Vehicle Description
This 1950 Chevrolet Styleline 4-door is one of those cars that's a
great glimpse into the past, yet is cleverly modified to remove all
the past's liabilities. Clearly a labor of love, this cool sedan
gets everything right and if you like the old-school look, you're
going to love how it drives.
This particular shade of medium blue always looks right on early
'50s cars, representing the conservative values of the time and
there's nothing more conservative than a Chevrolet 4-door sedan. On
the other hand, even the everyman Chevrolet was beautiful to look
at and exquisitely detailed, so today it looks like it should cost
thousands more than it does. Getting four doors to fit as well as
they do here, plus that big hood, means that a lot of hours were
spent sweating the little stuff. The curvaceous fenders make for a
very appealing look and the sweep of the roof remains one of the
best in the automotive kingdom. Accessories include fender skirts
and a windshield visor, both popular in 1949 and lending this Chevy
an upscale look. The chrome and brightwork is in great shape as
well, including the beautiful hood ornament, which is pretty cool
all by itself. Nice stainless trim buffs up beautifully and aside
from a few signs of use and age, it still looks pretty darned
nice.
For understated elegance, nothing beats the 1940s. The striped
upholstery, the low-key carpets, and the beautifully simple
instrument panel make this Chevy as inviting as your grandmother's
house. All of it appears to be original and shows only minor signs
of use, most notably some light stretching of the front seat
upholstery. Otherwise, it looks very fresh and very well done, with
only carpets being newer replacements. The gauges are all housed in
a single round pod ahead of the driver and the effect is very
appealing. Bakelite knobs control lights and wipers, and while
there used to be a 2-speed PowerGlide transmission underneath, the
lever now controls a 700R4 4-speed automatic overdrive. Nice! The
car has been upgraded to 12 volts, so the radio and clock aren't
working, but you probably won't miss them as you're driving down
the street. The back seat is completely untouched and for family
vacations, the big trunk with matching carpets and a vintage
bias-ply spare tire and jack assembly is ideal.
Chevy's bulletproof 235 cubic inch inline-six was the backbone of
the company for decades, and in this car it affords bright
performance and reasonable economy, too. Insanely simple to work on
and famous for its durability and smoothness, you'll find that this
is an easy car to love. The engine bay is pretty original, showing
corporate gray paint on the block and a correct oil bath air
cleaner. It starts easily with a great six-cylinder grumble from
the single tailpipe and is happy to cruise at 65 MPH without
complaints thanks to the upgraded transmission, open driveshaft,
and modern 10-bolt rear end with 3.23 gears inside. Brakes were
upgraded with discs up front for safety, and you'll be surprised by
the competence the neat little sedan demonstrates out on the open
road. It's quite clean underneath, proving that it spent its life
in a mild climate, and with G78-15 wide whites on painted steel
wheels with trim rings and hubcaps, it looks dashing from any
angle.
A very neat little car with a restoration that cost several orders
of magnitude more than the asking price. If you like these cars,
you'll probably have a hard time finding a nicer 4-door anywhere.
Call today!