How a Jowett Jupiter changed our lives!

All Jowett Jupiter owners know the thrill of owning and driving one of Great Britain’s rare and iconic sports cars. Every owner seems to have their own special story.

Our story started in 1980 when my wife Judie was expecting our daughter, Dana. She suggested a new hobby since our many travels would temporarily end. Our first idea was to own a special English sports car and we were fortunate to purchase a 1962  Morgan +4. Owning this car introduced us to other car enthusiasts and we attended many car events. 

Early in 1982 we were approached at a show by another Morgan owner wanting to sell a 1957 Morgan 4/4 needing restoration. It was a perfect project while our young daughter grew and we could eventually take her on family travels. The new vehicle received a ground-up restoration and was completed and ready to be shown at local car shows by 1983. 

Several years later while competing at a distant car show with our 1957 Morgan, we were approached by a gentleman indicating that he had an unusual British car that had been in storage for many years. He indicated it was a Jowett Jupiter. While I thought I knew about British cars, the name Jowett Jupiter was something new and piqued my interest. We were invited to see the car outside of Pittsburgh and found it buried under a tarp in a shed where it had sat for almost 20 years. The car was immediately purchased and a new garage project was started. 

The Jupiter was in need of a complete restoration. It had a cracked water jacket when the original owner, who bought the car in California in 1951 and was transferred to Pittsburgh, did not realize you need to put antifreeze in the car. Fixing that issue was part of a complete restoration with everything on the Jupiter being replaced or restored. This included dipping all body panels, restoring the chassis with Imron coating, rebuilding the engine and restoring every part possible —  including chrome parts, the interior and the bonnet material. 

The family resumed travel and in 1987 returned to England where we found a historic 1951 Morgan four- seat model at Laurie Weeks Light Car and Cycle Company in Hartlebury. It was in bare metal and waiting our choice of exterior color and upholstery. It was originally owned by a Dr William Steel and driven for the Morgan factory team to the 1951 RAC team championship. By 1990, the Jupiter was complete and ready to compete in its first major show, the 1990 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix All British Car Show of almost 400 registered vehicles. 

The British cars competed by class such as Jaguar, Austin Healey and MG. The Jupiter was placed in a mixed class where often only one example or unusual make competed. We were excited that our Jupiter took a 1st place award in the large mixed class. We then found out that, out of 400 cars, our Jupiter was named Best of Show. This would be the start of a show car career for our Jupiter that never disappointed. 

Over the next three decades the Jupiter competed for bragging rights at shows along with our 1951 and 1957 Morgans. Over the years both Morgans have collected over 90 awards each, while the Jupiter collected over 110 awards, including many Best in Shows. One such Best in Show award was when we drove the car out of state to Moundsville, W.V., with little hope of winning an award against a field of mostly pre-1940 American vehicles with over 300 competing cars. At the conclusion of the show we were shocked when the 1951 Jowett Jupiter again was chosen Best in Show. The car was invited to several major Concours d’Elegances, including the Burn Prevention Foundation Show in Reading, Pa., where it won another award. In 1995 both our Jupiter and 1951 Morgan were invited to the Meadowbrook Concours d’Elegance in central Michigan where both won awards and got lots of attention.

In Edmund Nankivell’s definitive book titled “The Jowett Jupiter – The Car that Leaped to Fame” aptly describes our Jupiter E1 SAL 125 that over the years it was featured in at least five major United States and international magazines. This was in addition to many By Jupiter! and Jowetteer articles. 

In 2018, the Burrows family received a postal note from England inquiring about Dr. Steel’s famous Morgan from his grandson wanting information on the car’s status. At that point we decided that the car should return home and belong to the Steel family. Tim Steel was excited to see the car that was part of the family history upon its return to Great Britain. 

In the following year, the Steel family hosted family outside of London. Tim picked us and brought us home in the Morgan four-seater. 

In the summer of 2025, our family was contacted by Jeff Lane, owner of the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tenn. Our long-time friend and mechanic, Jim Biery, would often undertake major restorations for Jeff back in Pittsburgh. Lane learned of the rarity and quality of the Jowett Jupiter from Jim, and made an offer to buy the car that we could not refuse. The Lane Motor Museum is the home of the largest European car collection in the United States with over 500 unique and unusual cars and 60-plus motorcycles. The museum continually rotates 150 different cars among its show room displays. While it was bittersweet seeing the Jowett leave for Nashville, we will forever treasure the memories of the many car and the and Jowett owners they met in Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia over the last four decades. 

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Buick turned 50 years old in 1953 and celebrated its birthday in style. The company delayed the release of its new V-8 until this model year, improved the Dynaflow (which some had called “Dyna-slush”), updated its B- and C-body cars for the final time in that styling cycle and released the new Skylark, a sporty-looking, limited-production, factory-customized model.

Buick’s new “Fireball” V-8 displaced 322 cubic inches in its original form, and when installed in the Skylark or Roadmaster, it produced its maximum horsepower of 188 units at 4,000 rpm. For comparison, the V-8 for the Super series, equipped with a two-barrel carburetor and with a compression ratio of 8.0:1, was rated at 170 hp at 4,000 rpm. Performance of the Skylark-Roadmaster engine was better due to a four-barrel carburetor and a higher compression ratio of 8.5:1. The basic engine was used by Buick through 1966. Incidentally, the old 263-cid straight-eight still powered the Special, but it received an improved combustion chamber resulting in slightly higher horsepower.

A “Twin-Turbine Dynaflow” helped deliver 10 percent more torque to the rear wheels. It felt less “slushy” and was also quieter than the original design.

Styling refinements for the 1953 Buick line included a raised front fender and hood line and a taller deck. Oval headlamp bezels, much like those of the 1951 Buick XP-300 concept car, were also included.

The Skylark was inspired by drawings penned by designer Ned Nickles showing a customized 1951 Buick convertible. Buick’s general manager, Ivan Wiles, liked Nickles’ ideas so much he thought a special show car, which was dubbed “Skylark,” should be built for the 1952 auto show circuit. According to the book, “The Buick: A Complete History”, by Terry Dunham and Lawrence Gustin, the prototype was first shown to the public in July of 1952. The Skylark prototype, equipped with Carlo Borrani wire wheels, was claimed to be the “answer to the European sports car,” though how such a big car could be labeled a sports car seems beyond explanation today. However, most of the American public had little familiarity with true sports cars, which handled and performed far differently than any of the heavy “land yachts” of the era. The Skylark had some sporty attributes and evidently that was enough to justify the sports car label. 

A Buick press release said the Skylark would be put into production if there was enough interest shown in it. In reality, though, it was already scheduled for production. The model was announced in October 1952 and production commenced the following January. Deliveries to dealers began some weeks later. Along with the limited-production Oldsmobile Fiesta, Cadillac Eldorado and Chevrolet Corvette convertibles, the Skylark was the focus of its General Motors division’s display at the 1953 GM Motorama. These convertibles were show cars that people could actually take home, unlike the exotic dream cars also on display at the Motorama.

Based on the Roadmaster convertible, the body of the Skylark (Model 76X) received a “chopped” windshield instead of the wraparound type as found on the Fiesta and Eldorado, a lowered and notched beltline and radiused rear wheel openings. A “bomb sight” hood ornament was recessed into the hood and the now-traditional Buick “Ventiports” were deleted from the front fenders. The top of the front seat was lowered to align exactly with the beltline, resulting in a car that appeared dramatically lower as compared to other 1953 Buick models. Indeed, it was about 3 inches lower. Just as GM’s dream cars were predictive of future styling characteristics, the Skylark was, too, since Buick’s 1954 models would get radiused wheel openings and the sweepspear trim. The 1953 Skylark’s special body sat on a Roadmaster chassis with a wheelbase of 127 inches.

Enhancing the sporty look of the production version of the Skylark was a set of 40-spoke, chrome-plated Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels. (These wheels were an extra-cost option for other Buick models.) Its radiused rear wheel openings helped to show off the glittering wheels. Sweeping over the wheel openings was what advertising described as a “rapier styled sweepspear” molding unique to this model. The sweepspear would soon become a calling card appearing in one form or another on Buick’s cars into the 1970s. Its shape helped to highlight the fender line that flowed into the door and the hopped-up quarters.

In addition to the wire wheels, standard equipment for the Skylark included tinted glass, whitewall tires, leather upholstery with narrow pleats, special carpeting, foot-controlled signal-seeking “Selectronic” radio, tinted glass, heater, power brakes, power steering, power seat, power windows, power antenna, power top (which was of synthetic Orlon) and Skylark-scripted door sill plates along with the 188-hp 322 four-barrel V-8 and the Twin-Turbine Dynaflow transmission. Furthermore, the owner’s signature was sealed into the gold-colored emblem placed on the steering wheel hub. With a price tag of $5,000, the special model was priced nearly $1,500 more than a Roadmaster convertible and about $700 more than a Cadillac Series Sixty Special.

One prototype 1953 Skylark hardtop was built (though two have been claimed to have been built) by Buick Engineering in Flint. However, the roofline combined with the dipped beltline appeared awkward, and no production versions were forthcoming.

Sales for the 1953 Buicks were exceptionally strong. A total of 488,805 were sold, the second best output in Buick’s history and over 50 percent more than the number produced for 1952. Of those nearly half-million Buicks, only 1,690 were Skylarks. 

One of those, the car shown here, is owned by Rick Smith, of Longview, Texas. Rick is well-known among restorers of 1950s Cadillacs, though he recently retired from his parts supplying business and sold off most of his parts, parts cars and some of his collection of cars (including another 1953 Skylark) at an auction held in 2018.

Smith has owned this Skylark for more than 20 years, although the opportunity to finally restore the car occurred only about eight years ago. The car came from a Buick dealer in Alabama who drove the car in the 1970s.

The Skylark returned for 1954, but was based on a production body which helped to lower its price. The car’s rear styling was unique to the model, making it a standout. Only 798 were built and the proposed 1955 Skylark never went beyond the drawing board.

Love Buicks? Here are a few more articles for your reading enjoyment.

https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/features/car-of-the-week-1958-buick-caballero

https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/features/car-of-the-week-1964-buick-lesabre-2-dr

check out Old Cars magazine. CLICK HERE to subscribe.

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Prior to living in Milford, Dela., where Larry and Susan Sullivan now have room for an old pickup, they lived in Jersey City, N.J., which is across the Hudson River from New York City. Jersey City is congested, with buildings erected close together; even the houses that were built there during the 1930s and 1940s are so close together that there is no space for a driveway between them. So, if the houses have a front porch, residents often put their car’s hood or trunk under the deck and hope the other end of the vehicle does not go over the public sidewalk. In short, there was no room for a collector vehicle at the Sullivans’ home in Jersey City.

Since gaining more space in their move to Delaware, Larry and Susan purchased the featured 1950 International Harvester L110 pickup. The truck was found on the side of a Virginia road with a “for sale” sign in it.

“I was looking for a project like a Ford or Chevy, because they are the easiest to get parts,” Larry said. “But prices for them have shot through the stratosphere due to the auctions on TV. Everyone thought that their rust buckets were gold!” Susan encouraged him to buy the International.

IH was the last company to come out with an all-new postwar pickup design. At General Motors, the Chevrolet and GMC trucks had been totally restyled for 1947, as was the Willys pickup inspired by the World War II jeep. Ford and Dodge modernized their pickups in 1948, and Studebaker introduced a more contemporary pickup in 1949. By 1950, the postwar sellers’ market had faded, so it was a good thing that International featured all-new skin for that year. Ted Ornas is credited with the design.

The 1950 International featured fashionable, up-to-date lines that were squarer than before. The pickup, though, did not break from tradition and had separate fenders that bulged from the body, and continued to incorporate running boards. The front fender tops were level and without any valleys. The domed hood still towered over the fenders, but it was spread out wider and flatter. The wide, blunt grille had two horizontal bars at the lower end and 19 vertical slots above the double strips. The headlamps were firmly fixed into keyhole shapes with rectangular parking lenses below. There was a one-piece curved windshield and a divided backlite, both sealed in the cab with a rubberized molding. The pickup rode a 115-inch wheelbase, and the 6.5-foot-long box had a metal cargo floor.

There is a lot of exposed metal that is painted in the IH’s interior. The floor extends “Oklahoma flat” with clutch and brake floor pedals toward the toe board. The instrument panel is broad and flat with two round dials in front of the driver. The left circle contains four gauges: the voltmeter is at the 1 o’clock position, the temperature at the 4 o’clock, the oil pressure at the 7 o’clock, and the fuel is at 11. The circle on the right houses the odometer and the 80-mph speedometer. Gauges use white markings against black backgrounds. Aside from monitoring the mechanical health of the truck, there are no “infotainment” features.

At the center of the instrument panel is the ignition to start the pickup. On the left are two pull knobs. The top knob is for the wipers, and the bottom knob for the lights. To the right of the keyhole, on the top, is the throttle knob that adjusts the fuel and air mixture, and a lower knob works the choke to help start the engine.

The synchronized three-speed manual is column mounted, and the emergency brake has a claw-shaped handle. Larry’s pickup has a block-off plate where the optional radio would be mounted.

“The big, chrome ashtray sits prominently in the center, embossed with the name ‘International,’” Larry notes. There is a button horn in the center of the steering wheel with IH’s three diamond logo. The more familiar IH corn binder emblem that looks like a person on a tractor was designed by Raymond Loewy. The hubcaps have this IH emblem.

A 1950 print advertisement for the International pickup stated, “The Comfort-Vision Cab will put a smile on your face. The roomiest cab on the road.  You get full front visibility through the one-piece Sweptright windshield. You get more positive steering control from a more comfortable driving position.  You get new maneuverability, shortest practical turning circle.”

In addition to a new body, the 1950 International also had a new engine.  It was an overhead-valve six-cylinder that was called “Silver Diamond.” This 220.5-cid six produced 100 hp with 173.5 lb.-ft. of torque.

The components of Larry and Susan’s pickup were in various states of disrepair when they purchased it.

“The cloth-covered wires were brittle and causing electrical shorts,” Larry said. “The front end was all worn out, as was the leaf springs, shocks, exhaust system, cooling system, radiator and water pump.

“I replaced leaf springs and shocks at Glen’s Performance in Lincoln, Delaware, as well as repaired wipers, door window tracks and gaskets,” Larry continued. “Big work was done at William T. Wadkins Garage in Milford.  Bill is an IH aficionado and completely rewired top to bottom while converting from 6 to 12 volts. He acquired the parts to rebuild the front end and braking system, rebuilt the carburetor and cleaned out the gas tank. The radiator was sent out to get boiled out and braised, and the water pump was rebuilt.”

With the challenges came rewards. Larry and Susan now have their own personal time machine. Larry enjoys the old school feel from the front I-beam axle, making this presentable hobby hauler ride and sound like a truck from 75 years ago. The low-gear pickup is not for four-lane highways, but for two lane roads, and so Larry drives on scenic, low-traffic byways.

“No electric beeping or a voice telling you how to drive,” Larry says. “Just a fun ride. You’re driving it. It is not driving you.”

The pickup body is drenched in dark green paint while the four fenders have black plumage.

“The interior ceiling and floor are black, as well as the vinyl seat and door panels,” Larry added.

Larry says the easiest way to know his IH pickup is a 1950 model is by its internal door hinges (1950 IH trucks have internal hinges while the ’51 and ’52 have external hinges). He learned this fact from a woman at a car show. She was a little girl when her father bought a new 1950 International pickup and was delighted that Larry let her sit in his truck.

Larry noted that the cargo floor in his truck is metal while earlier IH cargo floors were made of wood. He constructed oak wood railings for the cargo box and also used oak to replace the very damaged metal running boards.

“It’s not perfect, but we’re not trying to make it perfect,” Larry says. “It doesn’t win many awards, but it always makes people smile.”

SHOW US YOUR WHEELS!

If you’ve got an old car you love, we want to hear about it. Email us at oldcars@aimmedia.com

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The post Car of the Week: 1950 International Harvester L110 appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.

Dallas Israel of Oregon considers his 1956 Ford Town Sedan to be a survivor, but not because it has its original paint, chrome and interior and low miles. It’s survived Israel learning to drive, going to college, three wrecks, a failed trade-in attempt and three marriages. Most recently, it survived the 2020 Riverside Fire in Oregon that came within a mile of Israel’s home.

“My father bought the car in 1959,” he said. “I learned to drive in it -— I have been driving the car since 1962.”

Israel’s father found the Ford through a friend that had used the car to haul a trailer. Such work can mechanically tax a vehicle, but Israel’s father knew the Ford had been well maintained during its chores.

Although Israel learned to drive on the 1956 Ford, it wasn’t his first choice for a car. That honor goes to an Austin-Healey, even if it was a short-lived affair.

“I got this (Ford) from him to replace my first car, a 1959 Austin-Healey Sprite, which was pretty fragile for a teenager. I had problems with the transmission and every time we needed to work on it, we had to pull the engine. Dad got tired of that and he paid me $150 to get rid of the Sprite, and he sold the Ford to me for $150, so he got his money back and got rid of the Sprite.”

The sale was back in 1965, and Isreal and the Ford have together ever since — including through some rocky periods. Those trials seem to have made Israel appreciate the ’56 Ford even more.

“There is a lot of sentimental value to it since my dad is, of course, gone,” he said. “I remember taking trips from Tracy [Calif.] to Bakersfield to see my grandparents, and I had my first date in the car. I can’t pinpoint one thing. It got me through college and just growing up.”

Israel didn’t immediately treasure the Ford, especially in college when everyone else was driving sportier two-doors. He set out to change his situation upon graduation in 1969 when he tried to swap his four-door Ford for his second roadster.

“When I graduated from college, I bought a ’66 MGB and I wanted to trade the Ford for the MGB and the guy at the British car dealer gave me $50 cash to keep the Ford. So I guess from that point on it has been like an old tire — they never really go away. That is why I call the car a survivor.”

Since the import car dealer refused the Ford, Israel kept it as a second car and split driving time between it and the MGB. It worked out in his favor, because Israel’s second dance with a British mistress went about as well as his first.

“My first wife redlined the MG too many times and blew the engine, so we kept the Ford and bought another car after the MG, but the Ford stayed.”

His first wife quickly developed a reputation for being hard on cars, and it wasn’t long before the Ford also succumbed to her heavy-handedness.

“My first wife totaled it,” Israel recalled. “She pulled out in front of someone. I always wanted to try my hand at restoring something, so I fixed it. I drove it without a bumper and one front fender until I could start piecing it together again.”

Israel eventually had the Ford back together again and looking good, but that was not to last.

“An old lady pulled out right in front of me and I had no chance to stop,” he said of the second accident.

“The (third accident) wasn’t that bad, but the hood opened itself up and hit the windshield. That caused damage to both front fenders and the hood, so that was an ordeal.”

After each accident, Israel repaired the damage and had the car repainted in its original Georgia Peach and Colonial White two-tone. He said decent body and trim parts were relatively easy to find on the West Coast, with the exception of the replacement hood. He ended up finding a different hood in Arizona that wasn’t nearly as straight as the seller sold it to be. With some work, it’s still covering the Ford’s original 292-cid V-8. That 292-cid V-8 also received some attention, eventually getting a rebuild that included a bore of .030 inch that raised the displacement to about 312 cubic inches with a four-barrel carburetor.

He also noticed the front frame cross member had rusted — a common occurrence on 1955 and ’56 Fords -— but he easily found a replacement.

The years and miles took enough of a toll on the old Ford that Israel eventually had the car reupholstered in the original materials. That was in the late 1980s or early ’90s. Thanks to Israel’s care and the mild West Coast climate, the Ford never required a frame-off restoration. It’s been more of a rolling project; whenever it needs something, Israel has repaired it.

“It’s been a very good car, all in all,” he said. “It runs like a Swiss watch and of course I don’t hot rod it — it is just a nice cruiser, a nice driver.”

Sure, a small part of Israel wishes his father had bought a sportier Crown Victoria or Sunliner version of the 1956 Ford Fairlane all those years ago, but he’s more than content with the Town Sedan. Since it’s been in the family for so long and it carries so many memories, he has absolutely no plans to ever part with it.

“It just hung around all of these years,” he said. “I told my son if he wants it, it would be nice to keep it in the family for the next 30 years or so.”

The Lifeguard ’56 Fords

The 1956 Fords closely resembled the 1955 Fords they followed, but the basic design of the 1956 Ford actually went back to 1952.

Following the wildly successful 1949-1951 Ford design, Ford completely restyled its cars for 1952 and put the new body on a new chassis. The redesign gave more flair to the rear of the cars, which had a quasi-fin in which round new taillamps and their supporting metal extended several inches beyond the trunk with jet exhaust-like flair. The cars looked lower with a stamped character feature in the design of the rear fenders. The headlamps were now frenched into their bezels for a very custom look, and the grille was an open and airy evolution of the grilles immediately before them. The new body was called a “Ford Coachcraft Body,” which suspiciously recalled Coachcraft, a California coachbuilder that had been building custom bodies since 1940 — some of them on Ford chassis. The Fords were advertised as “The big new ’52 Ford” and “the only completely modern car in its field.”

A six-cylinder was available for the thrifty-minded and to keep Ford in step with its competitors Chevrolet and Plymouth, which only offered sixes. However, Fords of this era could still be fitted with the famous flathead V-8 engine that also kept them one step ahead of the competition.

On the outside, Fords were simply given different trim and grille treatments from 1952 to 1954 model year. The big change for 1954 was the new overhead-valve V-8 that helped Ford keep pace with performance and technological advances.

For 1955, Chevrolet and Plymouth were all new and all modern from top to bottom — new bodies with wrap-around windshields and new V-8 engines. Ford was still able to sell its cars as being new — “Discover the thrill of a totally new Ford,” said ads — even though the engine and body were based on the 1954 components, but with major updates and improvements. Very few people knew the 1955 272- and 292-cid V-8s were based on the new-for-1954 239-cid V-8, and the 1955 body, now labeled as a Crestmark body, was a serious update to the 1952-’54 body given new outward sheet metal and a new cowl to accommodate 1955’s wrap-around windshield.

The 1955 Ford design is credited to Franklin Q. Hershey, who also designed the original Thunderbird that inspired full-size 1955 Ford styling. Like the Thunderbird, the big 1955 Fords used hooded headlamps and small fins atop Ford’s now-trademark round taillamps. The peaks of the hooded headlamps and tailfins were visually connected by a straight line that also formed the beltline, giving the Fords a cohesive modern look. Adding to the modern appearance was a lower top to the trunk and a hood that barely domed above the top of the front fenders. Graceful new side trim on the top new Fairlane model began atop the headlamps and then curved down the front fenders to a dip in the door. The trim then checkmarked back up the doors and then ran parallel to the ground until terminating in front of the rear taillamps. An exaggerated interpretation of this trim also appeared on Ford’s 1955 Mystere concept car.

Ford also shuffled model names for the new 1955 models. In 1954, Crestline was at the top, but was replaced in 1955 by the Fairlane; the midline Customline and low-line Mainline names were carried from 1954 to 1955 and ’56. The Fairlane series was the most diverse with the most models: a Sunliner convertible, the Crown Victoria with additional trim including a novel stainless band that stretched over the roof to form a B pillar; a Skyliner variation of the Crown Victoria in which the front half of the roof had a see-through Plexiglas panel; the Club Victoria two-door hardtop; the Town Sedan four-door sedan; and the Club Sedan two-door sedan. In 1956, a four-door hardtop was a must and Ford added this model with the Fordor Victoria during the year.

For 1956, Fords were simply updated. After all, why mess with a good thing? While Ford was updating its trim to the carried-over sheet metal, it incorporated a few tricks common among all manufacturers to make existing bodies looks lower and longer. Most notably, ’56 Ford parking lamps went from round to oval and the side trim became wider.

Fords for 1955 had V-8 engines that displaced 272 cubic inches or 292 cubic inches in the Thunderbird V-8 (the overhead-valve six displaced 223 cubic inches); these engines were mounted in a beefed-up frame incorporating a ball joint front suspension system. Starting came from a six-volt electrical system. For 1956, the V-8 engine choices remained the same but with the added availability of a 312-cubic-inch Thunderbird Special engine that came standard with a four-barrel; dual four-barrel carburetors became available for race applications later in 1956. All engines in 1955 and ’56 were touted as having “Trigger Torque” power. Ford also made a 12-volt electrical system standard in 1956 and routed the exhaust through the back bumper that year.

While the subtle styling changes were applauded and the mechanical improvements welcomed, Ford marketing was focused on new safety enhancements marketed under Lifeguard design. It didn’t replace Ford’s promotion of Thunderbird styling and Thunderbird performance, but Lifeguard design marketing certainly overshadowed them.

Lifeguard design came from Ford-funded research at Cornell University’s Medical College that showed that most harm to vehicular occupants in a collision was caused by being thrown from the car, harm from striking the instrument panel and windshield and impalement by the steering wheel and column.

Ford claimed that “Lifeguard design means greater protection for you and yours against injuries resulting from accidents. It embraces a whole new family of safety features” designed to prevent harm to occupants in a collision. Those standard safety features included double-grip door latches to keep doors from springing open in an accident; a deep-center steering wheel that “gave” to protect the driver from being hurt by the steering column and wheel; a shatter-resistant Safety-Swivel Mirror with “give;” and a seat track designed to keep from sliding forward in a collision. Optional Lifeguard equipment included seat belts and cushioned instrument panel and visors.

In this day of lane alerts, automatic braking and backup cameras, such basic safety features are appreciated. However, car buyers in 1956 had little to no interest in safety. In an article for Old Cars Weekly during the 1980s, Tim Howley said he knew many 1956 Ford owners. “They all raved about the car’s good looks and snappy performance and cursed the seat belts. Research showed that less than six percent of buyers were influenced by the safety pitch. In fact, research strongly indicated that the safety story was turning buyers away to Chevrolet.”

Indeed, Ford led Chevrolet in sales through the first half of 1955, but Chevrolet came out slightly ahead by the end of the year, leaving Ford second in sales — 1,435,002 Fords to 1,682,708 Chevys. In 1956, the comparison was more dire for Ford, which recorded 1,392,847 car sales against Chevrolet’s 1,574,740 cars. Ford would rebound in 1957 when it again outsold Chevrolet.

Although 1956 Fords looked great and handled and performed well, Howley said they had a “so-so reputation” when new. “Buyers complained about poor gas mileage (13-17 mpg with four-barrel 292 V-8), body squeaks, leaks, rattles and generally poor quality workmanship. The interior vinyl, while bright, was cheap, and quickly took on a flophouse look. The dual exhausts through the bumpers soon rusted the bumpers. The soft stainless steel grille dented easily. By 1959 or ’60, most ’56 Fords looked worse than cars 10 years their seniors.”

Certainly these observations weren’t consistently experienced and the 1956 Ford has had a strong following for decades, including right up to today. The most sought-after examples remain the Sunliner convertible, the Crown Victoria and Crown Victoria Skyliner and the Victoria hardtops. Ford’s station wagons were in their own series and they have a following of their own, especially the two-door wagons in which the Parklane two-door wagon was at the top.

Today, any surviving 1956 Ford is a handsome treasure from the nifty ’50s, when Ford was building beautiful cars that performed as well as they looked.

Crown Victoria Association
Recognizes 1954-1956 Fords
www.thecvaonline.com

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The post Car of the Week: 1956 Ford Fairlane appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.

Greg Pellegrom always had it in the back of his mind. Maybe… possibly … if the right one came along … and the timing seemed just right… sure, he’d like to buy an old pickup truck.

“I guess it was just a matter of opportunity,” says Pellegrom, a retired resident of Stevens Point, Wis.

That opportunity came out of the blue back in 2000. Pellegrom was traveling for business and found himself in Tupelo, Miss. He was a long way from home, but he was enjoying himself, in part, because of the number of nice, old pickup trucks he noticed driving around.

“I was talking to a guy saying, ‘Man, it’s sure been fun being here and looking at all your old pickup trucks,” Pellegrom recalled with a chuckle. “He said, ‘Y’all looking for one?’ I said, ‘Well, all Yankees are, aren’t they?.’ He said, ‘My cousin has one for sale!’”

That 1954 Chevrolet 3100 half-ton had apparently belonged to a chicken farmer in Tupelo. It was in pretty decent shape — good enough that it needed somebody to either get running good enough to enjoy in “as is” condition with a little TLC, or somebody with bigger plans to finish restoring it back to original.

Pellegrom wasn’t sure which direction he was going to go with it, but he simply couldn’t pass up the chance to buy an old Chevy pickup that had lived on a chicken farm in Tupelo.

“He had the thing in primer, and it had been sitting in his garage,” Pellegrom said. “His uncle bought the truck originally…. It ran, yes. The brakes were not good. I drove it up and down the road a few times. But the bed was gone. The tailgate and front of the box were both beat up… The guy kept track of some of his oil changes, and it looks like it went years and years — maybe 10 years at a time, between oil changes. I think it spent a lot of time sitting in a barn.”

An old farm truck that needed some love was just fine with Pellegrom. It was exactly that kind of truck that he remembered from his childhood.

“It was an impulse, but I always kind of had it in my mind that I wanted an old Chevy pickup truck, because in my youth, my dad’s cousin used to go up and down the street in our hometown of Grand Haven, Michigan, and he had produce on the back of his old Chevy pickup,” Pellegrom recalled. “I’ll always remember seeing that truck coming down the street, heading for the market or wherever….”

Pellegrom jokes about having to OK the acquisition with his wife Jackie. That conversation took an interesting twist when he got home. Turns out Jackie had scoped out an old pickup at an antique shop while Greg had been on the road. She gave some serious thought to buying it as a surprise.

“She said, ‘Wouldn’t it have been fun if I had bought it for you?’” Pellegrom laughs. “I said, ‘Well, funny you should say that, because I have something to tell you about.”

1954: A Better ‘Advance-Design’

Chevy’s Advance-Design line of trucks were introduced following World War II in 1947, and by 1954, they were due for a fairly substantial refresh.

There was a new and more open grille. The opening was filled with a massive cross-bar arrangement. The main horizontal bar extended the full-width of the body. Below it were rectangular parking lamps. The outer radiator grille bars were done in body color, and the inner bars were Thistle Gray (except trucks painted Commercial Red had Argent Silver inner bars, and trucks painted Pure White had Pure White inner bars). “Chevrolet” was stamped into the grille header bar and lettered in Waldorf White. Bumpers were finished in Anvil Gray.

There was a new instrument panel with defroster openings that extended the full width of the windshield. The instruments, grouped in two clusters, were now recessed into the panel to minimize reflections. There was also a redesigned “dispatch booth” (glove compartment) and a restyled ash tray. A revised steering wheel provided a better view of the instruments and incorporated finger grips on the horizontal spokes. A new load box featured a 2-inch lower loading height, flat side panel tops, deeper sides and a tailgate the same height as the sides. The 1954 taillamps were round. When the optional rear bumper was ordered, the license plate was mounted in the center of the box, under the tailgate.

Some of the numerous technical changes included a more rugged three-speed manual transmission; a new optional Hydra-Matic transmission; and a more durable clutch for automatics. Frame rigidity was increased by a heavier cross-member at the rear of the engine. Chrome fender bars were available as Deluxe equipment on panel trucks only. A switch to a gray-and-maroon interior was made for Suburbans. A Juniper Green body finish with cream medium striping and black wheels was standard finish for all models.

Eleven other colors were optional at no extra cost. They included: Commercial Red with Argent Silver; Jet Black with Argent Silver; Mariner Blue with Cream Medium; Cream Medium with Jet Black; Yukon Yellow with Jet Black; Ocean Green with Jet Black; Transport Blue with Cream Medium; Copper Tone with Shell White; Omaha Orange with Jet Black; Autumn Brown with Shell White; and Pure White with Juniper Green. Standard wheels were black; on Deluxe monotone and two-tone trucks, the wheels were the color of the lower body; on two-tone trucks, Shell White was used exclusively as the upper body color and the belt line was usually striped with the lower body color. Exceptions included trucks with the lower body done in Pure White, Cream Medium or Omaha Orange, in which cases the striping was Jet Black or Onyx Black.

Early in 1954, Chevrolet introduced a new Deluxe Cab option for all 3000 Series trucks. It included two-tone interior trim that harmonized with the exterior color; stainless-steel windshield and side window reveals; chrome-plated Ventipane frames; right-hand sunshade; left-hand armrest; cigar lighter; twin-tone horns; and curved rear corner windows. The two-tone interior colors with Light Green and Juniper Green; Light Blue and Dark Blue; Birch White and Brown; and Pear Beige and Maroon. The interior included a color-coordinated cloth seat; a color-coordinated rubber floor mat; color-coordinated wind lacing; and special colored plastic armrests.

The 235.5-cid six was improved with output now up to 105 hp, thanks to new insert bearings and high-pressure lubrication. The same engine had been introduced on passenger cars with the two-speed Powerglide in 1953. Torque-tube drive returned, and Hydra-Matic was optional.

The base price of the 1/2-ton 3100 pickup was $1,419 for the 1954 model year. The 3100 Series also included a cab and chassis; chassis and cowl; panel delivery; canopy; and Suburbans with either doors or tailgates in back.

Cruising Through Retirement

Like anybody who picks up an old vehicle to restore — or at least finish — Pellegrom had a fundamental decision to make regarding his 1954 1/2-ton: Try to return it to authentic factory condition, or make a few modifications to make it a reliable driver. The decision for him wasn’t a difficult one; he wanted to drive the truck as much as possible.

“I wanted to paint it and restore whatever I had to,” he says. “I didn’t want to get inside the engine if I didn’t have to. I just wanted a truck to have some fun in, go to a few parades, a few car shows, and talk smart with the fellas.

“If you go by the book, you could pick apart just about everything. It’s not a blue ribbon concours vehicle, and I’m not a blue ribbon concours guy.”

Pellegrom had a friend help him tackle all the bodywork, and paint. They went with stainless divider strips and oak planks for the bed — a combination that looks great, but is a little flashier than what came from the factory.

One of the biggest decisions he faced was what paint color to go with. The truck was in primer when he got it, so it was a blank canvas. Pellegrom said he was leaning toward red, but his wife wanted yellow. “Then I was on another business trip out to Kansas and I saw a guy that had about a ’53 Chevy pickup on a K5 Chevy chassis and it had a real nice mellow green on it.”

That sighting changed his mind. 

“I just really liked the green. It’s easy on the eyes, and just kind of low-key. This shade is actually closer probably to a Ford color. The same buddy painter who went to get the truck with me and help me with the bodywork painted the truck in his garage with a 20-inch box fan for ventilation. We probably broke every OSHA rule there was!”

The new grilles on the ’54s were originally available in chrome, but that was more expensive and not common. On painted grilles, body color was used on the outer bars, while the inner bars were White, Thistle Gray or Argent Silver on red trucks. Pellegrom decided to break with authenticity and go with cream for the grille, which was used on other trucks of the era, but wasn’t a Chevy option in ’54. 

“The White was so stark, it was really bright. I just didn’t think that it looked good with this color. I liked [the cream] because it doesn’t jump out at you … And the front and rear bumpers are about $10 worth of Rustoleum! Same thing with the running boards. About $10 worth of Rustoleum paint, painted in my friend’s garage.”

The previous owner had already painted the interior of the steel cab a tan color. Pellegrom tackled the vinyl seat upholstery himself in his basement, and added seat belts for himself and passengers.

“I was a safety guy for Sentry Insurance for 37 years!” he jokes. “I gotta do the safety stuff.”

Pellegrom also added outside mirrors, stainless taillamps, a heater-defroster and a few other goodies. A local garage just a couple blocks from his home did some brake work on the pickup and replaced the starter. The electrics on the truck have also been swapped from 6 to 12 volts with a generator now in place.

“I also went to 15-inch wheels and rubber,” he points out. “The narrow whitewalls are not authentic, but I wanted to go with the radials.”

Pellegrom said it took him nearly three years from the time he got it home to get the truck “done.” He was still working full-time back then, and he said he looked forward to coming home from work every night and on the weekends and having the resto project to keep him busy. The truck eventually led to another vehicle, too. He now has a sweet 1931 Ford Model A in his garage.

“The whole project was a lot of fun for me. I always knew I was doing the right thing,” he says. “Just the process was something I really enjoyed, and it was something to look forward to and something different from my day job. The project itself kept me going.”

He says a spin on a country road in the old Chevy takes him back to simpler times and reminds him its OK to sometimes take life at a slower pace. When you are bouncing along in a 70-year-old truck, well, you don’t really have much choice but to slow down.

“Yeah, it doesn’t go very fast. The rear end has farmer’s market gears in it — 45, 50 mph. You know, what’s the rush?” Pellegrom concludes. “It’s all just recreation. It’s all just about having fun.”

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In the course of a 2004 estate dispersal, a long-hidden stash of General Motors-sourced photos showing GM Styling Shop Order (SO) cars from the 1950s came to light. The GM Photographic 8×10-inch prints of specially modified cars were among the many vintage treasures, automotive and otherwise, stored away at a historic farmstead near Romeo, Mich.

The rural property had been the residence of the late Waino (“Wayne”) Husko. Before retirement, Husko had been a supervisor in the Mechanical Engineering Development Group at the GM Tech Center.

Husko’s automotive collectibles comprised several cars, including a Packard Twelve town car originally owned by Dodge Brothers co-founder Horace Dodge’s son.

Also found stored in a building on Husko’s property was the only 1963 Corvette Sting Ray Z06 convertible built. Husko was the one-off’s original owner—it was built to his specification by the St. Louis Corvette Plant! (The amazing story of how the Z06 was found in—and sold out of—the Husko estate is recounted in the 2010 book, “The Corvette in the Barn.”)

The Old Cars reader who acquired Husko’s hoard of GM SO car images in 2004 recently began offering them on eBay. Old Cars Editor Angelo Van Bogart spotted the listings and obtained several photos featuring Cadillacs and Buicks with GM Styling special design features. The cars’ respective Shop Order numbers are pencilled on the photos’ backs.

Knowing the author is somewhat partial to Buicks, Angelo invited us to see what we could find about the two modified 1955 Buick convertibles—one a Roadmaster and the other a Century— illustrated in the Husko photos he obtained. The results of our research are reflected in this article.

The nature of GM Shop Order jobs

Shop Order (SO) cars were built or modified in GM Stying’s dedicated fabrication shops. These behind-the-curtain operations primarily supported Styling’s design studio needs, while additionally providing their specific services to other GM organizations.

SO numbers were primarily used to help GM accountants track project costs, and they weren’t just for vehicles. Styling’s fabrication shops built “bucks” for clay models, crafted auto show displays and executed numerous other GM special projects requiring hands-on skills.

A Shop Order vehicle typically has a special tag stamped with its SO number affixed to its firewall at upper right.

The most widely known SO cars were the 1953-1961 GM Motorama concept cars, completely hand-built customs that previewed potential styling and engineering advances. Many were also assigned “XP” numbers by GM Engineering, when experimental technical features were significantly included.

Other SO cars included production models modified for auto-show display. Such specials might have custom exterior paint and trim, and/or special interior trim and details. Some also show-cased experimental engineering features.

SO cars were also done for important personages outside of GM. Some were built for heads of state. SO 2597, a 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 limousine, was modified for U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and apparently further worked over by the coachbuilding firm Hess & Eisenhardt. (The car would be primarily used by Eisenhower’s wife, Mamie, during his administration).

Multiple specially modified SO Cadillacs, Buicks and at least one Chevrolet station wagon were delivered to Great Britain’s Edward, Duke of Windsor. Some SO individual customs were for entertainers—singer and Chevrolet pitch-person Dinah Shore among them.

Perhaps the least-known SO cars were those done for GM board members, senior executives and, occasionally, their family members. The 1955 Buicks we’ll momentarily discuss here were in this category.

SO cars modified from production models were assembled by their parent divisions before being transported to GM Styling for customization. Many divisional plants were equipped to spray special-order colors, although Styling did have its own paint shop.

In addition to non-production paint, individual SO cars might require the creation of special emblems, moldings and accessories. These were designed in the Styling studios, which released parts lists and design drawings to the shops for follow-through. Custom interior trim patterns and fabrics were handled by the “Trim Room” experts.

We don’t know when the Shop Order tracking methodology was introduced at GM. But Styling’s long tradition of building special cars for special people began not long after GM President Alfred P. Sloan brought California coachbuilder Harley J. Earl into GM early in 1927, having chosen him to establish a centralized design resource within the corporation. Earl’s resulting “Art & Colour” group was soon taking form. (After 1936, the now-larger design domain over which Earl ruled would be known as GM Styling.)

During 1928, the small group of stylists and technical engineers Earl had added to his fledgling Art & Colour staff designed and built a custom LaSalle “Sedan Cabriolet” for Lawrence J. Fisher, General Manager of Cadillac. Innovative both in appearance and construction, the low-slung and sleekly styled full custom was essentially the grand-daddy of all GM Styling Shop Order vehicles to come.

By the early 1950s, Shop Order projects were rapidly proliferating, and the Section’s expanded fabrication areas were humming with activity. By this time, these now included paint, metal and wood shops; hammer, milling and plastic/plaster rooms; drafting and engineering services; interior engineering; and fabric cutting and sewing rooms. These resources gave Styling the capability “to design, engineer and build cars … in a hurry,” the late GM Engineering Manager Ken Pickering told podcaster Kevin Walsh in 2015.

It was within the GM Styling and GM Engineering shops that GM’s first slate of seven Motorama concept cars were created for the traveling show’s fantastic 1953 tour. GM Research stepped in to help, when needed.

Harlow H. Curtice: A ‘Buick Man’

It was also during 1953 that Harlow H. Curtice became General Motors president. After taking the helm at the then-struggling Buick Division two decades before, Curtice had legendarily saved the make from its near-fatal Great Depression woes. He lead a regenerated Buick brand to record sales in 1940 and 1941, following up by propelling the division to tremendous feats of military production for Allied forces in World War II.

When Curtice became a GM Executive Vice-President in 1948, his office was moved to the corporation’s Detroit headquarters, but he remained a Buick man at heart. He kept his family residence in Flint, Buick’s hometown, even after becoming president of GM in 1953.

When TIME Magazine named Curtice its “1955 Man of the Year,” its biography of him noted, “He [Curtice] lives in a relatively modest red brick corner house, with a three-car garage. In the garage: his wife’s Buick Roadmaster convertible, daughter Dorothy Anne’s Buick Century convertible, and his personal, flashy Buick Skylark convertible, now being hopped up with a new experimental engine and transmission.” (Curtice’s Buicks were usually personalized and often equipped with advanced features for him to test.)

When we saw Angelo’s photos of SO 2505, we recalled TIME’s mention of Dorothy Anne’s Century convertible. Initially, we thought we could be looking at her car. However, zooming in on the SO Buick’s custom deck-lid emblem revealed it was monogrammed “MLB.”

A quick web search informed us that the Curtices’ eldest daughter, Mary Lelia, 24, had married Robert C. Bishop in November 1954, and so by 1955, her initials were, indeed, “MLB.”

The question then became, could there have been more than one 1955 Century convertible for the Curtice daughters? We emailed scans of Angelo’s Buick images to Christo Datini, manager of GM Design Archive & Special Collections, asking for help.

Christo responded that he’d found the originals of the prints obtained by Angelo, as well as a few others in the series, in the GM Photographic archives.

In regards to the SO 1955 Century images, Christo wrote, “The photographer’s notes indicate that this series depicts two 1955 Century convertibles for Harlow Curtice’s two daughters. Their SO numbers are 2503 and 2505.”

Christo’s input strongly infers that it was Dorothy Anne, 23 years old and a college student in 1955, who received the SO 2503 Century. (The third Curtice daughter, Catherine Dale, then 17, apparently didn’t receive a custom 1955 Buick convertible.)

Christo attached additional images from the GM Photographic shoot, most of them interior views. He also copied for us the internal 1955 Shop Orders index page listing the cars. The line entries for both 2503 and 2505 are annotated “Mr. Curtice’s Daughter,” confirming the intended recipients.

GM Photographic’s Neil Madler shot the “go-around” of the Curtice daughters’ SO Century convertibles on March 30, 1955. We assume the sister cars were delivered soon after.

These 1955 SO cars were completed after the annually recurring rush to build Motorama cars. The Buicks were also finished in the midst of GM Styling’s move to the new General Motors Technical Center in Warren.

Construction had began on the Tech Center campus in 1949, and GM Engineering operations were settling into their new quarters there by 1951-’52. GM Research and Process Development followed, as their buildings were completed. The beautiful and spacious buildings housing Styling’s studios and fabrication ancillaries were among the last to be occupied. By late 1954, Styling’s transfer to Warren was reportedly nearly complete.

However, the March 1955 images of the SO Centurys appear to have been taken in Styling’s 11th-floor photo studio/viewing auditorium at the GM Research Building—aka “Argonaut Building.” (The 11th floor’s special ceiling lights are reflected on a rear bumper in one of the photos, and the turntable upon which SO 2025 was positioned was another built-in feature.)Located behind the GM headquarters building in Detroit’s New Center area, the building had been Styling’s home since 1937.

In Madler’s black-and-white images, SO 2505 appears to be painted a medium metallic color. It may be a custom hue, but we can’t say for sure. Nor do we know if both SO Centurys were the same color.

Christo also scanned the projects’ original “Styling Section Parts List” sheet which documents that both cars had the same exterior modifications. It lists the specially designed exterior features shared by the two Buicks, complete with Styling’s drawing numbers. A typed notation states that the cars were “same as production except as listed.”

The list confirmed special features we’d noted, and our comments on them follow:

• The custom sweepspear moldings on the SO twins are more slender than production ’55 Buicks. Their nearly flat surface and thin cross-section echoes the cast sweepspears of Buick’s 1953 Skylark. (Standard 1955 sweepspear trim pieces were stamped stainless, with a broader profile and a raised ridge in cross-section.)

• The SO Centurys’ series scripts are completely different than those of production models, and are placed higher on the rear quarters.

• The list confirms that the bright rocker-panel moldings were specified for the two SO cars.

• The far-forward placement of the rearview mirrors atop the front fenders reflects 1950s European sports/racing influences. Custom chromed moulding strips visually connect the mirrors to production headlamp bezels.

• Although a non-production grille was specified for both Centurys, SO 2025’s grille is of the production design. Its finish does appear less reflective than chrome; perhaps it had an anodized gold surface.

• A Buick crest is incorporated into the grille center badge in place of the production 1955 tri-color disc.

• The wire wheels are of the “Skylark” type optional on 1955 Buicks.

• A custom ornament/lift ensemble is seen on the production deck lid. The emblem somewhat anticipates the 1956 design. The monogram letters are laid out around the center of the emblem. (The parts list verifies that separate sets of letters were ordered for the two cars.)

The Century exterior views suggest that Madler used SO 2025 to represent both daughters’ cars for the exteriors portion of his shoot.

The interior photos, taken in a different setting than the exteriors, may show SO 2023. We cannot be certain if both cars had the same custom interior design, but it seems likely so.

Here, we noted the non-production sew patterns for the contrasting-color pleated seat inserts, along with a custom appearance for sidewall and door trim pads. The interior was richly detailed; even the seat side-trim panels look to be custom designs.

A third custom Buick

Additionally included among Angelo’s photos was a single GM Photographic print of another SO 1955 Buick, this one a Roadmaster convertible. Signed “Johnson” and dated March 3, 1955, this Buick convertible is identified as SO 2471. The photos of it look to have been taken in a fabrication shop area, also likely in the GM Research Building.

Angelo’s photo, and additional images of the car provided by Christo, show but one non-stock exterior anomaly—SO 2471 lacked the broad bright trim panel aft of the rear wheelhouse that was seen on production 1955 Roadmasters.

Subtle distinctions identifying SO 2471 as a Roadmaster include its gold-toned badge beneath the door Ventipane (vent window), gold-toned hood ornament and specific wheel covers, distinguished by stamped-in center “spinners.” Both Roadmasters and Supers had four front fender Ventiports (portholes) in 1955.

The Roadmaster is two-toned, with the darker color below the sweepspear. Again, we don’t know if it was painted production colors.

Interior photos of SO 2471 show a full custom interior, beautifully turned out in a monochromatic scheme. The seat insert shape here resembles that of certain future Buicks.

We wondered, was SO 2471 the 1955 Roadmaster convertible Mrs. Curtice drove, as mentioned in TIME? In this instance, there would be no clear-cut answer, it turned out.

Photographer Johnson logged the car as a “1955 Buick Roadmaster for Ned Nickles,” Christo told us. Buick’s chief designer from the late 1940s into the mid ’50s, Nickles is known to have had other SO Buicks built for his use—perhaps most famously, his 1948 Roadmaster convertible equipped with the forerunner of Buick’s famous “portholes.” Alternately, Christo noted, the Roadmaster could have been photographed, “… for a project [Nickles] managed.”

Christo additionally noted that SO 2471 is not listed on the archives’ SO cars index, adding that, except for the Curtice daughters’ 1955 Century convertibles, no other 1955 Buicks are manifested. Possibly, then, Mrs. Curtice’s ’55 Roadmaster was factory-stock.

Where are they now?

None of the three SO 1955 Buicks discussed here are known to have survived. The very few SO Buicks evolved from production models that are still with us include SO 2308, the Motorama-veteran 1954 Buick Landau that features 1930s classic car inspirations; SO 90022, the spectacular 1956 Century X convertible built for future GM Styling chief William Mitchell; and SO 90681, the extraordinarily unique 1960 Electra 225 convertible presented by GM Styling to Harlow Curtice after his 1958 retirement. A fair number of SO individual custom Cadillacs are also still with us.

The wonderful 1950s Motorama experimental cars saved by super collector Joe Bortz are the undoubtedly the most widely known and most coveted examples of SO concept-car specials extant.

During his 2015 podcast interview, Ken Pickering recalled that, after Harley Earl retired in late 1958, Earl’s personal file room in the Tech Center basement was “cleaned out” on Mitchell’s orders, to make space for a secretive Corvette design studio. Could it be the Husko SO prints were rescued from destruction at the time Earl’s files were discarded? We’ll never know, but we’re glad that he somehow saved them, and through another care-taker, some were passed to Angelo to be presented here.

Author’s note: Our special thanks to GM Design Archive & Special Collections Manager Christo Datini for providing the additional photos and documentation that helped us tell the stories, at least as far as presented here, of three Buicks that may have otherwise remained lost to history.

Editor’s note: Author Terry V. Boyce began serving on the Old Cars staff in 1974 and was editor into 1978.

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For more than a decade I served on the Eyes on Design car show vehicle selection committee alongside Joe Tonietto, among others. During one of our monthly meetings, Joe pulled me aside to share pictures of his current restoration project, a rough 1958 Buick Century Caballero station wagon that he’d rescued. The previous owner wanted to get it into hands that would restore the car rather than scrap it.

Joe said his plan was to restore the Buick to best-in-class level, then campaign it in every major Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) event. To say he reached his goal for the classic ’58 Buick wagon is an understatement. He earned AACA First Junior and First Senior awards in 2019 and the following year, he was awarded the club’s top honor with the prestigious AACA Zenith Award, which the club presents to the finest restored vehicle shown at an AACA Nationals event the previous year.

Starting in 2016, the AACA began awarding its coveted Zenith Award. The winner is chosen each year from the more than 2,800 cars, trucks and motorcycles shown at AACA Nationals events across the United States. Two Zenith Award contenders are nominated from each AACA Nationals show by the AACA National Awards judging team. From this small pool, the car with the “restoration of the year” is selected as the AACA Zenith Award winner.

“Despite tough competition from each of the vehicles nominated, the Buick Caballero station wagon exemplified the Zenith Award as the finest restoration of the year and will wear that title well,” stated Tom Cox, AACA Board VP and the originator of the Zenith Award program upon Joe’s win with his 1958 Buick Century Caballero. “That determination was borne out by competing car owners as well. The competing cars and owners were first-class—a real testament to the fine spirit of the hobby.”

The new 1958 Buicks

Advertised as “The Air-Born B-58 Buick,” the 1958 Buick models were adorned with more chrome and stainless-steel trim than any other production car—ever! From the 160 chrome squares in the “Fashion-Aire Dynastar Grille” to the heating and ventilation controls and simulated jet exhaust outlets in the rear bumper, Jet Age influence was everywhere in the design. The Century Caballero was the latest and greatest Buick station wagon, being poised at the top of its three-tiered station wagon offerings that year, which included the entry-level Special Model 49 pillared-window Estate Wagon, the Special Riviera (hardtop) Model 49D Estate Wagon and the top-line Century Caballero station wagon. The B-58 Buick station wagons were the latest in a long line of Buick station wagons that went back to 1940, the first year that the automaker offered a wagon. In 1940, the Buick Estate Wagon was only offered in the Super line and had a wood body supplied by Hercules or the Ionia Manufacturing Co. Buick station wagons would continue to have at least partially wooded bodies until 1954, when Buick station wagon bodies became entirely constructed of steel. In stride with the baby boom, Buick station wagon production continued to rise through the mid 1950s as families grew and the prices dropped when Buick wagons went from partial wood construction to all steel.

When Buicks received all-new bodies for 1957, a station wagon returned and now offered the option of hardtop styling. By now, all of these Buick station wagon bodies were built by the Ionia Manufacturing Co., which modified Buick four-door bodies into station wagons and placed them on the 122-inch-wheelbase sedan chassis. Buick named its top station wagon, which was part of its mid-level Century series, “Caballero,” the Spanish word for gentleman. As the most expensive station wagon in the General Motors line, and coming from Buick—GM’s second-highest-priced division—the well-appointed Caballero earned its name.

For 1958, all Buick bodies received noticeable updates such as quad headlamps, die-cast chrome squares instead of vertical bars in a new grille and a revised lower front bumper. The tailfin treatment was also updated with new and bigger chromed end caps on the quarter panels and a bulkier rear bumper treatment. A wide, new missile-shaped swatch of bright stainless trim dressed the rear fenders (and rear doors on four-doors), and this trim was in addition to a traditional Buick full-length trim sweep. The end result was a bold and bulky-looking Buick bedecked in brightwork—perfectly in tune with the last General Motors vehicles built under GM’s Vice-President of Styling, Harley Earl. Of the massive-looking GM cars of 1958, Buick was most bedazzled with chrome and stainless trim, earning it the title of “The Chrome King.”

There is an oft-told tale of Earl’s approval of the 1958 Buick exterior ornamentation scheme. Initially presented with three different trim options from which he was to select one production scheme, Earl asked to see all three trim packages together on a Century Caballero station wagon. When he saw all three proposals combined on the Caballero, Earl dictated that the ’58 Buicks would incorporate all three of the exterior styling packages! Whether the story is fact or fiction remains unclear more than 65 years later.

Powering 1958 Buicks was a one-year-old 364-cid V-8 that Buick named the B-12000 for the 12,000 pounds of thrust “behind every piston as it is fired,” Buick said. This vertical-valve V-8 engine had a 10:1 compression ratio and 300 hp with four-barrel carburetion in the Buick Limited, Roadmaster 75, Super and Century series, and a 9.5:1 compression ratio and 250 hp with two-barrel carburetion in the Special models. B-12000 engines backed by an automatic transmission received Buick’s new Flight Pitch Dynaflow transmission touted by Buick as giving smooth and exact response in an instant, as well as Buick’s Rotoflow Torque-Tube Drive that “transmits drive thrust directly from rear wheels in a solid power lockup.”

As a part of the Century series, the top-line Caballero station wagon had the 300-hp V-8 and a more luxurious and well-appointed interior than the Special Estate Wagons. As such, the Caballero boasted premium floor and rear compartment carpets, molded door armrests and a padded upper dash. Interior upholstery was usually Buick’s Cordaveen material offered in six two-tone combinations.

In its second and final year of production, 4,456 copies of the four-door hardtop Century Caballero station wagons were sold, making it the best-selling Buick station wagon that year despite being the most expensive station wagon at a $3,831 base price. Buick sold 3,420 Special Riviera Estate Wagons (49D) that year at $3,261 and 3,663 Special Estate Wagons (Model 49) at $3,145. These production figures were down significantly from 1957, owing to the recession that struck the U.S. economy in 1958. When a Buick station wagon returned for 1959 on a new body, all were of a pillared side window design.

Saving a chrome king

“‘Suggestions? – a free ’58 Buick Caballero’ was the title of the station wagon forum thread that started our journey with this 1958 Caballero,” recalled Joe. The question had been posted to an online forum by a member who hoped to keep the rare Caballero from being scrapped. The thread solicited ideas and interest in the project from multiple members, but Joe was the first to indicate he was interested in the car.

Joe’s Caballero had last been registered in 1972, but little else is known about its history. It sat outside and uncovered near Santa Fe, N.M., from 1990 until Joe acquired it in 2014. It had obviously been used as a desert off-road adventurer, as evidenced by significant rock damage on all of its lower body panels and fuel tank, Joe says. He recalls the interior was in typical, southwest desert dried-out “potato chip” condition; the paint was almost completely sun-scorched; and the transmission was missing. Only one piece of glass—the unavailable curved liftgate glass—was present.

“If only this car could talk…” Joe ponders. “The 4-1/2-year restoration effort included body removal followed by replacement or repair of all damaged metal. The engine and [a different] transmission were rebuilt, and the electrical, suspension, steering and interior systems were completely renewed.”

The car sports its original color scheme inside and out and retains its original engine. Major metal repairs, paint, plating, engine machining/assembly and driveline refurbishment were completed by a team of highly skilled professionals, Joe says. The balance of the restoration, including interior fabrication and installation, fabrication of replacements for “unavailable” components and all assembly was completed by Joe and a few of his trusted friends.

In addition to its accolades on the AACA show circuit, the car has won multiple class awards at concours d’elegance events and achieved Senior Gold status at the Buick Club of America’s 2019 national meet. 

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Many “Tri-Five” Chevy fans tend to lean toward the bookend model years—1955 and 1957—rather than the 1956 models. However, fans of the ’56 remain adamant in their loyalty. Look at the numbers, they say.

The numbers they’re referring to are the sales numbers. Fewer Chevrolets were sold in 1956 than in 1955, but more were sold than in 1957. Chevrolet sold a lot of cars in those years. For 1955, more than 1.7 million left the factories, 1.63 million in 1956 and 1.56 million in ’57. By their logic, 1956 should be the second-most-popular model year of the Tri-Five years.

While it’s quite possible that there are a few hundred thousand Tri-Fives left in the United States plus more overseas (Tri-Five Chevys were heavily exported to Australia and Europe in those days), very few fit in the same category as Terry Getz’s low-mileage, unrestored ’56 Two-Ten Delray.

The Safety Harbor, Fla., resident is the second owner of a survivor 1956 Chevrolet that registers barely 33,000 miles on its odometer. He bought the car in 1980 from the estate of the original owner and, in addition to acquiring a well-kept car, he also received a wealth of supporting documents. At that time, the mileage was around 16,000 miles.

A ’56 Two-Ten Delray coupe is rare enough (fewer than 3.5 percent of ’56 models produced), let alone one with its original paint and interior in such good condition. And, like any good old-car story, Terry learned about the car in a chance meeting. While at a car show that featured Tri-Five Chevys in May 1980, a stranger approached him to ask if he was interested in buying the ’56.

“I looked at the car and made him an offer,” Terry says. “It took them two weeks to decide to accept my offer.”

Terry completed the deal and took the car home along with the collection of paperwork that detailed the car’s life: original sales forms, title, owner’s manual, as well as the deceased owner’s driver’s license, voter ID, license plates and a photo of the 1948 Chevy that was traded in on the new ’56. The first owner—M.J. Novak—lived in Tampa when he bought the ’56 from Dempsey Chevrolet for $2,261.50. The deal included a trade-in allowance of $855 on the 1948 Chevy two-door sedan. Dempsey Chevrolet passed through a couple of owners before the location was replaced by a Walmart.

Terry says the ’56 has just four options: Two-tone paint ($26), custom interior ($7), white-wall tires ($40) and a deluxe heater and defroster ($55). Included in the paperwork that Terry acquired with the car was the car’s first State Farm Insurance policy—only $27.80 for a year!

With the exception of the Delray upgrade, Terry’s ’56 is a basic example of Chevy’s midline Two-Ten two-door sedan. The bottom-of-the-line 235-cid inline six-cylinder engine produces 140 hp and 210 lb.-ft. of torque. In addition, it has manual drum brakes and manual steering. It wasn’t optioned with a radio, so the only music while cruising the highways is the hum of the six-cylinder and the turning of the tires.

The new, iconic Chevy V-8 was introduced the previous model year, yet the inline six remained popular for many years after. While the six-cylinder engine was only offered in 140-hp form for 1956, the 265-cid V-8 was offered in four versions ranging from 162 hp to 225 hp.

Keeping a survivor car such as Terry’s ’56 in as close to as-born-condition as possible is always a challenge, he says. The interior upholstery and carpet are in surprisingly good condition, but there are signs of the wear and tear that even 33,000 miles can produce.

Terry refrains from correcting the worn areas. The car’s nearly 70-year-old exterior paint of Pinecrest Green and India Ivory is in good condition for its age. Some of the worn spots on the headlight brows could be blamed on the “love bug” phenomenon in Florida. The insects show up a couple of times a year and millions of them commit mass suicide on the fronts of vehicles traveling the state’s highways. Leaving the insects’ decomposing remains on a car too long often causes damage to paint.

As a testament to the quality of the trim pieces on cars of the 1950s, all of the chrome (emblems, hood bird, trim pieces, light housings, etc.) is original and in very good condition. Front and rear bumpers, too. The factory 15-inch steel wheels and hubcaps remain intact. Reproduction Goodyear whitewall tires are on the car now and, while the original spare sits in the trunk, it’s aged out of any potential use.

One area of the car not in original condition is the engine compartment, and there’s a reason why. In the early 1980s, Terry showed the car in Classic Chevy International’s well-known shows, which are judged on a scale of 1,000 points. The rules at the time in the original, unrestored class allowed detailing of the engine compartment, so that area was restored.

“We were allowed to detail the engine compartment,” Terry says, “so at some point we pulled the engine to work on the detailing and we changed intake gaskets, things like that.”

Terry is meticulous about keeping the car’s routine maintenance up to date, even though the car is seldom driven. The oil is changed once a year. The transmission and rear axle fluids are checked.

“The rear differential fluid has never been changed,” Terry notes.

Over the years, the brake shoes have been replaced (Terry kept the original shoes) as have the wheel cylinders. One modern upgrade, though, is used to keep moisture out of the brake lines. The original brake fluid has been replaced with silicon fluid.

Even the radiator is original, although it was removed, cleaned and reinstalled in 1981, shortly after Terry bought the car, but it has never been re-cored.

The trove of paperwork that accompanied the car when Terry bought it included a receipt and lifetime warranty from a Midas Muffler shop that replaced the original muffler in the mid 1970s. Terry says the car needed a new muffler again in the early 2000s, so he took it back to the Midas Muffler shop, obtained an estimate on a replacement and then produced the old lifetime warranty document. The somewhat surprised customer service rep hesitated, reviewed the warranty paperwork, and then agreed that “lifetime means lifetime.” There was no charge for the new muffler.

As any Tri-Five Chevy owner knows, almost everyone who sees one has a connection of some kind. They owned one in high school. Their parents or grandparents had one. They may even own one now. What kind of response does Terry’s unrestored original ’56 provoke?

“People can’t believe the condition for the age of the car,” Terry says. “People thank you for keeping it as a survivor. Even people who don’t like old Chevys comment on the shape it’s in.”

These days, the ’56 is driven to Tampa Bay-area car shows and cruises. Otherwise, it stays safe and dry in Terry’s garage where it continues to gracefully age. 

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Brady Hammrich’s ’59 Chevy has seen the world and made it back home in one piece. I bet this Bel Air has a lot of stories to tell.

“This car was purchased new in Spokane, WA, by my uncle’s parents. Shortly after, his father was stationed in Europe with the Air Force. The whole family went along, including the ‘59. Once back in the states, it was driven by various family members, before being garaged in the late 80’s. It’s a 4 door hardtop Sports Sedan. The car is all original, with original paint, and a 283 V-8 Powerglide. It was ordered with a posi-traction rear end.”

“I first laid eyes on it when my aunt married my uncle in the early 80’s, and always hoped it could be mine one day. After 30 years of trying to talk my uncle out if it, he finally gave in a couple of years ago. It took a bit of work, but she’s back on the road!”

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This one-of-a-kind “proposal car” is an integral part of the Corvette story, with a fascinating history that dates to early 1953—well before the first production models rolled off the assembly line in Flint, Mich.

Prior to series Corvette production, which commenced on June 30, 1953, Chevrolet built approximately 15 hand-laid fiberglass Corvette bodies intended for experimental or Motorama use. These hand-built show cars were not assigned standard VINs, but were instead referred to by internal codes. One such code was EX-52, the first Corvette prototype unveiled to the public at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel in January 1953. Like other General Motors experimental and factory custom cars, all of these show cars additionally received Shop Order (S.O.) numbers. Among the known S.O. numbers are those for some of the 1954 GM Motorama show cars based on 1954 Corvettes: the Corvair (S.O. 2071), Nomad (S.O. 1954) and hardtop (S.O. 2000). As documented in internal GM memos, many of these show cars were destroyed or reused for other projects and then destroyed. As a result, precious few of these Motorama-era prototypes survive today.

The storied past of S.O. 2151

The history of this unique Corvette originates with S.O. 2000, the pale-yellow Corvette hardtop prototype that debuted at the 1954 GM Motorama. According to accounts, at least two of these show cars were built and it is believed that one was retired in January 1954 so its body could be reassigned to a new project—S.O. 2151 (GM is known to have assigned a new S.O. number to a vehicle when it returned to the GM Styling shop).

This Corvette was returned to GM’s famous Art and Colour department overseen by legendary designer Harley Earl. In its new role, S.O. 2151 served as the department’s prototype 1955 Corvette proposal for GM management to review as it determined the look of next year’s Corvette.

During this process, the Corvette body was restyled to incorporate several notable proposed features: a decorative hood scoop, egg-crate front grille, bumper-exit exhaust tips and a distinctive trunk design much like the trunk seen on S.O. 2071, the fastback Corvair show car. Another prominent element of the new design was the slanted front-fender vents that were painted body color on the passenger side and trimmed with chrome on the driver side, thus giving GM executives two different looks from which to choose.

Similarly, the Corvette script was placed high on one side and low on the other. It also incorporated a large gold “V” to signify that the 1955 Corvette would be available with a V-8 engine. Once these changes were implemented, the body was repainted Bermuda Green, a beautiful jade-like metallic green used on production GM vehicles of the period, as well as another famous show car, the 1955 Corvette Biscayne (XP-037/S.O. 2249).

Photographed in GM’s design studio in March 1954, S.O. 2151 was mounted on a new 1954 Corvette chassis, powered by an experimental engine equipped with a high-performance solid-lifter camshaft. The 1955 proposal car was officially completed on July 30, 1954, as evidenced by the S.O. tag riveted inside the engine bay.

In the end, the 1955 proposal car’s unique features never made it to production. Facing stagnant sales and new competition from the recently announced Ford Thunderbird, GM executives decided to completely re-imagine the Corvette for 1956. Meanwhile, the 1955 Corvette was virtually identical to the 1954 model, albeit with a new, optional V-8 engine. That year, Ford dominated the market, its new Thunderbird outselling the Corvette 30 to 1.

A significant survival

As for S.O. 2151, it escaped the fate of most GM prototypes. Instead of being destroyed or rebuilt into a new show car, this one-off somehow slipped through the cracks and eventually made its way to California.

While little is known of its earliest whereabouts, by 1963, the Corvette had been sold to Auto Center, a car dealership located in downtown San Jose, Calif. In 1974, Richard Oldham, a Corvette collector and owner of Empire Chevrolet in Novato, Calif., acquired the car in “basket case” condition. Although most of the paint had been stripped from its bodywork, and many of its unique prototype features were missing, the Corvette still retained its signature fender vents, drivetrain and riveted S.O. 2151 tag.

The following year, Oldham advertised the Corvette for sale with an asking price of $3,000. This immediately attracted the interest of George F. Campbell, who purchased it based on the advice of his friend, noted Corvette historian Noland Adams. Over the next four decades, Mr. Campbell collected parts and researched the car’s history in anticipation of a future restoration.

Following Mr. Campbell’s passing, the Corvette was acquired by the current owner, an Indiana-based enthusiast with more than 45 years of experience in the restoration business. Although he has restored 15 cars for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and many significant and one-off muscle cars, the owner reports that this restoration was his greatest challenge, and he regards it as his “magnum opus.”

Throughout the restoration process, which consumed three years and more than 1,800 hours, the owner painstakingly researched the car’s history and studied period photographs to ensure that the restoration was as accurate as possible, including expertly re-creating any of the missing trim pieces. During the disassembly phase, evidence of the car’s S.O. 2000 origins were uncovered with sections of original pale-yellow and Bermuda Green paint found in several locations. The bodywork also possesses the telltale characteristics unique to the earliest Corvette prototypes—crude, hand-laid fiberglass construction; a one-piece body structure; and custom-fabricated brass trunk hinges. The chassis was also found to be remarkably original and intact, complete with its original shock absorbers, brake shoes, and experimental engine block, all numbered with appropriate early-1954 date codes.

Every effort was made to return the car to its authentic 1954 appearance with remnants of the original pale-yellow and Bermuda Green paint intentionally preserved in hidden areas, such as the trunk and behind the seats, to provide clear evidence of the car’s earliest days as a GM factory prototype. The body, including the doors, are original to S.O. 2151, also the brake shoes, shocks, frame and drivetrain sitting on original 1954 tires were all installed by the manufacturer in 1954. The car’s drivetrain remains original and numbers-matching.

Since its restoration was completed, S.O. 2151 has been shown just once, at The Amelia Concours d’Elegance, in March 2023. There, it was selected by Bill Warner to receive the prestigious The Founders Award.

Chevrolet’s earliest advertisements for the Corvette featured the tag line, “The first of the dream cars to come true.” That statement is most certainly appropriate for S.O. 2151, one of the few Motorama-era prototypes that escaped destruction to survive today. A fascinating and utterly unique piece of GM history, this magnificently restored Corvette design study proposal represents an exciting opportunity for any collector who appreciates this golden age of the American automotive industry.

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