A 54-year-old Ada pioneer - by any standards
Every car has a story and Eleanor is no exception.
Eleanor is the pet name of this 54-year-old Ada beauty.
This 1961 Dodge Pioneer, a Division of Doge Dart, was on display in the Ada railroad depot park during Friday's Music on Main.
Eleanor has a push button transmission. That means that instead of a gear, the driver simply pushed a button to shift.
Of course, this Pioneer is equipped with a V-8 engine, a 318. That means it will outrun most cars on the road today. The bad news is its gas mileage. However, it was built in the days of 35 cents a gallon gas, so gas money wasn't much of a consideration.
The original price of this beauty was $2,778, and there were only 38,600 1961 Pioneers built.
You are looking at the read taillights and rear bumper. Built in the era of Sputnik, you can get a sense of the space-age attitude that this Pioneer still holds today.
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Saturday, July 11, 2026
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