Curbside Classic CA Vacation Outtake – David Holzman Edition: 1964 Chevy Bel Air Wagon
Longtime reader/contributor David Holzman asked yesterday if I could find him a ’64 Chevy wagon while hanging out in San Mateo. We aim to please, so here it is, unfortunately hiding in a garage. Sorry, David; that’s as good as it gets. But for anyone who grew up in the sixties or early seventies, the back end of this then-ubiquitous wagon will undoubtedly trigger memories of riding in one. And hearing that little 283 rev it heart out in first gear up to about seventy, when the two speed Powerglide finally shifted into high under full throttle. In a break from tradition, Chevy went with uncharacteristic rectangular tail lights on the wagons only for 1964. If it weren’t for that Chevy badge, you’d think for all the world this was a low-end Oldsmobile. Enjoy, David; and Happy New Year.
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My Uncle John had a '63 BelAir 2 door hardtop, royal blue with the blue and white vinyl interior, and the speaker in the middle of the back seat. Still one of the most handsome cars of the entire decade. For short period of time I owned a '63 Pontiac Strato-Chief in the mid '70's (in Canada the Pontiac was just a re-skinned Chevrolet) with the 250 I6 and a 3 speed on the tree. The worst handling car I ever owned; you needed a tugboat to assist with parking, parallel or angle, take your pick.
Come to think of it I had a '63 Impala coupe w/ powerglide (my only slushbox car) sept-dec 72 until I left Tufts for Berkeley. A colleague of my father's gave it to me. It had about 90k and the differential was going. Nonetheless, it did fine for me around town for those 3 months. I enjoyed it.
One time, I started it up on a cold day, you could see the exhaust (there was nothing wrong with the car) and some female fellow student walking by did the coughing thing, like how dare you pollute my air. I was taking organic chem at the time and told her the stuff coming out of the tailpipe was organic hydrocarbons, and she shouldn't get upset.
Hey, aren't those super sport hubcaps?
As an older "Baltimoron", the Jerry's jingle is still familiar. I think he finally died last year, after starring in his own ads all these years, looking like El Cid fighting his last battle.