Not a car, but how about a 1912 Indian with 4 overhead valves? The long distance tank is special too, it goes over the top frame tube instead of under it. Sorry if it is too off topic. If so, just delete it.
My friend in 1959 bought a used 58 Impala ,250hp 348cu in Turboglide, LevelAire suspension. How about a 39 Chev with a Sunshine roof. Reportedly this was available only in 39. It was a slide back roof panel over the front seat. No real convertibles were available on 39 models. Also, for $2 extra you could order your 39 Chev with a floor shift. Not really rare but very unusual were the hydraulic w wipers std on 63 T-birds, they were 6spds & operated from the power steering pump. Greg
Forgot one more odd ball. 56 Chrysler with factory installed gasolene powered instant heat cab heater in conjunction with the hot water cab heater. You received heat instantly, thenyou switched over to the water heater after the engine warmed up.The gas heater had a 1" exhaust pipe that exited below the rear bumper. The heater worked great! Greg
At the 2013 KKOA Salina there was 61 chevy with cruse control on a 348 tr1power but it said perfect circle on it so I don't know if it was factory. But sure cool.
Factory color painted wheels on a 63 riviera. Most of the wheels where painted black but, you could get them in factory color. All five of mine still have the factory paint on them. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Quite possibly. The factory cruise in any car of that era was a Perfect Circle Speedostat. My 60 Lincoln has factory cruise and it has a "Perfect Circle Speedostat" sticker in red on it. GM Called it cruise control, Ford (Lincoln anyhow) called it speed control and Chrysler called it auto pilot.
My 57 Fairlane has these which I believe are pretty rare, the spotlight rear view mirror and the boot mounted antenna. Well optioned all round - has 4 way power seat, power windows, PS, PB, 312 4 barrel with dual exhaust.
O T, but a good friends parents had a 73 or 74 Malibu wagon that was white with white swivel bucket seats and console and floor shifter. never have seen one like it.
a farmer friend of mine had a 65 chevy pickup that had openings in the floor that would be able to eject small dogs. I don't think they were factory options but were standard on most old vehicles around here after a few winters. worked great to eject empty beer cans too.
Just remembered that I bought an unusually optioned new car in '57: Olds 2-door sedan with stick shift, dual exhaust, power nothing, dog dish hubcaps, on big & little WW's, tinted glass, great heater, radio with WonderBar control & rear speaker, carpets. The stock 3spd trans turned out to be a dog. Replaced it with several Cad/LaSalle floor shifts, finally went to a B&M HydroStick which transformed the car.
Awesome car! I've often dreamed of having a time machine and the knowledge of how to fill out an order form. I'm shocked you could get big-and-little tires from the factory.
---- Those weren't options. That's what you got as base standard equipment, if you didn't order any options!! Mart3406 =================
A few years ago I picked up a (off topic) 66 Mercury S-55, w/a 4-speed, and disk brakes. There where only 2916 S-55 fastbacks built, I was told less than 100 with the 4-speed, and who knows for the disk brake option.
I've seen those with high horsepower 327s and no SS trim. I had a friend in college with a 68, I think it was a 350 horse 327, can't remember now for sure but no radio, heater, undercoating and rubber floor mat.. Kind of like the 427 Biscayne, many were ordered with the least weigh and highest horsepower for drag racing.
I had a 64 highway patrol car with the same thing, only automatic on the column. But the buckets were cheapys, like from an Econoline, not the nice ones an XL would have. I also remember when I was in high school there was an old man who drove a 64 Chrysler 2 door hardtop with a 4 speed.
Are you serious? I've only heard of the Wildcat having the factory 4 speed. I've always thought that because the riv was a luxury car, they would have only been available with an automatic transmission. Now I'm very curious.
The tires were dealer-installed. They also shaved the rocket ships off the front fenders for me. I was lucky that my granddad was the parts dept manager at the Olds agency. I ordered my car in January '57, and the J2 option wasn't announced until March. Of course I was pissed that I didn't have it; I had "J-1" lettered in the corner of the deck lid.
My Dad bought a new '41 Plymouth coupe in Jacksonville, that came without a heater. Guess that Mopar thought that it didn't get cold enough in Florida to warrant one! My Mother disagreed with that marketing idea, however, and Dad had one installed
Chevy had so many different engine options to choose from and quite a few they didn't advertise. My Dad has told me many stories of cruising and car that wow'd him over the years. One that really stood out was a bright white 68 plain Jane Nova that a family friend bought new off the lot. I believe someone ordered it then changed their mind. Either way, it may be one of the rarest Nova's out there because you don't see them. It was bright white, 14 inch painted wheels with dog dish caps, a "327/325hp" 4spd I believe it had a 4:11 rear. It had a standard bench interior and a rubber floor mat. The 325 hp 327 wasn't a standard motor an with the same hp as a basic 396 it was a lot less weight and, the nova was a very light weight car making this car VERY fast. It ate up big blocks. I'd love to find this car. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I've seen more than one car from the 50s that was sold new in South Florida without a heater but WITH dealer-installed (or maybe factory I forget) AC. I'm told this wasn't uncommon in Hawaii and South Texas as well. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
This Spirit of St. Louis hood ornament was a $12 option on a $2695 Franklin in 1931. Franklin marketed the aviation theme, becuase their air-cooled engines were similar to airplane engines. That, and they used a lot of light weight materials, like aluminum and wood.
Friend of mine bought a 66 Plymouth 2 door sedan with the Hemi option. There was a bunch of car guys who hung around the Plymouth dealer, when the hemi was introduced there was a lot of talk about buying one but no one stepped up. The dealer egged my friend into buying one. He said he would, if the dealer let him have it for dealer cost. The dealer thought a minute and said OK, provided he could display it in the show room for 2 weeks before he delivered it. So that is how the deal was done. I think a base Belvedere was about a $2000 car and the hemi package was a $995 option. He street raced the hell out of it and blew the motor. Then a local garage bought it and tried to put a 392 into it. I believe it ended up scrapped. There is a Mod Top Plymouth Fury in the hands of a collector near here, the original top in perfect condition. The car is all original except for aluminum wheels off an 80s Dodge. In the early seventies the local cops had an AMC Ambassador squad car with the 401 V8. I don't know how many police cars AMC made but there can't have been too many. Used to have a 68 Buick Electra 225 2 door hardtop with the biggest engine they made that year, the 365HP 10:1 compression 430 V8 and NO other options except a radio. No air, hand crank windows etc etc. I thought that was unusual for such an expensive car but man would it go, then they stopped making high test leaded gas. For a while I mixed high test unleaded with leaded regular then they stopped making leaded regular. Did you know Buick offered a folding vinyl sunroof on Skylarks around 1970? I saw one, it had special emblems but I don't remember exactly what it was called. The first Mercedes I owned was a 1962 220SE sedan. The SE was a deluxe model with fuel injection, sun roof, Becker Mexico radio, glass bowl headlights etc. when I went to the main dealer for parts the parts man told me that model was never sold in North America. Found out from the previous owner, that the original owner was a German who emigrated to Canada, he bought the car in Germany and brought it with him. Possibly the only one in North America.
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