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Major Surgery: 1957 Chrysler Windsor Wagon

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No, it didn’t leave the factory looking like this! This drastically shortened 1957 Chrysler Wagon is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado and is up for sale here on eBay, where the opening bid is $1,000 and there’s no reserve.

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I thought this was PhotoShopped at first; I’m really surprised someone would take this much out of any wagon, let alone one that was originally 219.9 inches long and weighed 4,210 pounds! Additionally, they only made 2,035 of them in 1957, so it’s a pretty rare car as well. The tiny side door opening at the top must make it extremely hard to enter! The seller said they found it on a farm in Colorado, drove it onto the trailer to take it home, but now it won’t start.

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The seller also tells us that the aluminum wheel on the right rear doesn’t come with the car. They also characterize it as having rust, no brakes and no battery. We can see the rust in the rocker panels, and who knows what the cutting and welding looks like under the paint. All we know about the drive train is that it’s a “1970’s-something” 400 V-8 with a 2-barrel carburetor and a 727 automatic transmission. Since the 400 was introduced in 1972, that’s certainly plausible. Unfortunately, the seller doesn’t include under hood pictures.

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The interior is surprisingly intact, although the seats are shot anyway and as far as I can tell aren’t original. The 1970’s aftermarket steering wheel (Grant?) also gives us a clue as to when the length adjustment surgery may have been done.

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From the rear, it looks perfectly normal! I think the Colorado plate dates from 1996, so maybe it’s been off the road less than 20 years. If you believe it was running recently, who knows, it might not take too much to put back on the road? I’m wondering about the handling with that much power and that short of a wheelbase, though. Would you drive it if you could? Let us know in the comments below.

Comments

  1. Avatar Eric

    Probably why it don’t run cause it has no battery lol…

    Like 0
  2. Avatar fred

    What a shame! If the builder had made that door and window normal size, this car would have had a Nomad like appearance and been much more desirable.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Rick

      Absolutely the first thought that crossed my mind. Actually, what I thought was, “There are probably two or three ways to approach shortening this wagon to make it look like it came from the factory that way. This is not one of them.”

      Like 1
  3. Avatar Stang1968

    Best used as parts and glass for another wagon.

    Like 1
  4. Avatar Duffy

    holy crap///

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Jim

    These is only one word that comes to mind…

    Like 0
    • Avatar Alan (Michigan)

      Annnndddd……

      Neither one of us will say it here

      ;-)

      Like 0
  6. Avatar L.M.K.

    The dangers of having a sawzall and welder at ones disposal…..plus too much time.

    Who would want it now? That being said, I bet someone will buy it…

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Ed P

    Holy crap on four wheels. Who would do this to a fine old car?

    Like 0
  8. Avatar The Walrus

    I was thinking ‘this looks kinda cool’ based on the pics posted to the write up. But then I went to eBay and saw the full side shots and well, not so much. Weird how much more interesting it looks from the quarter angles. I wish they had posted a video of an average sized person getting (or more likely trying to get) into it…

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Rex Kahrs Member

    Now that Corvette wagon doesn’t look so bad, eh?

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Gary

    How many clowns could you fit in there? This is just weird, too much metal as this shorty with bulbous sides are so distracting IMO, and agree with the Walrus just how does the average person get in that head knocker door entry?

    Like 0
  11. Avatar Duffy

    The boys in the shop say that the door windows are not a problem. They say they can make the door glass conform to a larger opening without much of a problem. One of the boys took a snapshot of the vehicle and re engineered the door glass which did not look bad on paper. He conformed it to match the rear glass.Now they got me thinking.Will it be worth the effort? What do you guys think?

    Like 0
  12. Avatar Jason Houston

    The Torch Mondoes are at it again. He says the stupid wheel doesn’t come with the car. I wonder if the rare, original go-kart steering wheel, Renault seats and Disney shifter come with it? This car should be used in the photo ad, “This is your brain on drugs!”

    What a waste…

    Like 0
  13. Avatar fred

    This one is a real contradiction as the workmanship, at least from the photos, looks OK. The design sense is off the charts bad.

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Cos vallelonga

    Who would do such a thing?

    Like 0
  15. Avatar Mark S

    It looks to me like they tried to make the back seat the front seat. Then realized that there was no way to adjust the seat, so they scrapped the rear seat in favor of the bucket seats. I Think it is time to part it out then crush what’s left of this mess. If any of you guys understand the importance of streering axis inclination you would know how out the window the steering and handling has gone. I’ll bet this POS has hardly been driven since the change. I’ll bet a lot of this guys friends laughed at him for how stupid this looks. I know I would have.

    Like 0
  16. Avatar Rando

    Cut the top off and make a roadster. I really like what it WAS. But now? ugh

    Like 0
  17. Avatar Dutch 1960

    Sort of the car version of those Internet clickbait sites that claim “you will not believe these people are real”.

    Like 0
  18. Avatar Dylan

    It looks ridiculously hard to get in that door. One wheel not included? That’s just stupid.
    Probably handles terribly.
    No thanks.

    Like 0
  19. Avatar Leon

    Put ‘eyes’ on windshield. Name it Walt. CARS comes to mind

    Like 0
  20. Avatar Mr.Bond

    Can you imagine staring at that B pillar every time you turned your head?

    Like 0
  21. Avatar Astro-Fox

    I absolutely need this….love at first sight.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Duffy

      Astro-Fox, I think the car guys are looking at this vehicle all wrong. Granted it needs door window re routed which does not look like a big deal.Get rid of the seats paint that mother up, set of wheels, drop it to the ground. The real hard work is done.I am currently bidding on the vehicle.

      Like 0
  22. Avatar piper62j

    Yepper…. Holy crap!!!

    Like 0
  23. Avatar grant

    Turrible. Just tuuuurible. They didn’t even get the axles centered in the wheel arches. What a shame.

    Like 0
  24. Avatar sunbeamdon

    WTF were they thinking??? I guess taste is in the “ass” of the beholder!

    What a waste!

    Like 0
  25. Avatar Peter R

    I’m with Leon – my first thought was this must have been one of the rejects for the CARS movie

    Current bid $1025 so someone plans to buy it

    Like 0
  26. Avatar Keith

    Way to wreck one of the coolest wagons ever produced…..

    Like 0
  27. Avatar kenzo

    I wonder how it goes in a straight line with a 440 and at least 1500+- pounds less. could be a trickster like the old Backwards Pickup that ran on the strip in the 70’s? or maybe the late 60’s.

    Like 0
  28. Avatar Bill

    its already been said several time but I’ll add another one…WHY? (and “why not” is not an answer).

    Like 0
  29. Avatar Bryan Cohn

    One Word: LeMons. This hot mess screams LeMons racing. Yes you’ll spend over $500 but I bet the judges will let you slide without penalty laps.

    After adding safety stuff add a roof hatch for entry/exit. Lets go racing!

    Like 0
  30. Avatar Johhny Lightning

    Ouch, this makes my head hurt.

    Like 0
  31. Avatar alfred

    what a waste

    Like 0
  32. Avatar Barry T

    Only two places for this “car” the clown car at a circus or the scrap yard.

    Like 0
  33. Avatar leiniedude Member

    I see a lifted pickup in the background of his ad. Swap the bodies out and really make it hard to get into. Plus, it might save an old Camaro or GTO.

    Like 0
  34. Avatar Duffy

    Hey guys, ease up, the vehicle has been knocked down, burned down and complained about enough. You gotta say the vehicle looks like its put together pretty decent, engineered well in the pictures. All you guys complaining, How many of you would have even tried to do it. It’s something that you like or it’s something you don”t like. Lets move on to the next vehicle.

    Like 0
  35. Avatar Bill

    its too bad the seller hasn’t shared or doesn’t have history on this beast. There had to be a reason it was chopped.

    Like 0
  36. Avatar Wayne

    You yanks sure know how to stuff good cars. LOL.

    Like 0
  37. Avatar steve

    I never got to date the cute girls in high school. This speaks to me!

    Like 0
  38. Avatar Mark-A

    Only thing I can say is “Why?” Wow! But everyone to their own.

    Like 0
  39. Avatar BigCat

    Holy crap. I know that car. I just found barn finds and was perusing the archives. My neighbor owned this car. It was around my S Co town from the mid 70’s til the last time i saw it @ the late 80’s. Colorado went from two letters- four numbers to three letters three number license plates in the early 80’s. So this car had the same plates since the early 80’s.
    I later worked at the same place as the owner and he drove it regularly.

    Like 0
  40. Avatar john olive

    Big CAT, Please get back to contact you . Need to find your neighbor who owned her. Thanx A lot!!! John.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Phil Harris

      John Olive, I believe he is currently in the hospital with a head concussion.

      Like 0
  41. Avatar BigCat

    I didn’t know i had bookmarked this. The only thing i remember is the guys name.

    Like 0
  42. Avatar BigCat

    If you come back john olive i’ll tell you what i can.

    Like 0
  43. Avatar john

    Sorry so long to reply. yes please get me all the info you can on him. can be reached direct at bluto121@gmail.com thanx a lot!!! John.

    Like 0

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