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It was even the same color. Don't remember what model it was.
I do remember she couldn't drive it for about a month when a skunk decided to use an empty box in their garage that was right in front of the Mercedes to deliver a litter of babies.
They never stunk anything up, were as cute as can be and thankfully left after awhile.
A similar color 230S (later car, 1965+) came out of a Yarrow Point estate a few years ago, I saw it at the sale. Hadn't been on the road in 20 years, but was extremely straight and clean, nice inside too - they were asking $2500 for it, don't know what it actually brought).
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Here's a link to a column shift W212, no console shift in sight
However, I do believe they all have paddles along with the weird little shift lever.
I think BMW actually got the column shifter thing going a few years ago.
They messed up the Toro, but not nearly as bad as the Riv. These cars were early warning signs of the coming automotive dark age.
I think the '58 Dodge was definitely an improvement. The true quad headlights looked better than the fake-me-out look where they put big round turn signals just inboard of the single headlights in '57. And the bumper and grille area was much less bulky looking in '58.
The Plymouth was a big improvement up front. Similar treatment with the headlights, and they finally matched the lower sub-grille with the main grille. The '57, in contrast, had those slats under the bumper that made it look like it was just about finished swallowing a Jeep. I didn't care for the little lollipop taillights on the '58 though, and single backup light mounted in the middle of the bumper. Definitely a cost-cutting move.
With Chrysler, I don't care for the shrunken taillights in back, but I like the grille. It looks a bit DeSoto-ish, which is probably why I like it, but unfortunately, that was an omen of things to come, as Mopar worked to start moving Chrysler downscale, to let Imperial fly more on its own as a Cadillac/Lincoln contender.
And I like the '58 DeSoto. It had busier, more complex details, both up front and in back, and lost its unique lower spear two-toning that had become a '55-57 trademark, but I thought it still looked good. And the '58 Firesweep was a big improvement. Somehow, that busier 58 DeSoto grille worked better on the Dodge front clip than the cleaner '57 grille did, and the quad headlights certainly helped.
There are a couple of other instances where I prefer the '58 to its '57 counterpart. First, the '58 Ford. I know it doesn't get much love, but I think it looks better up front than that bug-eyed '57. I don't like the '58 taillights though. And I know everybody just loves the '57 Chevy to death, but I actually prefer the '58!
Yeah, they're all decent. And to be honest, the main reason I'm not that crazy about the '57 Chevy is probably simply that it became TOO popular. In classic car terms at least, everybody and his mother has one. Of the three, I think the '56 is my favorite. I prefer the full-width grille, and more aggressive front-end rake.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I like all of those vintage Chevys too but I also lean toward the 56's.
Some guy shows up at the local car shows with a reproduction LAPD 1956 Chevy 210 and it is SO cool. The lights, siren decals, everything looks like it would have looked patrolling the streets of L.A.
Another guy has the most oddball '56 I've ever seen. It's a 210 four door HARDTOP! It has a continental kit and just about every dealer installed accessory it could possibly have. Last summer, he drove it from Seattle to Chicago for a meet.
The only 4-door hardtop I ever had was a 1969 Bonneville. It was actually surprisingly solid in the passenger cabin/door area. The doors closed with a solid thunk, and the car didn't shake or rattle. Losing a full-height B-pillar didn't seem to compromise its rigidity one bit. Now where it DID feel cheap was when you closed the trunk or the hood. Both sounded cheap and tinny. Actually, my '67 Catalina convertible sounds a bit inadquate in those departments, as well.
Now, this is an example of a car that has been totally over restored.
Yes, it is nice and, yes I do appreciate the time and money that it must have taken to restore this Impala but it is nicer than it was when it left the factory.
The paint and detailing under the hood and under the car are so far over the top that it's nuts. They have created a Trailer Queen that is too nice to drive.
Now, I know there the those who like over restored cars but I'm not one of them.
THEN, they just HAD to hokey it up with a Contnental Kit and skirts.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/IMPALA-AACA-NATIONAL-1ST-PLACE-SENIOR-AWARD-WINNE- R-/330519200235?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4cf47ac1eb
Anyone?
Why anyone would want to ruin the looks of a car is beyond me.
The skirts are easy to take off but I don't know what would be requred to get rid of the C.K. Do they cut or modify the bumper to install one?
And, you're right about the red and white part too!
The wheel well skirts don't do it for me. Those were rarely used on new ones in my childhood area. AND these skirts don't look to be quite the same color as the body in the picture. In person, I didn't notice the difference. The car was original.
full size photo
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The question begs...WHY??
I really like '61 Chevy Sport Coupes, and the '62 Bel Air Sport Coupe. One thing about the '61 I can't stand though, is the pushbuttons on the radio spell out "Chevy". A Chevy II, a Chevy van, OK...but an Impala is a "Chevrolet"! I'd actually look for one with a manual-tune radio, I can't stand it that bad!
Nowadays we would say "it's a thang". It was just a cheap, quick way to "customize" the car. It was neither uncommon nor routine back in the day.
Honestly it doesn't help the '56 Chevy but there are plenty of cars that wore skirts well.>
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The mid fifties GM 4 door hardtops were very attractive cars lost in the collector world focus toward coupes and convertibles.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
You could make a good argument for that but one fine day I happened to get behind a guy in a 120 like that one(Black/disc wheels/skirts) with a tonneau over the passenger seats. I thought it was one of the coolest cars I had ever seen.
Not that it would look bad skirtless with wires. :shades:
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
The Century was the one I would want. They have the smaller Special body with the Roadmaster engine.
The CHP used these and few cars could outrun them at that time.
Where are you finding those photos?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
One thing I don't like about the '57s is that Chevy went to 14" wheels, from 15". Most of the domestic industry went to 14" that year, which made no sense for such large cars. The VW Beetle and Renault Dauphine stayed with 15".
Yeah, but they were, what, maybe 4" wide. :P
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1955-CHEVY-NOMAD-BEL-AIR-/250755538412?pt=US_Cars- _Trucks&hash=item3a6231ddec
Or am just out of touch with reality?
I doubt this is a matching numbers car since they didn't have 327s in 1955.
Perhaps Shifty can tell us how that might impact its value.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Cars like the Nomad are "iconic" which means they have left the platform of rationality and don't follow many of the hard and fast rules of classic car values.
Still, while this is an enormous project, it does probably have an upside---well two upsides---you might come out even on it, and you'll have a car that everyone loves to see.
I myself would tear it apart and make a nice resto-mod, pro tourer out of it--corvette power, fuel injection, 5-speed automatic, AC, killer sound system, disc brakes, suspension upgrades, radial tires---but leave it looking as stock as possible otherwise.
The first thing I'd replace are the seats. We tend to forget how crappy seats used to be.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Even if a person can do much of the work himself, I just think it's hopeless. Not enough photos to see how much is missing but by the time a person pays for it, pays to transport it and jumps in...I think a person would be SO much better off buying one that's already done, restro-mod or stock.
Funny, a guy that I know who lives in my town has the identical Nomad. Same color combo too. Just a fantastic car. Totally stock except for a set of chrome Cragers and the 265 has been replaced with a 350. Nicest one I've ever seen.
I think this guy should drop his reserve, grab the money and run like a thief in the night!
Also, the seller has no history. This is his first Ebay transaction.
Something like 26 bids with several contenders in the fray!
It'll probably take $60K to bring the car back to beautiful...and even then, you'll have to make a few sober decisions.
The '86 Riv is awful. So is the Eldo. The Toronado, in dark blue, looked the best of all three IMHO.
I actually liked the '95 Riv, and you could still get a bench seat with fold-down armrest and column shift. That tapered rear end was a turnoff though. I always thought they should have had wraparound taillights a la Mercury Sable of the late '90's, that would have shown only a small section of lighting across the back, hopefully making the rear end look wider.
4 days to go and already at over 7000.00 for what may be a bigger piece of junk than that '55!
Proof that I'm totally out of touch with reality as to the value of these!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1957-NOMAD-BELAIR-2-door-Wagon-needing-restoratio- n-/320643159129?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4aa7d25459
I'd say it's worth the money and more. I bet it goes to $10K or better.
It's not the same as looking at some junked-up 4-door of the same period, or even a "normal" wagon. These cars are special.