Vehicle Description
Unusual early Chevy. One of only 290 (or 305, depending on your
source) built. Nicely preserved older restoration in excellent
mechanical condition. Runs and drives great. Rare early Chevy that
will always attract attention. Landau sedans only came in one color
combination, Crockett Brown with Mistino Gray moldings and Omaha
Orange pinstripes, and it adds to the Landau's upscale look. At a
glance, you'd never really notice the folding rear roof, and
there's plenty of familial resemblance to big brother Cadillac,
including the shape of the grille, landau bars, and the visor over
the windshield. It remains in excellent condition with a nice shine
to the paint, correct pinstripe patterns, and bright chrome that
adds just the right upscale accent. There are a few minor signs of
age and use, but nothing that detracts from the overall
presentation. It carries an accessory trunk with rear-mounted
spare, and the trunk folds out to create a fairly substantial cargo
bay, making this Chevy a great choice for pre-war touring. Although
our cameras have a hard time capturing the color properly (the
lights make it look kind of purple), the interior is correct brown
mohair front and back. The dashboard is the same simple setup used
in other Chevrolets, with all the gauges and controls in a center
gauge panel and they all seem to work correctly. The front seat
features a rubber mat on top of a thick layer of insulation to help
control noise and heat, while the rear seat is fully carpeted. The
controls are standard, with a 3-speed manual transmission on the
floor, although synchromesh was limited to Cadillacs in 1929 so
brush up on your double-clutching. A full headliner makes it feel
like a standard sedan inside, but you'll quickly spot the latches
holding the rear half of the top above the back seat, and it folds
easily to add an open-air experience. There's also a crank-open
windshield, all of which make this Chevy a pretty nice place to
spend some time. Chevy's familiar 194 cubic inch OHV inline-6 was
actually pretty cutting edge technology in 1929, and it's
surprisingly smooth and torquey on the road. This one is a little
bit fussy so you need to get the choke just right, but once you
figure it out, it starts right up, idles nicely, and eagerly pulls
itself around town. With 46 horsepower on tap, it's about 15% more
powerful than a Model A Ford and thanks to well-chosen gear ratios
in the transmission it's energetic on the road. The engine is
detailed in engine enamel that's a little more blue than gray, but
it's clean and uses correct hardware throughout, including a
first-year fuel pump which was also fairly new tech. A correct
updraft carburetor, 6-volt generator, and cloth-wrapped wiring
harness all help with the authentic look. There are signs of use
because this car is a runner, but nothing that should concern
anyone about its mechanical health. Remember that these engines
were bulletproof transportation for decades. The aforementioned
3-speed manual transmission shifts cleanly and clutch action is
light, and 3.82 gears out back are a nice combination of
acceleration and cruising, making this Chevy happy at about 45 MPH.
4-wheel brakes are competent and live axles with leaf springs
provide reasonable ride quality. Chevys used torque tube drive for
many years and the floors are steel, not wood, and you can see
they're in excellent condition. An older exhaust system gives it an
appropriate 6-cylinder grumble that's pleasing both inside and
outside the car. Disc wheels were standard equipment and carry
4.75/5.00-20 Firestone whitewalls of indeterminate age.
Documentation includes an owner's manual and some period
advertising. You don't have to be a fan of rare cars to appreciate
this Chevy's many virtues. Economical to buy and own, fun to drive,
and, yes, unusual enough to cause a real stir anywhere you go, it's
everything we want an old car to be. And we have to admit that
dropping the top creates fresh conversations and opportunities to
talk about how much different cars were nearly a century ago.
Chevrolet was an everyman's car, but that doesn't mean ordinary.
Call today! Harwood Motors always recommends or welcomes personal
or professional inspections of any vehicle in our inventory prior
to purchase.
