Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Miss Tacoma Home Show of 1958 ― in an Isetta


On March 11, 1958, Miss Tacoma Home Show of 1958, Marilyn Ganes, was photographed leaning out of the front door of a BMW Isetta 300 parked near the Tacoma Totem Pole. The small car, quite an oddity with it's door that opened from the front where the engine normally would be, was introduced to compete with the Volkswagen "Beetle". The Tacoma Home Show presented its annual week long collection of new ideas for the homeowner at the College of Puget Sound Fieldhouse. Each year a new queen was selected as Miss Tacoma Home Show. Marilyn Ganes was 17 at the time of her selection; she was a junior at Franklin Pierce High School. Photograph ordered by National Home Shows, Inc. (TNT 3-16-58, A-1)

Who knew that Tacoma was a "hotbed" of microcar activity? Another great photo from the Tacoma Public Library's South Sound Photo Album.

No comments: