For Sale: 1948 Chevrolet Stylemaster in Morgantown, Pennsylvania

1948 Chevrolet Stylemaster Sport Sedan

In the late 1940's a 4 door sedan was somewhat of a status symbol. A larger car meant success, and a bigger family obviously would cost more money, and you would need a larger vehicle to haul this family around. So, for a mere 3 years, Chevrolet produced the Stylemaster series in a coupe, sedan and woody wagon. Low numbers and high cost foiled this effort for 1949, so few examples remain, most suffering the ravages of time, and weather.

Exterior
The single stage Maryland Back paint shines well, accentuated by the polished trim including a band that envelopes the tall cabin, gravel guards on the rear fenders, a rocker trim that contours to the articulated front fender flare. The steel is straight, and gaps are well minded, and the original charm of the bulbous hood and robust chrome grille and bumpers help define this handsome classic. On the back, a nicely rounded trunk is practically seamless and flanked by diminutive tail lights. Chevrolet badged dog dish moon caps are on all four corners covering black 16-inch steel wheels and are wrapped in wide whitewall tires. A torpedo shaped hood ornament carries a transparent topper and draws your eye to the two part windshield. Paint and metalwork are nice on this ready for show car with imperfections noted as one area of bubbling, one scuff, and one area of swirl marks.

Interior
Each of the handsome doors is dressed in taupe cloth with gray vinyl lower inserts and wood sills that are part of the window frame. There's some patina on the wood in places and a stain or two on the cloth, but overall the door presents nicely with ivory colored bakelite knobs on the bright handles. The same cloth is used to cover the bench seat which is in very good condition while corded cloth is used for the rear and passengers in that seat have the use of the robe loop attached to the front seat. Nice patina gives the steering wheel some character and the dash looks absolutely original and unrestored and there's nothing wrong with that. The AM radio adds some pizazz with red digits and other than the Chevrolet crest, the only color that veers from the brown and beige family on the dash. A textured rubber mat covers the entire floor and the Mohair headliner above is in very good condition. The trunk also wears a rubber mat which shows some use, and houses a jack and spare tire stored vertically.

Drivetrain
Presenting clean and mostly original is the 216.5ci inline six cylinder with a 1-barrel carburetor and rated at 90 horsepower. It is mated to a 3-speed manual transmission that routes power, via three on the tree, to the rear axle and 4.11 gears. The car runs on a 6 volt system.

Undercarriage
We find driver quality conditions underneath with some road dirt build up, oil and grease about but not excessively, and typical surface rust but zero invasive rust. The single exhaust runs through a stock style muffler then exits out back with a decorative chrome deflector on the tip. Drum brakes all around for this handsome classic and suspension consists of coil springs up front and leaf springs in the back.

Drive-Ability
The little 216 starts up without hesitation and idles nicely as we put it in first and head out to the test loop, imagining we're in a post war small town America, because we are, after all. She gets around just fine and the interior is a very nice place to spend some time. We note the radio and clock are not working but all other functions in this simple design operate as they should. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.

In our eyes this Stylemaster is a true master of style. It is quintessentially 40's with great lines, nice paint, and a clean interior. It represents a fantastic, original example of daily commuters that didn't skimp on luxury with something Chevy touted as "big car quality at lowest cost". This is one worth taking a closer look at!

14FJG14915

14-Baltimore, MD Assy Plant
FJ-1948 Stylemaster
G-July Build
14915-Sequential Unit Number

TRIM TAG

STYLE NO 48 1219-1948 Stylemaster 4 Door Sport Sedan
BODY NO M3945-Baltimore Body #
TRIM NO 150-Gray Striped Pile Fabric
PAINT NO 376-Mayland Black

Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person. There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee is not included in the advertised price.

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