Love ’em or hate ’em, 1959 Chevrolets always make a visual statement thanks to their overt horizontal rear wings. While an Impala hardtop or convertible is usually the subject of a review, station wagons such as this Brookwood example rarely make the cut – and I’d hazard a guess that their survival rate has been minimized. Regardless, today we have a seemingly solid project example, courtesy of Curvette, and it has a few things going for it. Silverton, Oregon, is where you’ll find it, and it’s available here on craigslist for $8,500.
Chevrolet’s 1959 lineup was the first year for its recognized three trim levels that continued into the ’65 model year. That meant Impala on top, BelAir in the rocking chair, and Biscayne bringing up the markers. The station wagon trim designations were more confusing. Top drawer went to the Nomad (yes, the name was still alive, but it adorned an ordinary-looking four-door station wagon). Following suit was the Kingswood/Parkwood pairing, with the King providing seating for nine and the Park accommodating only six. Finally, there was the Brookwood, available in two- or four-door configurations (that’s a lot of “wood” going on). Chevrolet produced 209K Brookwood station wagons in ’59, with the majority (188K) possessing four doors.
Despite the surface rust and primer, this Brookwood appears to be solid – the listing images aren’t that revealing, but I can’t detect any significant rust (I would like to know about the underside, however). Fortunately, all of the stainless trim and badging look like they’re still attached, and the body panels seem straight. I’m trying to make out the aftermarket wheels, but I can’t tell for certain what they are – old-school Radir’s maybe?
The interior is not well photographed, but what I can tell you is that what’s visible is in a state of disarray. The headliner is succumbing to gravity, and the cargo area is piled high with parts and other indiscernible detritus – a foolish mistake that sellers continually make over and over again; clear it out for cryin’ out loud!
The lack of a “V” badge on the hood tells us that this Chevy was originally powered by a 235 CI, in-line six-cylinder powerplant, but that has been replaced by a 350 CI V8 of unknown provenance, and it’s backed up by a Turbo-Hydramatic 350, three-speed automatic transmission. It looks like a non-runner, and the seller claims the addition of a “nine-inch rear end,” but I imagine he means the original “Hotchkiss-style” Chevrolet third member unit and not the notable Ford component. One bright spot is an upgrade to front disc brakes.
Yup, old station wagons are hot properties, and I see no reason why this one couldn’t be, but it has quite a way to go before it reaches desirable status, wouldn’t you agree?
Rough but rare. Lot of work to do here but you just don’t see a whole lot of these running around.
As long as it doesn’t look like bran flakes on the bottom this would be a good start to a rare wagon project.
Looks like the car I won in a poker game as a teen ager. Before I started touring, poker nights were Friday nights at my Aunt’s house and besides me and my cousin and my Aunt, some of the neighborhood guys would come and play too. Well, one night, a kid named Steve Hefner
showed up at the game and lost
his shirt. I won the pot ($15 and
the title to his car) as we played
for small change. And since he had no money left, Steve threw in the title to a ’60 Chevy Brookwood 2-door wagon as payment. Walked over from my Aunt’s house the next morning to
see what I’d won and OMG, that car was a sorry sight! No front floors the fuel tank for the car was LYING in the way back of the car near the tailgate, and it ran off
a 5 gallon Jerry can just behind the rear seat. The fuel ran through a rubber hose that ran under the front seat and up to the fuel pump through a hole in the
firewall. At least it ran and I could do something with it and that’s just what I did. I took it down to Wherry Welding and had new floors put in, re installed the original tank in it’s proper and rightful location UNDER the car, had Dad help me with the brakes,
gave it a tune up, and other than a set of used tires ai got from Clay Dooley Tire, we called it done. Wound up selling it to a classmate for $400– a small fortune in 1969 money. And yeah, it had a 235/3 speed tranny.
Not long after that, I started touring and the visits to my Aunt’s house were fewer and fewer, and I never played poker
again.
Great story, Ken!
Dang, too far away to chase down….AGAIN !
I would snatch it up in a heartbeat if it was local. But I fear the delivery costs are the deal breaker.
Oh well, the wife would consider it my “new home” and it just gets too cold around here for these old bones to live in the car. LOL
had one 3 on the tree and a 348