Encino, California, 1961

Finally – a photo in our carspotting series that comes with a specific date and place. Thanks to the Los Angeles Public Library, we know that this photo of a shopping center was taken on the evening of January 23, 1961, a Monday, at 4922 Balboa Road in Encino, a location that remains a shopping center in pretty much the same configuration today. Knowing the date helps quite a bit; the character of the on-street fleet varies quite a bit depending on the day of the week, and allows us to guess a little better for what purposes the vehicles were being used. What do you see here?