The 1950s are thought of by many as the very
golden era of cars, and they provided some of the slickest shapes and style to
ever grace any lot. Here at the Mid-Missouri Powerhouse this past week we paid special attention
to a story from Yahoo News that really caught our eye: a 1958
Delray that had undergone a complete restoration done by a former owner. Up
until 1958, the Delray was a trim level for the Chevy lineup, but after that,
it was the Delray's own new model on hand to replace the 150.
Despite looks that were pretty classical, the
Delray was actually meant to act as a model that was particularly popular for
the purposes of business owners and police departments nationwide, flaunting a
mass-produced vibe while still possessing massive individual character
features. This particular Delray sported traits that were definitely not
economy-minded in the least, and was owned by local racer Bob Duelling. It was
put to the test many times astutely and was raced hard until the mid 60's, and
a brand new 409 motor was slotted in during 1963. The second owner took over
the car during 1973, and sold it to a friend four years later.
One of the most interesting aspects of this story is regarding the second owner: he is the one who restored it to the car
that can be enjoyed today. The Delray was deemed in a deep sleep for two
decades, and was repurchased by the second owner in 1995 before finally getting
the TLC it long deserved. It was five years ago when the restoration began, and
not a single bolt was left untouched. There was such attention to detail given
that it won many awards, among them being the very coveted Street Rodder
Magazine Top 100. With only 31,000 miles on the body, it is most definitely the
cream of the crop as to what any 1950's rod lover could find available.
The Delray was named after the aptly beautiful
Florida beach, and debuted in 1954 as an optional trim level for the mid-size
210 series. Front suspension was independent, and named “knee-action”, while
also sporting a straight-six engine as the tops before the introduction of the
small block V8 in 1955. The more powerful Blue Flame unit was used with the
Powerglide automatic transmission. All of the engines were referred to as
“stovebolt sixes” because of the large slotted-head screws used to fasten the
pushrod and valve covers to the block. We love to see restoration stories like
this one, and admittedly yearn for the days when rounded-back classics like the
Delray owned the road: the future's impending vision of luxury during the baby
boom was absolutely one worth embracing and casting a fond glance back to quite
often!
