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1958 Buick Century-Luxury classic car

The name Buick Century was the model name utilized by the Buick division of GM for their line of full-size performance cars from 1936 until 1942, from 1954 until 158 and from 1973 until 2005 for a mid-size vehicle. For the 1936 model year Buick renamed its entire model lineup in celebration of the engineering modifications and design advancements over their 1935 models.

1958 Buick Century American retro car

From 1936 until 1942 the Buick Century was created by joining sorter wheelbase Buick Special bodies to Buick’s strongest eight-cylinder engine. The Special was driven by Buick‘s 233in? that was rated at 93hp at 3,200 rpm, while Buick Centuries that were produced from 1936 until 1942 were powered by Buick‘s inline 320.2in? at 120 hp. Both of these capacities made them the fastest Buicks of the era and both were capable of producing speeds of 95 mph plus. They earned the Century nickname ‘the banker’s hot rod.’ At the end of the 1942 model year the Century was discontinued and the total model production only ended up counting for 10% of Buick‘s entire output.

1958 Buick Century Luxury black car

TheCentury continued to remain in Buick‘s performance lineup with the engine power rising from 200 in 1954 to 236 in 1955, jumping to 255 in 1956 and in 1957 and 1958 it topped out at 300 from a bored-out 364 cubic inch engine. These were the final model years for the full-sized Century line.

1958 Buick Century American classic car

From 1957 until 1958 the Century received GM’s only hardtop station wagon, the Century Caballero, and this was because the Century was considered the senior ‘small Buick’. Unfortunately the Caballero was not very popular to consumer, and the tolling was too expensive, and this caused GM to drop the hardtop station wagon body style. It resumed it 1959 divisional-wide new design program. TheCentury was renamed the Invicta for 1959.

1966 Buick Wildcat Convertible

In 1962 the Wildcat featured buck seats and a center console enclosing a tachometer and transmission shifter. Under the hood was a powerful 401 cubic-inch V8 Nailhead engine that produced 325 horsepower and 445 foot-pounds of torque. The exterior featured its own emblems and a vinyl-covered roof. There were portholes located on the front fenders, a design that it shared with the Invicta and LeSabre.

1966 Buick Wildcat luxury coupe

Buick developed a prototype vehicle called the Wildcat in 1953. This model came with a 322 cubic inch V8 engine that was rated at 188 horsepower. For its time, this v ehicle was considered to be revolutionary. The body was fiberglass, and the front wheel hubs remained stationary as the wheels spun.

Considered to be Buick’s first performance vehicle, the Buick Wildcat, officially named the Wildcat Sport Coupe was finally produced for the public in 1962. A full-size automobile, more closely related to a luxury sports coupe than all out performance, the introduction of the Wildcat set the stage for Buick‘s quest for power and even made its name available to several Buick engines of the mid sixties.

Featured as a ‘sub model’ within the Buick Invicta line, and intended to compete with the Ford Thunderbird, the original Wildcat was both attractive and classy an included a rear floor lamp, a console, front bucket seats, and a tachometer. The handling of the Wildcat was improved by Buick engineers with the adjustment of the suspension. Sporty, the Wildcat included a frame which held boxed cross-members with heavy side rails, coil springs on all four corners, along with oversized 10 inch drum brakes. Weighing a massive 4,150 pounds, the Wildcat featured standard power with the Buick LT401 cid V8 which was rated at 325 bhp. This engine was also available in the regular Invicta line, but the Wildcat came with a standard 3.42:1 rear end. Nearly a total of 2,000 of these ‘family-sized sports cars’ were sold in 1962. Those who wished for more drag strip performance were able to option for a 4.45:1 rear end.

1966 Buick Wildcat Luxury American retro car

Considered to be ‘the next best thing to owning a Riviera’, the Wildcat was greatly supported by Buick. In 1964 two optional engines were included to the lineup which continued to include the standard 401 cid V8 rated at 325 bhp, these were a 425 cid V8 rated at 340 bhp and the 425 cid rated at 360 bhp. Increasing its weight to 4,500lbs, the Wildcat received extra performance. Upgraded even more, the suspension received a link stabilizer bar and a semi-floating rear axle that used a three-bar link with a track bar. An additional option was a posi-track rear axle. A new fourth model was added to the lineup, the four-door sedan Model 4669. Unfortunately the image of the Wildcat as a performance vehicle was becoming slightly diluted though sales continued to increase. A total of 20,144 four-door sedans were sold in ’64 along with 33,358 of the four-door hardtops.

In 1965 the engine continued to be carried over, though all new styling was updated on the Wildcat for this year. Sharing the same sheetmetal body as the LeSabre, the Wildcat continued to keep its same unique badging and grille. The Wildcat lineup was expanded to include a total of ten models, five coupes and five sedans.

1966 Buick Wildcat convertible

1950 Buick Roadmaster Maroon retro car

The 1948 Buick Roadmaster Convertible was a pre-war design but it received the famous Dynaflow transmission, which was the first torque-converter automatic transmission on an American-built car. The engine is a 320.2 cubic-inch, in-line eight with a power rating of 144-150 hp.

Known for interior luxury and quiet operation, there were few other cars like them of this era. The sleek styling of these particular two-doors elicited an emotional response from the motoring community that surpassed the expectations of GM.

This is a low mileage car that has benefited from a frame-off restoration. It is equipped with hydraulically operated push-button controls for the top, windows and front seat.

1950 Buick Roadmaster Maroon American car

The Roadmaster named first appeared on Buick automobiles in 1936 as a celebration of their engineering improvements and advancements in design. The Buick Series 80 became known as the Roadmaster. The Roadmasters were built on the longest wheelbase Buick had to offer. From 1946 through 1957 they were the most elegant and prestigious automobiles that Buick sold.

From 1936 through 1948 the Roadmaster appeared in coupe, sedan, convertible and station wagon bodystyles. A hardtop coupe was added in 1949 and dubbed the Riviera.

1950 Model of classic Buick Roadmaster Maroon

The Roadmaster named reappeared in 1991 and continued in production until 1996. It served as a replacement for the Electra model line and offered as an Estate Wagon. A sedan was introduced in 1992.

The end of the 1953 Buick Roadmaster station wagon meant the end of the last wood-bodied station wagon to be mass-produced in the United States. In 1996, the end of the Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon meant the end of thefull-size family station wagons.

1950 Chevrolet Fleetline Classic American car

While the 1949 Fleetlineswere newly stylish with their rounded grilles, low-profile hoods and smooth fenders, their engines were holdouts from the mid 1940s. To its credit, the overhead-valve, 216.5-cu.in. straight-six was an advanced design in an age when many competitors still used outmoded L-head valve configurations. This engine, with its 3-1/2-inch bore and 3-3/4-inch stroke, produced 90hp at 3,300 rpm while breathing through a single-barrel Carter carburetor; it was mated exclusively to a column-shifted three-speed synchromesh manual transmission. DeLuxe prices ranged from $1,492 for a two-door to $1,539 for a four-door.

1950 Chevrolet Fleetline Exotic car

The Fleetline model was only built for three years. This example, shown at the 2006 Hilton Head Concours, has 27,300 miles on the odometer. All mechanical components are original an un-restored. The paint and interior have been restored. It has had the same owner since 1983. It has been a first place winner at Super Chevy for the past eleven years.

1950 Chevrolet Fleetline retro car

Driving Impressions
The Fleetline Chevrolets are blessed with a comfortable, smooth ride that was perfectly suited to the then up-and-coming interstate system: The bench seats are good perches at chair-height. Because the suspension isn’t tuned for roadholding, the tires squeal with little provocation, but overall grip is comparable with other family cars of the era. The column shifter in manual-transmission cars can be notchy, but durable automatic Powerglides shift smoothly, with little of the jerkiness sometimes felt in contemporary Hydra-Matics.

Maintenance/Support
Because of the popularity of these Chevys, there is a great base of new and used parts available from a number of restoration specialists and salvage yards. Most interior fabrics and trims are also reproduced. Die-cast exterior trim pieces are sometimes reproduced, but poor-quality pieces may require much fitting to use. Because the straight-six engines were so durable and used in many applications, they are highly regarded and quite easy for DIY mechanics with good shop manuals to tune and repair. While not as popular as later 1950s classics, Fleetlines enjoy strong club support from the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America and a number of encouraging internet web sites. VCCA also has its Historical Preservation Of Chevrolet Features (HPOC) group that showcases factory-original vehicles to aid in correct restorations

1950 Chevrolet Fleetline, Luxury car

Considerations
While Fleetlines are adequately powered by their Blue Flame Sixes in either 216.5- or 235-inch forms, these splash-lubricated engines were not engineered to withstand high-rpm driving. Modern super-highway speeds can result in worn bearings and burned-out valves. Babbitt bearings can be professionally replaced by insert bearings to increase durability, and aluminum pistons from 1953-54 engines can be refitted to reduce reciprocating mass. Some owners install the low-geared Powerglide rear end behind their three-speed manual transmissions to ease highway driving, an easier modification than shortening the driveshaft to fit an overdrive. Frames are weakest where the rear axle kicks up, so be sure to check there for rust; inspect the inner and outer rocker panels, rear dogleg, headlamp bucket, and the three floor/body supports on either side of the car for similar deterioration. Stainless steel belt molding clips are easily damaged during removal, and NOS versions are very difficult to locate.

Desirability
Because the overall Fleetline body style didn’t change from 1949 to 1952, desirability comes down to personal choice. Single-piece bumpers (instead of the riveted three-piece ones used elsewhere) were installed only on cars built in California or Canada, and these are highly sought and aren’t reproduced. Whether you prefer the early grille, simple dashboard and fairly restrained use of chrome trim on the 1949 models, the smooth grille, simple badging and two-gauge dashboard of the 1951s or the rarest two-door 1952 sedans, any of these choices will offer you a smooth-riding, distinctively styled rolling piece of early Fifties Americana.

Values
Contradicting their far greater build numbers, two-door Fleetlines actually hold their values a bit better than their four-door siblings. The added utility of four doors seems to be offset by the two-door’s smoother, less cluttered style. Powerglide-equipped sedans with 235-inch engines handle modern traffic a bit better than those with the smaller sixes, and these vintage Chevys are very reliable if owners keep their age limitations in mind; either cars work well as back-road Sunday drivers and Fifties Night cruisers. Whether in Special or DeLuxe trim, these two- or four-door sedans range in value from $2,500 to $8,500; final year and very low mileage examples may bring closer to $10,000. Whether you lived through those “Golly gee, Beaver” Fifties, or the era’s mechanical simplicity and honest style appeal to you, a fastback Fleetline is a great way to… See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet!

1951 Chevrolet Styleline Classic American car

Production of the Chevrolet Styleline began in 1949. It was considered to be among the best-looking GM products produced. Built with precision, the ’49 Chevy’s also received updated power with the arrival of Powerglide two-speed automatic. This gave the Chevy Six increased displacement along with 15 percent more horsepower.

1951 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe

Though Advertisements at the time indicated that the new Chevrolet Styleline and Fleetline models were ‘more beautiful than ever’, very few major changes were found between the 1951 and 1952 models. Previously a once smooth bar, a row of ‘teeth’ were found on a newly touched-up grille, along with wider parking lights.

1951 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe-retro car

The same as before, the vehicles continued on as before with a 105-horsepower, 235.5-cubic-inch engine for those that came with Powerglide. For manual-shift models, a 92-horsepower, 216.5-cubic-inch rendition of the Stovebold Six was utilized. Stick-shift drivers had to endure solid tappets, while the bigger engined models had hydraulic lifters.
For the last time, a Fleetline two-door fastback was on sale, only in DeLuxe trim. The lineup was basically a duplicate of 1951, four Styleline Special body styles along with 6 Styleline DeLuxes. DeLuxe models were the only units to offer Powerglide, along with updated interiors that were harmonized with body colors.

1953 Chevrolet Corvette C1 Roadster

In 1953 the Corvettewas debuted at the Motorama display at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City. It was conceived by Harley J. Earl. It was a two seat convertible built by GM aimed at capturing the small car market from manufacturers like Jaguar and MG. All 1953 Corvettes were convertibles with black canvas tops, Polo white with red interiors, and built by hand.

Power came from an existing Chevrolet 235 cubic inch 6 cylinder engine. Modifications were done to it such as a three carburetor design and dual exhaust which resulted in higher horsepower ratings. The 150 hp ‘Blue Flame Special’ engine was paired with a a2-speed automatic gearbox. The first twenty-five vehicles used the standard Chevrolet ‘baby moon’ passenger car wheel covers due to a shortage of wheel covers.

1953 Chevrolet Corvette C1 Convertible

During the 1953 production year, 300 Corvettes were produced making it the rarest production Corvette – not including the racing variants, concepts, and specialty models. 255 are still in existence. In 1953 the base price for the Corvette was $3,498 with a heater and AM radio offered as optional equipment. The heater could be purchased for $91.40 and the AM Radio for $145.15.

1953 Chevrolet Corvette C1 American retro car

Production of the Corvette began in mid-1953 with only 300 examples created, including the pre-production Motorama show cars. The 1953 models were created in Flint, Michigan and moved to Chevy‘s St. Louis Plant a year later. Due to the low production figures, many of the cars parts were hand fabricated or modified from other existing Chevrolet parts.

This example is number 103 of the 300 examples produced. It was found in 2003 as part of a Pennsylvania estate. It had been stored, unrestored, and untouched for over forty years. It was treated to a 2,000 hour body-off-frame restoration which brought it to NCRS Top Flight standards. The paint is lacquer in keeping with the historical accuracy. All of the gauges, WonderBar radio, speaker power pack, and clock have been rebuilt and are in working condition.

It has many unique items only to the 1953 Corvette, including the valve cover, cigarette lighter, wheel covers, overflow tank, windshield washer foot pump, jack and jack accessories, trunk mat, keys, and side curtain bag.

1957 Chevrolet El Morocco, Classic car in Show room

It is believed that only ten hardtop sedans were created, two hardtop coupes, and two convertibles bringing the total to sixteen. In modern times, only two from each of these bodystyles are known to exist, bringing this total to six. The primary reason for the low production numbers was the $800 conversion price which moved it too far out of reach for most consumers. It was too close to the base price for a Cadillac, plus it is believed that a profit was never made on the El Morocco.

1957 Chevrolet El Morocco stylish retro car

The Chevrolet El Morocco are among the rarest Chevrolet‘s ever built, with only ten created in 1956 and 16 in 1957. They were built in a few different bodystyles including a two and four door hardtops, and convertibles with some created from aluminum and others from steel.

It was the first time an outside contractor had designed and built a customized Chevrolet model which was later sold as a new car with a full factory warranty.

1957 Chevrolet El Morocco American retro car

The first cars were created in 1956 on Chevrolet platforms and designed to resemble the 1955 and 1956 Cadillac Eldorado. The name ‘El Morocco‘ was from a popular Manhattan night club and had similarities to the name ‘El Dorado’.

The 1956 El Moroco’s featured body panels made of fiberglass. A host of trim parts and designed were borrowed from Willys, Dodge and Kaiser-Frazer to complete the package. The result was well received and given a base price of around $3250.

Cadillac introduced their Eldorado Brougham, not in spite or in competition with the El Morocco, but Allender felt the need to create a new El Morocco to emulate the new Brougham. Problems with the fiberglass body production for the 1956 cars led to the use of steel for the 1957 models. This required comprehensive metalwork changes, including removing and filling the 1957′s rocket hood spears with steel, and welding on the steel rear tail-fin extensions.

1960 Chevrolet Corvair, classic retro car

Different from any American cars before or since, the unique Corvair has become most notable for its flaws. The car had its merits as well, but the more agreeable facets of the Corvair have been largely disregarded by the public and held onto only by an adoring group of fans enamored with the vehicle.

A rear-engined car, the primary flaw of the Corvair sprang from Chevrolet’s inexperience with the new drivetrain layout. The Corvair was designed to be a mass-produced compact car able to compete with the incoming wave of tidy foreign vehicles. For inspiration, Chevrolet looked to the king of the compact—Volkswagen.

With a name that translates literally to ‘People’s Car,’ Volkswagen had nailed the formula for affordable and charming transportation with the evergreen Beatle. When the Corvair was introduced, it borrowed heavily from the Beatle. Like the VW, the Corvair used an air-cooled engine mounted at the rear, with a trunk located up front. The Corvair also used a sing-axle rear suspension similar to the Volkswagen’s. While VW had many years to perfect its engine and suspension, Chevrolet jumped right in with the Corvair. With no real experience making such cars,Chevy’s new compact was bound to have some serious teething issues.

1960 Chevrolet Corvair, American retro car

With a name that translates literally to ‘People’s Car,’ Volkswagen had nailed the formula for affordable and charming transportation with the evergreen Beatle. When the Corvair was introduced, it borrowed heavily from the Beatle. Like the VW, the Corvair used an air-cooled engine mounted at the rear, with a trunk located up front. The Corvair also used a sing-axle rear suspension similar to the Volkswagen’s. While VW had many years to perfect its engine and suspension, Chevrolet jumped right in with the Corvair. With no real experience making such cars, Chevy’s new compact was bound to have some serious teething issues.

When it debuted for the 1960 model year, the Corvair suffered from grave problems. Its rigid steering column was aimed just right to impale unlucky drivers when the cars were involved with collisions. The car’s most notable fault, though, came from its suspension design. Though the light and underpowered Volkswagens could use a similar design without serious problems, the heavier and more powerful Corvairs developed dangerous handling characteristics due to the use of a swing-arm rear suspension.

Under hard cornering, the inside rear wheel of Corvairs had a tendency to tuck. When this happened, and it happened often, the cars became uncontrollable. With barely any surface area gripping the road at the back of the car, a tucked wheel could easily cause a spinout. Even worse, many cars would roll over when the suspension gave out in a turn.

Chevrolet recognized the problem and began working to remedy it as early as 1962. For 1964, a transverse spring was installed to compensate for camber changes under cornering. By 1965, with the introduction of the second generation Corvair, an entirely new suspension design had replaced the flawed swing-axle layout. Salvation came late, though. Also released for 1965 was Ralph Nader’s book Unsafe at Any Speed that targeted the glaring problems of the early Corvairs. The improved models were hurt by the infamous reputation of their predecessors. Sales slowed to a trickle, and production was ended after the 1969 model year.

1960 Chevrolet Corvair

Later Corvairs, with their improved rear suspensions, offered engaging driving dynamics. The improved handling made Corvairs fun cars in the corners. The air-cooled, aluminum flat sixes were versatile engines. Offered in 145ci and 164ci displacements, they produced anywhere from 80 to 180 horsepower. More affordable trim levels, like the 500 and 700, made due with less power while the sportier Corsa, Monza, and Spyder trims were all given more gusto. Four carburetors were offered on some models, and for the 1965 and 1966 model years there was even a turbocharged variant of the 164ci engine. It was this turbo engine that, when ordered in the Corsa, put out a hearty 180hp at 4,000rpm. The relatively light weight of the Corvair coupled with such power provided astounding acceleration. The  mile could be achieved in the 13-second range.

Ushering in such innovations in an American carwas a brave move for Chevrolet. The Corvair had dire flaws—problems that ultimately led to the car’s end. It represented Chevy‘s willingness to take risks, though, and in doing so showed that the American car industry could step outside its bounds and create its own distinctive brand of transportation to take on a new class of cars from all over the world. With the support of a large group of admirers who continue to voice their praise over the cynics’ criticism, the Corvair has become the car world’s most successful failure.

1959 Chevrolet Corvette Scaglietti Coupe

This car is one of three bare 1959 Corvette chassis shipped to Scaglietti of Maranello and constructed with a special lightweight alloy body to Sergio Scaglietti‘s design. Three Texas-based racers, Gary Laughlin, Jim Hall and Carroll Shelby, were trying to duplicate Ferrari’s lightweight construction with inexpensive Chevrolet power. Their intention was to race these cars against the Ferrari 250 Testarossas and 250 SWB Berlinettas. Scaglietti‘s principal customer, Enzo Ferrari, was not pleased, and the cars took more than two years to complete. This example was the first of the three, built for Gary Laughlin and restored by Chuck Brahms for the Monterey Historic Races featuring Chevrolet in 1987.

1959 Chevrolet Corvette Scaglietti, classic sports car

First introduced in January of 1953, the Corvette has only become more renowned as the years drift by. Undergoing many changes and restyles as any other vehicle will over the years, the Corvette has experienced new engines, transmission, chassis, features, body colors and so much more. Starting with a 235 cu-in 6-cylinder engine, the Corvette has since switched to a V8 with a horsepower that is improving each year. Over the years, the Corvette has also been offered in different trim models, the hardtops, coupes, convertibles, ZR-1s and Z06. Several different special editions models were also featured over the years to mark Corvette‘s step up into a new generation. The Corvette was always a 2-seater vehicle, Chevy has always offered and included features and equipments that were sophisticated enough to please owners and buyers.

A sports car manufactured by Chevrolet, the Corvette was originally handbuilt in Flint, Michigan and St. Louis, Missouri and is today built at a General Motors assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Bowling Green, Kentucky is also the home of the National Corvette Museum and annual National Corvette. The Corvette is the first all-American sports car built by an American car manufacturer.

1959 Chevrolet Corvette Scaglietti American retro car

Automotive styling and design wasn’t important to American automobile manufacturers until 1927 when General Motors hired designer Harley Earl. Earl is responsible for the majority of GM’s amazing ‘dream car’ designs of the 1950′s. He had a passion for sports cars, and convinced GM that they needed to build a two-seat sports car much like the MGs, Alfa Romeos and Jaguars that GI’s were bringing home following World War II.

Codenamed ‘Opel’, Earl and his Special Projects crew began work on the new car later that year, and the result was the 1953 Corvette. Introduced to the public at the Motorama car show, the Corvette was an instant success. The Corvette emblem was originally going to have an American flag in the design, but was changed well before production. The name Corvette was chosen by Myron Scott who named it after the corvette, a small, maneuverable fighting frigate.

Considered to be revolutionary at the time, the outer body was originally made out of fiberglass, selected in part because of steel quotas left over from the war. Underneath the fiberglass lay the ‘Blue Flame’ inline six-cylinder truck engine, drum brakes from Chevrolet’s regular car line, and two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission. The performance of the Corvette was considered lackluster and underpowered compared to the British and Italian sports cars of the day. Lacking an adequate manual transmission, it took a great deal of effort as well as a clear roadway to bring to a stop.

The Chevrolet division was GM’s entry-level marque and until that time was known for its no-nonsense, though excellent vehicles. The Corvette was evidence to this. In 1954 the Paxton supercharger was made available as a dealer-installed option which greatly improved the Corvette’s straight-line performance. Unfortunately sales continued to decline.

For some time GM seriously considered deleting the Corvette, leaving it little more than a footnote in automotive history, but two important events halted this. The introduction of Chevrolet‘s first V8 engine in 1955 and the influence of a Soviet  in GM’s engineering department, Zora Arkus-Duntov. The new V8 was backed with a three-speed manual transmission, this was done by Arkus-Duntov, and became the single most important modification in the car’s history. This took the Corvette from a two seat vehicle to a genuine performer. For his role in the modification, Zora received the inaccurate nickname ‘Father of the Corvette‘.

1959 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Racer, silver sports car

The Stingray was then retired from racing and modified by Mitchell. A passenger seat was added, among other things, and it was exhibited as an experimental show car even while Mitchell regularly drove it personally on weekends.

The Stingray‘s body design strongly influenced the styling of the next generation Corvette (1963). It also was a test bed for many technical developments with a four-speed manual transmission, extensive use of aluminum and a de Dion rear suspension.

1959 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Racer, red racing car

In 1960, driven primarily by Chicago dentist Dr. Dick Thompson, it won the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) C-Modified class championship. More importantly, it introduced the folded-crease styling that would become a trademark of Mitchell’s 1960′s designs and the beginning of the path to his revolutionary 1963 production Corvette Stingray. ‘When it came time to face-lift the Corvette,’ he told Crippen, ‘I took the lines right off that car.’

1959 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Racer luxury roadster

The Corvette StingRay Racer was designed by Bill Mitchell, GM Vice President of styling, and Larry Shinoda in 1959. The basis of the Stingray was an engineering test mule chassis for the foundation of an official Chevrolet race effort culminating with the 24 Hours of LeMans. But, soon after its race debut, the Automobile Manufacturer’s Association had banned manufacturer-sponsored racing, and the SS had been relegated to test track duty.

The Stingray featured a 92-inch wheelbase and was nearly 1,000 lb lighter than a 1960 production car. Its fuel-injected 283-cubic-inch (4.6-liter) V-8 engine produced 315 hp at 6,200 rpm. Billed as a car ‘built to test handling ease and performance,’ Mitchell arranged to race the car quite extensively. In the hands of Dr. Dick Thompson, it made its debut at Maryland’s Marlboro Raceway on April 18, 1959, finishing in fourth place. It went on to win an SCCA National Championship in 1960.