What a beautiful example! I hope no one "restores" this car - it is a gem
for the ages!
It really is incredible to realize the vast differences in quality of
workmanship between the various brands of even the lowest priced "big 3"
cars. The Chevrolet of these years was heads and shoulders above the
competition in build quality in my opinion. And, by the way, I am old
enough to remember these cars when they were new. My dad was a minor wheel
for a major corporation (B.F.Goodrich) in those days, and he was given a new
38 F*rd as a company car. In a few months, it had broken down so many
times that he gave up on it and traded it on a new 39 Chevy. I still
remember the difference, which included appearance defects (none instead of
many), quiet (very silent except in second gear, which whine I still
remember fondly), and ride, which made me a lifetime fan of GM products!
The sound of the door closing would convince even the most dedicated F*rd
fan - the salesmen of the GM dealers all kept a F*rd on the lot to show the
comparison!
Dick Benjamin
----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Engel" <peter.engel@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, December 29, 2003 5:40 PM
Subject: IML: A rare opportunity
> This is not Imperial specific but I thought that IMLers might appreciate
> the opportunity to hear this story.
>
> I recently had the opportunity to work on a beautiful unrestored 1940
> Chevrolet Special Deluxe 4 door sedan. The car is owned by the original
> purchaser's son and the odometer shows only 16000 miles. He uses it
> only in parades.
>
> It was sold in south central PA, always garaged, and seldom driven
> (obviously). It bears a nick here and there, but the paint, chrome, and
> upholstery are original. The original spare is in the trunk.
>
> I really felt like I had the opportunity to feel what it was like to see
> and drive one of these cars when it was new. The sound and feel of the
> doors closing was totally unfamiliar to me. The driveline was
> interesting, especially the torque tube, shock absorbers, and front
> suspension. Oh yeah, there were the choke and throttle controls on the
> dash, too!
>
> Looking at this car (which cost about $800 when new) and seeing/feeling
> how solid the construction was, I couldn't help but wonder what an
> Imperial of the same vintage (which cost about $2300) must have been
> like.
>
> Here is a link to some pics for those interested:
>
> http://www.bos-engel.com/40chevy/
>
> Pete in PA
>
>
>
Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network