History We ALL Love a DARE! PIX of TRULY Extinct Makes?

Yes, I do like wagons. Coming from a generation that grew up with them and having owned a few, I will take a good ol station wagon any day before today's SUV's. I have tried to focus on the more unique and low production Two Door Wagons. Here's a couple '63 Chevy's that I really like. I thought '60 was the last year for a full size Chevrolet Two Door Wagon but I will have to check that out to confirm if I am correct or not.

 

I was correct, according to this chart of production figures which includes ALL 1958-1965 full size Chevrolets, not just the ones with 348s and 409s in them, 1960 was the last year for a full size Chevrolet Wagon. First year for a Chevrolet Two Door Wagon was 1955.

http://www.348-409.com/production.html

 

Some photoshop ideas of '59 Chevy Two door Wagons. The mint green one looks an awful lot like the "One Of None" '59 Chevy Two Door Wagon that a friend of mine built. It's now some where in California. Compare them with the factory '59 Chevy Wagon in the middle picture.

 

Photoshop concept of a '61 Chevy Two Door Wagon

 

You have probably never seen one of these. It is a 1956 Canadian Dodge 2-door wagon. From the windshield ahead is Dodge. From there back is a '56 Plymouth. It has the Belvedere trim on the side. The US version did not come in a two door wagon with Belvedere trim. A dual-quad carb set up has been added to this one along with dual Flowmasters making this a real unique wagon This one also has Chrysler wire wheels.

 

I just lost an entire day in this thread...amazing...simply amazing works of art back then...its sad with what concept cars are today, that there are really no independent thinking individuals making fresh designs and challenging the standards to which we have been forced to swallow....and that Royal Fetner's site...good bye day number 2....simply awesome...the wealth of knowledge on this board continues to amaze and astound me.

 

adidasink said: "I just lost an entire day in this thread...amazing...simply amazing works of art back then...its sad with what concept cars are today, that there are really no independent thinking individuals making fresh designs and challenging the standards to which we have been forced to swallow....and that Royal Fetner's site...good bye day number 2....simply awesome...the wealth of knowledge on this board continues to amaze and astound me."

Jimi: Dude, you belong on this thread -- AND there are lots MORE HAMB threads you'll enjoy and, I'm sure, contribute to, what with your enthusiasm! On behalf of ALL who regularly contribute and visit, I THANK YOU for your thoughtful post, buddy!

We're now a year-old thread, and the number show that folks like exploring what we can turn up here. Due to the nature, it's definitely not the fastest-moving HAMB thread by any means. But ALL the regulars put effort and thought into their research and opinions. SO, IT'S GOOD TO GET AN "AT-A-BOY!" EVERY NOW AND THEN!!!

We're not going away, 'cause -- as SWI said -- there are still many hundreds of makes, models, years, special bodies, one-offs, concept cars, whatzits, etc., to keep us busy in the future! Please know, too, that we opened this up to foreign makes, since the American, European, etc., designers and engineers have really been joined at the hip, since the very beginning of the "automobile"!

 

TYPICAL of the enthusiasm I always see on this thread! SunRoofCord could sit and be content with his virtually unique 2nd-gen Cord with REAL factory-authorized sunroof in it. But, instead, he's a rabid car guy (got it from his dad, incidentally!), always looking for the UNUSUAL or rare car.

 

Here is a 1934 Chrysler Airflow coupe, not that rare you might say except that it's an export model that is actually a Desoto wearing a Chrysler badge.

photo and owner : Lucky Mike
Here's an other Mopar also from France a Chrysler Hemicuda, by what I know only 5 were imported by Chrysler France (yes they had a manufacturing plant there) they had light weight sheet metal (acid dip or aluminum I can't remember) at least one even has a Simca tag on it.

this one was raced by Gerard Sarazin and Christian Avril (the one on the picture)

 

ADD:

adidasink said: "...simply amazing works of art back then...its sad with what concept cars are today, that there are really no independent thinking individuals making fresh designs and challenging the standards which we have been forced to swallow."

Jimi: The underscore in that quote is mine, the rest a quote. Yes, both the factory and coachbuilt styles before WWII are amazing. The worldwide auto market today is a WHOLE different ball game than prior to 1960, or even 1965. That, I should think, is why we CARE about those REAL cars and trucks so much!

Even through MOST of the Great Depression, automakers still strived to continue to offer a PLETHORA of body styles. But financial pressures forced the end of that, drove most independents out, AND (of course) forced the end of the true coachbuilt trade, at least as it was known between WWI and WWII.

After all the independents were knocked out or severely marginalized in the '50s and early '60s, the auto market gradually "morphed" into just what you described today -- auto design I like to call "beans on wheels." (Yeah, that's a generalization, but there are few exceptions, IMHO.)

 

2 corrections if they weren't made ( I read only till page 75)
Peugeot created the first electrically operated roof in 1934 as a production model (and not just some coachbuild car) from a Marcel Pourtout design, there was also a Hotchkiss prototype by Pourtout in 1933 that was never presented to the public eye
1934 Peugeot 301D eclipse

1934 Peugeot 401D Eclipse

1934 Peugeot 601D Eclipse

Pourtout also created the Lancia Belna Eclipse in 1934

and a 1934 Panhard CS or DS I don't know

finally the real first retractable Hard Top but hand operated invented by Ben B. Ellerbeck based on a 1922 Hudson 6

 

chrisp, MANY thanks for setting the record straight! That's why we are here. When attempting to give credit where due, I was OFF by THREE years! And so, the FIRST electrically actuated retractable hardtop was Peugeot in 1934, not '37, folks!

1934 Peugeot 401D Eclipse

 

And I bet its a much simpler design than the 57-59 Ford Retractable!
LOL............

 

Check out this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmuRmJZcs7o



2007 Pontiac G6 Convertible

 

Hemmings Find of the Day – El Matador

Courtesy of Daniel Strohl



It’s not often a chance to buy an authentic (that is, non-cloned) 1950s/1960s custom comes around, but that appears to be the case now, with Bill Cushenberry’s El Matador, a customized 1940 Ford, going up for auction in January in Fort Lauderdale. The auction description is so far a little light on details, but for now, Kustomrama’s got a quick history of El Matador to peruse until the auction description is up.

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'53 Kaiser Two Door Wagon Concept

 

The only factory built Edsel Two Door Wagon was the '58 six passenger Roundup. Total output for the Roundup stood at 963 units. The low output number could be attributed to the declining popularity of Two-Door wagons in the American market and Edsel's lack of consumer appeal.

 

Never Wuz 1958 Edsel Ranchero

 

Only 20 Peugeot 201X build in 1931 with a 994cc Bugatti engine, I think only 1 survived, had a neighbor who was building a replica but with Peugeot 201 stock engine

and here is a Bugatti, electric power with motors in the wheels, unknown production number since they were made to move around the Molsheim facility, I've seen only one in the Retromobile show, probably this one.

 

Never Wuz

If you're looking for a Never Wuz, then take a look at the Tucker Ranchamino and the Ranchamino with a Never Wus Factory Camper option.

 

Interesting. we've had a lot of Never Wuz or never Was throughout the thread. It is always interesting to see what might of been.

 

Just looked at this one the other day in a museum in Coralville Iowa.

 

Jim, you and RoadKill have definitely knocked me for a loop here!
Sheesh, look and this is a '58? I'll bet they didn't even do any
for '59 (?). Now, if that die-cast chrome scrip on the front fenders
says "Roundup," those have to be scarce as hen's teeth! Yow!

Either one of you guys have a quarter-rear view of one of these?
I'll bet that's something to see, too (just like my fave '55/6 DeS
wagons, wow, finding replacements for anything back three has
to be hard as hell).

 

I pass an Edsel 2 door hardtop in the way to work everyday. It's sitting on a trailer.

But it's no queen for sure!

 

BTW, it seems to me no wonder these didn't sell or gain momentum.
If less than 1,000 were made, it means only about 20 per state, on
average, could have been allocated for buyers even to eyeball!



Then you add the factor of Edsel being quickly rejected in the
market, plus left-overs being sold off cheap -- then, most Edsels
just driven into the ground as "basic-transportation" cars by poorer
folks just glad to have a car -- well, I'm guessing, we'd be lucky to
account for two dozen of these today. Honest.

 

Kokomo also made stained glass for Tiffany Iv'e heard.

There is a town down from me Jonesville MI that made the Deal motorcar in the teens, have one at city hall there.

 

Not extinct, but very rare and, in motoring terms, not that old. Even photographs are hard to find.

I almost bought one 2nd hand about 20 years ago. It sat on a 2nd hand car lot for many months and the price was cheap.



Built in Queensland, Australia, in the early 1980's by DIA, the Adayer Sportiff was based on a 4-door VH (GM-Holden) Commodore with 4.2 litre (253 cu in) V8 - Australian built.

The car was rebuilt in 2-door configuration using doors from an Opel (from Germany).

1 prototype and 11 production vehicles.

 

This one reminds me of a 1958 Yeoman that I paid $25.00 for while I was in high school. The floor pans were totally rusted so I stuffed it with cardboard. I'll always remember the day my boss flagged me down for a ride. We were driving along and I didn't realize he had pushed the cardboard over on the passenger side when he got in. It had rained earlier that morning and when I hit a big puddle of water on the road it came right through the floor and completely soaked him. Still funny 40 years later !

 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Interesting - I've never seen one before. If you had asked me I would have dated that mid-20s at the latest. Note the very small brake drums.