Video Comparison: Cars Driving through Boston in 1963 vs. 2015

Mat Cronin is a fellow car enthusiast, and he recently discovered a video from the early 1960’s, created by an MIT professor named Kevin Lynch.  Lynch’s video documented a car drive through Boston from a driver’s perspective. Mat saw the long term value of this video as a visual time capsule and had the forethought to recreate this drive in 2015, with the latest and greatest video technology. He then matched up his new video timing with that of Lynch’s video, to show how the cityscape, cars, trucks, and buses have evolved over time. We are all hoping that this can be recreated again in another fifty years so that we can see how the much-anticipated flying cars will compare (that was sarcasm if you missed it.)  As you can see here, what Mat has created is 100% pure, gearhead gold.  When I see the 1963 Ford Galaxie wagon at 0:13, the bright red 1964 Impala at 0:37, the 1957 Buick at 1:16, and, of course, the stunningly beautiful 1961 Impala convertible at 4:17, I want them all. Cars aside, it’s fascinating to see the lack of traffic lights compared to 2015, and on the other hand, how so many buildings have not changed at all in 50 years. There is so much beauty in this video, that watching it once is not nearly enough. Pausing every few seconds is the only way to fully comprehend it. (Pro Tip: Click on the bottom right corner of the video for full screen beauty)

Reader Questions:

1) What is your favorite car seen in this video? (Be sure to give the time stamp of when you see it!)

2) What do you think this video will look like in 2065?

Original video & blog post can be found on Wistia’s Blog:

 

 

Jeremy Nutt

Hi, I'm Jeremy.

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