California-1953: Dark Sedan Passes as an Open Roadster Approaches

Catalog date: estimated · Catalog location: estimated. Review source evidence · Request a source quality check

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

Year1953
Decade1950s
LocationCalifornia, United States
Duration3s
Price$149 USD
Collection1953 · California, United States
StatusStockfilm Exclusive

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use

$149 USD flat · royalty-free worldwide · 4K restored master (MP4)

Need 10+ clips? Send your brief and get a curated shortlist →

Stockfilm licenses the rights identified in the applicable agreement. Additional use-specific review may be required. See the Licensing Guide and Archive Integrity.

From the same film reel

1953–1956 · California & San Diego · Reel 76d62872 contains 14 published Stockfilm-exclusive clips. Watch them in reel order and review the available reel documentation.

Explore this year and place

Compare featured footage, popular clips and the full collection.

Same year and place1953 · California, United StatesExplore footage →Across the archiveFilmed in 1953Explore the year →Across the yearsCalifornia, United StatesExplore the place →

What is in this clip

postwar motoring
road traffic
sports-car travel
automobile design
roadside observation
everyday mobility

Shot type: wide
Camera: static · Roadside eye-level view facing approaching traffic
Setting: outdoor · Broad paved road with a concrete curb, bare ground, grassy verges and mature trees
Time and weather: daytime · undetermined · Dry conditions with a bright, slightly hazy distance
Lighting: Natural daylight with strong bodywork reflections and dark vehicle shadows
People: 1 · At least one indistinct occupant silhouette is visible through the approaching sedan's windshield; faces, clothing and ages cannot be resolved.
Vehicles: dark rounded sedan passing the camera · open sports roadster following · dark automobile beside the left curb · several distant automobiles
Objects: paved roadway · concrete curb · signpost · diamond-shaped sign · bare roadside ground · grass · trees
Colors: blue-purple · gray · dark green · tan · black
Master dimensions: 3840 × 2160
Audio: Silent
Date confidence: Low
Location confidence: Medium

Moments in the footage

Select a time to watch that moment in the preview.

A dark sedan approaches with an open roadster following behind.
The sedan grows larger while another dark car remains beside the left curb.
The sedan reaches the right foreground, exposing more of the following roadster.
The sedan exits at the right edge as the roadster continues toward the camera.

Dark Sedan Passes as an Open Roadster Approaches — Clip Details

Southern California, United States, circa 1953 home movie footage shows traffic approaching along a broad paved road bordered by grass and trees. A dark sedan advances toward the camera and passes out of view at the right edge, revealing an open roadster behind it. Another dark automobile remains beside the left curb as smaller vehicles travel in the distance. The roadside camera holds a wide view throughout the brief shot.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 3s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 800004891

Rights & Clearance

$149 · Commercial Direct license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

Editorial use is the safest path. For commercial use, a clearance review is recommended for the flags below.

People visible: Yes
Minors visible: No
Logos / trademarks: No
Audible music: No

Flags come from automated catalog metadata, not a legal opinion. The source is an original 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie reel. For high-stakes commercial use, request a full rights review.

Source & Documentation

Source reel: Reel record not linked for this clip
Date: 1953 Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Date evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual or technical evidence; no reel-level note is linked.
Location: California, United States Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Location evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual evidence such as signage, landmarks, or terrain; no reel-level note is linked.
Licensing route: Direct license available from Stockfilm

Confidence labels are defined on Archive Integrity. Fields without a recorded value are shown as not recorded rather than assumed.

Open Clip Documentation Record Request source information

Topics & Keywords

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: Useful for documentary requests for Southern California motoring circa 1953, with a passing sedan and an approaching open sports car in one short shot.
Period detail: Rounded sedan bodywork, chrome trim and the roadster's upright grille and separate fenders support an early postwar setting; the roadster may show an MG.
Home-movie behavior: The amateur camera waits beside the curb and lets ordinary passing traffic move through the frame.
What appears in frame: A dark sedan, an open roadster, a curbside automobile, distant traffic, a diamond-shaped sign, grass and mature trees occupy the view.
Film character: Soft focus, grain, blue-purple shadows and bright reflected highlights characterize the projected small-gauge film transfer.
Edit role: The sedan's approach and exit provide a compact traffic insert or transition into a sports-car gathering sequence.
Historical context: The juxtaposition of a rounded sedan and an open roadster shows different automobile forms sharing the same road.
Research note: Vehicle makes, plates and faces are unresolved; source-film copyright and any applicable likeness or property permissions are separate considerations.
Research search match: Matches searches for Southern California road traffic circa 1953, postwar sedan footage and an approaching roadster in a color small-gauge home movie.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with the same reel's MG roadster driving past and rally panorama, then Southern California motoring circa 1953, followed by other postwar traffic scenes.

Still Frames From This Clip

Southern California, circa 1953: a dark sedan approaches ahead of an open roadster on a road bordered by grass and trees. — The approaching sedan leads an open roadster past a curbside automobile.
License this still · $49

Southern California traffic, circa 1953, with a dark sedan advancing toward the camera and a roadster following near the center. — The sedan advances as the following sports car begins to emerge.
License this still · $49

A sedan passes close to the roadside camera in Southern California, circa 1953, revealing an approaching open roadster. — The sedan reaches the foreground, revealing the roadster's upright grille.
License this still · $49

Southern California, circa 1953: an open sports car approaches with its grille and separate fenders visible as a sedan leaves the frame. — The roadster becomes the main moving subject after the sedan passes.
License this still · $49

Visually Similar Clips