For you car guys

[Moonstruck]

Browsing through some car stuff as I am known to do, this picture came up. Boy, did it bring back some memories. IN 1958 I was 16, and had an after school job. The owner's son was also 16. My supervisor had been widowed for awhile. One day he said that he needed a new car. He really didn't know much about cars, so he asked the boss's son and me to pick out a new car for him. So we headed for the Chevrolet dealer. We picked out an absolutely gorgeous new powder blue 1958 Impala convertible. It had the biggest engine they offered. I think it was something like 280 hp. The salesman wouldn't turn us loose for a test drive, so he went with us to show it. He bought it on the spot, and would sometimes let us drive it. He wanted automatic. The only thing that would have made it better is a 4 speed. What a beautiful, great car. Judge for yourself. Click on the bar at the top of the picture to enlarge it.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. Moon. Ah, yes, the memories. You've got a few years on me but I grew up with those cars. Our '56 Olds Holiday 88 was a two tone with the above color mated with white. LOTSA chrome. Thanks.

 

[cardude01]

Very nice, both of them, but that '58 is a stunner.

That wasn't all that popular of a car compared to the '55-57 models was it? I like it tho.

 

[Moonstruck]

Very nice, both of them, but that '58 is a stunner.

That wasn't all that popular of a car compared to the '55-57 models was it? I like it tho.

This was the first Impala model for Chevy. The regular '58 models were the Biscayne I think, and were not really attractive. I don't think the sales were strong for the Impala, but that convertible was a real head turner.

My Dad drove a plain '58 4 door sedan company car. It was dark blue, and pretty ugly. While travelling through Jackson, MS in a rain storm a car came from the opposite lane. Dad T boned it right into the driver's door Killed the other driver, and messed Dad up. He wound up staying in the hospital down there for awhile. It totaled both cars. I drove a large company van down to pick up the car. I backed up to an embankment, and the car was just shoved into the van.

 

[Moonstruck]

Very nice, both of them, but that '58 is a stunner.

That wasn't all that popular of a car compared to the '55-57 models was it? I like it tho.

Oh yeah, I think 1958 was probably the pinnacle of the chrome and fin era. The Buicks, Olds, and pontiacs sold well. The Chevy had done away with the fins on the popular '57 for '58. It could have had something to do with it. The '59 Chevy which my dad drove as a replacement car had the bat wing tail that was butt ugly.

 

[GFC]

That '58 brings back some memories for me. My first car was a '58 Bellaire, bronze and white, 6-cyl with an automatic. I owned the car for 2.5 years, put about 40,000 miles on it. I ended up giving it to a guy because it had a cracked piston.


The car used about 1 GALLON of oil every 60-70 miles, smoked like crazy and when driving at night I had to get out and beat on the headlight caps because they had rusted out and would lose their ground. Oh, and the rear floorboards had rusted out and the only thing that kept stuff from falling out on the road was the heavy rubber floor board. I LOVED THAT CAR!


Oh, did I mention I lived in Michigan where they used so much salt on the road cars became a rust bucket in about 3-4 years.

 

[Xsbank]

GFC, you could be talking about Clunker, my '58 Pontiac "Pathffinder" (I think it was a Canadian made version) which I bought from a friend. Paid $50 for it and had to borrow money off my mother for brakes, had 3-on-the-tree and vacuum wipers (the kind that quit when you go up a long hill). No floor in the trunk, just enough left for the gallon bottle of re-refined oil I had to pour in every time I bought a $1.00 of gas (0.25/imperial gallon). The front fender rusted and the headlight fell off so I went to the wreckers and put on a fender off a '58 Chev, which mostly matched.
I never drank or did drugs but the local police stopped me weekly and wanted to look in my trunk - a laugh because there was only the gas tank and the ground in there!

 

[GFC]

XS, I used to buy a paraffin based oil (not really sure what that was and I've never seen it since). I had a girlfriend who lived 100 miles north of where I lived. I'd stop at a rest area about half way there and add a gallon of oil, then another gallon before I headed home, then another at the rest area on the way back south.


The oil came in gallon cans and I always had a dozen or so in the trunk.


Ahhhhh, the joy and excitement of a kid's first car!

 

[boatpoker]

2015 Caterham
Designed and built first in 1957.
Guess they got it right the first time

 

[Northern Spy]

2015 Caterham
Designed and built first in 1957.
Guess they got it right the first time

Is that yours?

A big fan. On the someday list.

 

[boatpoker]

Is that yours?

A big fan. On the someday list.

My brothers, he lets Sharon and I play with it (or one of his other Lotus's) sometimes.

 

[Moonstruck]

2015 Caterham
Designed and built first in 1957.
Guess they got it right the first time

BP, that is so cool. I think the original had a 4 banger Ford for power. What is in this one. The power to weight ratio should be awesome.

 

[cardude01]

Love that Caterham.

I bought a clone from a guy in his 70s who spent a few years building it from scratch. It had an engine taken off an outdrive from a junked boat-- a GM 4 cylinder with two carbs off salvaged Harley's. Homemade intake. It was a serious Frankensteinmobile. A little rough and only about 150hp, but it was fun to tear around in.

 

[boatpoker]

BP, that is so cool. I think the original had a 4 banger Ford for power. What is in this one. The power to weight ratio should be awesome.

There are several engines available, this one is a 310HP, 2L Ford.
0-60 2.79sec

It's an absolute blast to drive, almost as much fun as his Lotus go kart

 

[Moonstruck]

There are several engines available, this one is a 310HP, 2L Ford.
0-60 2.79sec

It's an absolute blast to drive, almost as much fun as his Lotus go kart

I don't think Colin Chapman ever thought that 300 hp would be stuffed into his 7, but he probably would approve. I say again, what a cool car.