As an alternative, each individual time the expression two-doorway wagon is made use of in a sentence, illustrations or photos of autos created by two of America’s most notorious motor vehicle companies, Basic Motors and Ford, will usually pop to intellect. You know, names like the Chevrolet Nomad or the Ford Ranch Wagon. But it was a further design entirely that really gave delivery to this genre.
Back in 1953, in a time regarded as by some the golden period of American car or truck layout, Chevrolet birthed one thing known as the 210. It arrived as a successor to the war-era Deluxe and promptly turned one particular of the pillars of the sequence of Chevy products that would arrive to be acknowledged as the Tri-Five.
Like quite a few vehicles of its period, the 210 (alternatively spelled Two-10) arrived in a wide variety of entire body models, ranging from the standard four-door sedan and likely as nuts as a two-door convertible. The wackiest incarnation of the product had to have been the two-door station wagon.
They did not contact it that again then, of study course. The phrase employed to explain the 210 wagon was Handyman, with the identify making no solution as to what populace group the car or truck qualified. It came out from the really 1st yr, 1953, but was at first offered as a four-door wagon. Then, in 1955, two of the doors were dropped, giving birth to a type that would briefly develop into really well-known.
When the 210 died out in 1957 to make space for the Biscayne, the Handyman died with it. But it didn’t continue to be dead, as our contemporary culture, the greatest sucker for 1950s and 1960s automobiles, brought it back again in numerous styles, dimensions, and hues, in a bid to satisfy the wants of an ever-growing fanbase.
When compared to other 210s, the Handyman is relatively unusual though, so when one particular someway crosses our path, we just have to have a nearer seem. We did when we came across this case in point listed here, and found it worthy of its fifteen minutes of fame.
The wagon is a 1956 Handyman, restored to its former glory (and then some) in 2012, with excess operate being done on the interior in 2019. It is not an excessive venture in conditions of how distinct it is from stock, but packs just adequate new equipment and changes to make it additional than interesting.
Photograph: Car Barn Basic Vehicles
We’ll start out, as regular, from the outdoors, wherever the two-tone, basic 1950s system greets us. The two paints employed have been well-known choices back again when the vehicle was originally designed, Coral and Dawn Gray. Now, taken independently, they may well have appear across as a small boring, but when utilized in this mixture, the effect is simply mesmerizing.
Increase to that all the slight, but important touches this kind of a car or truck have to have, and you get the total bundle: glimpse out for the jet hood ornament (the vehicle was born, after all, through the Jet Age), the chrome things shining absent here and there, and the bumpers in the colour of the body, unique entrance and rear.
The automobile no for a longer period rides on its stock wheels, but the American Racing bits now fitted onto it do appear like they belong there. All four arrive with a diameter of 15 inches and wrapped in BFGoodrich radial tires.
The inside is far from extravagant, but does come across as the best mix among charcoal vinyl (unclear if that’s leather) and grey material, particularly many thanks to the very same structure motif extending from the seats to the door panels and all the way to the two pillows offered for the rear bench.
Picture: Vehicle Barn Typical Cars
The dashboard is the a single tasked with creating the visible connection with the exterior, its reduce component painted Coral and the upper 1 gray. Somewhere in amongst, a set of customized analog gauges can be viewed, but also an previous-school AM/FM stereo.
The gauges are there to convey to the driver what and how the Handyman is accomplishing, but it is below the hood where we locate the hardware basically undertaking a little something. That would be the 350ci little-block engine of unknown electricity and tied to a 4-velocity automated transmission.
When it is on, it lets the automobile to transfer on a entrance coil and rear leaf suspension program. It can be told the place to go by implies of ability steering, when halting ability is provided by non-descript disc and drum brakes with ceramic pads.
The 1956 Chevrolet Handyman 210 Wagon displays just 4,900 miles (7,900 km) on the clock considering the fact that do the job on it was completed, meaning it was most probably pretty effectively cared for. You can obtain it in North Carolina on the great deal of a seller identified as Car Barn Typical Cars, which has it outlined with a rate tag looking at $52,995.
And I know this is like evaluating apples to oranges, but just for the sake of it, that’s more than the cost of a brand name new, all-wheel push Dodge Durango R/T SUV.
