that the car was too good to simply end up in a junk yard. So far
I have been unable to trace the ownership of my car. Neither the state nor
the county have much access or interest in records from the era before
computers.
This esoteric stuff is only on the internet if
somewhat crazy individuals go to the time and effort of finding it and putting
it up there. I have done a lot of research in dusty, musty, old archives
and put up a considerable amount. I look forward to doing more. I
have found I prefer such situations to walking around chest high weeds infested
with bugs, looking for obscure car parts. I am getting too old for
that sort of misadventure.
Hugh
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