History CARS THAT WERE OVERLOOKED FOR YEARS

I have been a car nut my entire life and remember a time when guys would walk past a extremely nice '52-'54 in search of a 55 -57 Ford.

I was one of the uncool guys driving a '54 Ford back in the 60's in a town where 55-57 Chevy's were the much more desirable cars.

I was thumbing through a Hemming's Motor News magazine and a article caught my eye and was written by a gentlemen by the name of Tom Hoskins and it was a dream of his to start a club for a orphan car that was the first car he ever owned, that was in In 1986.

Since that time the 54 Ford's,along with the 52 & 53's have had huge gains in popularity in part to Tom's growing the club from a grass roots idea into a large group that parts manufacturers have taken notice and produce many parts that 30 years ago was impossible to find.

I also believe the HAMB has had a big influence on the acceptance of the cars that were previously overlooked,the hundreds of post showing cars & trucks not considered the cars to have and turning them into cool hot rod's & customs. HRP

 

4 door sedans.
Like wagons they rated a glance at best and were scavenged for parts at worst.
4 doors have 2 reasons they are getting looks they never got before.
Hardtop and coupe rising cost to find or buy and a aging population in the car community.
Going out cruising with another couple where everyone can comfortably enter and exit a vehicle has it's merits.
I still can get into and out of the backseat of a 2 door hot rod but barking knees,a not so supple back and fading gymnast skills make 4 doors appealing.

 

For years and years everyone ran pass 58 Chevy's, then about 10 to 15 years ago they went crazy along with the 348.

 

Early 1960's Plymouth Valiants....My mother had a green one, and I admit, I used to hide in the backseat floorboards when she took us to school & drop us off at the front door where everyone congregated....I've come to like the unique design anymore.

 

Overlooked Hardtops

 

Good post HRP. I think what you said about the pre-'55-'57 Fords could also apply to Chevrolets. There was a time when a tri-five Chevy was the only game in town, but that was then, and this is now. I'm starting to appreciate the earlier Chevy's more and more. This one is not mine, but one I would sure like to own!

 

I'm feeling the same about the earlier 50's Chevys. There's a lot of them around and can be found at a reasonable price. More than likely if I build a next car might be one of these.

 

Compared to what Detroit is puking out these days, anything older than the '80's looks beautiful.

 

Gee, I wonder where they got the idea for this hardtop?

 

Me and you both! HRP

 

My avatar is such. In high school I had to have a 57 first or a 55 because I hated the 56.

 

I was going to say exactly this. When i was a kid in the late 90s early 2000s, i thought they were about the ugliest car. Now they are my favorite and tons of people are into them now.


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The 58 Chevy reply just reminded me off a childhood dislike. I mean there was no way anyone could tell me a 59 Chevy was a looker. Then out off no where I convinced my myself ! Go figure ?

 

As a teenager my aunt had a black '58 Chevy 2 door post, 283, 3 on the tree.rubber floor mat and radio delete and she would let me drive it occasionally,that car was fast.

She bought the car on the back of the lot in the early 60's for 250 bucks and was lean & straight as a string. HRP

 

Edsels. Long hawked as ugly, they are now somewhat sought after. The two door versions look pretty decent, the low production 1960 model being my favorite. Kinda looks like a customized 1960 Ford Starliner. When they finally got them looking pretty good, they quit making them....

 

I remember my mom picking me up in dealer loaner 1958 Ford when I was in elementary school. I thought that car was so ugly. Fast forward to today I'd love to get hold of one, especially a Ranchero version. Funny how things change.
Thanks for starting this thread Danny. It'll be interesting to read other perspectives on this subject.

 

There was an old fella who wore an old Fedora hat, suspenders, and faded flannel shirts, who used to live across the street from us when I was growing up in the late 60's....he had a 52' Chevrolet 4 door sedan, which he polished every weekend...you could set a time-piece to his labor of love! His house was old, battered, and not much above a shanty really, long ago widowed and 'did his own thing' ....Nobody I knew had an early 50's Chevrolet, since most were after tri-fives ONLY as dream cars I remember..., and here was this old man, polishing his faded paint car with absolute enjoyment. It wasn't until a couple of years later, when he suddenly pulled out a 1957 red & white Corvette, which was absolutely pristine, rumbling and glistening!!! I had never seen it before, as he NEVER opened "that" garage door, preferring to keep it hidden I suppose...and after he polished it, drove it around the block several times, waving at me on my bicycle, and backed it into it's sleepy state once again by the time I got back home.

After he pulled it back inside, I arrived at home, and he proceeded to wax and polish his 52' Chevy 4 door with just as much passion yet again. I remember talking to him one time delivering newspapers, and he said he had bought the 52' Chevrolet as his first ''married'' car, and he still loved it ..."just as much" as his Corvette....a love affair with a particular make or design, really knows no limitations. He taught me a valuable lesson, that you can enjoy your car, ''just because'' ....not really any explanation is needed in explanation....I thought that was pretty cool even as a kid!....each car is special in it's own way to the owner who enjoys it....I have often wondered what happened to his Corvette ....-AND- his highly polished 52' Chevy 4 door sedan !!!

 

Not sure why I like this one. Very clean styling, IMO

 

Only one person in my high school (1960-1963) drove one of these. In fact, this looks a lot like his only cleaner. I think his had black steel rims with either baby moons or poverty caps. I've had my '53 wagon since 1976. It's a lot "cooler" now than it was back then.

 

I still take shit for putting time and money in my 1937 Ford Slantback. Its what I could afford at the time since they weren't in high demand.

 

Contrary to my statement on Dannys' hardtop/post thread, the 57 Chevy 210 hardtop really is attractive to me, I guess due to the minimal trim, but it's really because you almost never see them. The odd part is, I never even knew they existed until many years after selling my BelAir. This red one is a stunning example although there is a photo of a white one on the internet that I am also quite smitten with.
Wish this tablet still transmitted photos......anybody care to do that for me?

 

I thought the 1937 Fords were the ugly duckling of the fat fendered Ford in the late 70's and early 80's when the resto rod look was in full swing and the cars sit high and the tires hung out from under the fenders like a 4 wheel drive truck - they were in my opinion fugly!

Then one day a fellow club member showed up driving a sweet 37 flatback sitting low in the front with a hot rod rubber rake and the wire wheels were nicely tucked under the fenders,I fell in love with that car ~ the ugly duckling turned into a beautiful swan.silly analogy pbit it's the truth! HRP

 

I agree with Gary.I took my driving test in a 1962 chevy Impala station wagon.Bruce.

 

In 1992, at the tender age of 16, I bought my first car from our local Chevrolet dealer. It was a 1954 Chevrolet "Club-Coupe". At that time, the '53/54 body styles were unpopular. If it wasn't a tri-5, it wasn't worth anything. I bought the car because I liked the 50's styling and it was a good deal at $500. I worked all summer on a fruit and vegetable farm to put together enough funds.
BTW, I still own the car. It's currently running an .080" over 261 with dual carbs. I'll probably never part with it.


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Thanks HRP. We like it. I am modifying stuff on it to suit the wife and I. She wanted a sedan so we had room for people. I did bow to convention and stuck a 34 in the corner. ;-)

 

In the late 70's a buddy of mine did the same thing, built a 37 slantback, he bought it because it was something he could afford (I think he gave $75 for a complete car) and we all felt sorry for him being so "poor". Little did we know he was just ahead of the trend!
I guess I never put much weight into what was popular. My older brother had a 58 Chevy in the early 60's he would street race, I thought it was a really cool car, always liked them. Always liked 52/54 Fords, 55 Plymouths too even they weren't cool. I guess the only time I drew the line was if it was a 4 door anything, still feel that way.

 

These are cars that as a kid I wouldn't have touched with your....... Over time I've owned 6, Salt fever 2 on YT

 

I have come full circle,in high school I had a '54 Ford but it wasn't considered a cool car, in fact a couple of my friends called it a grandma car.

Today we drive a '54 Ford wagon that was purchased by my wife's grandmother, so now my 2 high school friends are driving late model cars and I'm still driving grandma's car again only now they think it's cool.

Even though they are still friends I did gave a hairy rat's rear end what they thought about my cars, then or now. HRP

 

Up here in the Great White North, 55-6 Pontiac sedan deliveries and 2 door wagons were regularly made into Chevies by a front end sheetmetal and dash swap. I even know of a couple rare Canadian Pontiac ragtops made into Chevies brcause of $$ values...Sad as the sedan deliveries are now really rare.