Simple Beauty: 1951 Chevrolet Deluxe

You’ve heard the story about the guy who bought a car, was forced to sell it, and never got over it? That’s how things went down with the ‘51 Chevy I briefly owned back in 2014. Seeing other 51s, like this two-door Deluxe here on Craigslist in Washington state for $18,500, stirred up this hard-to-explain emotional connection to a specific year, make, and model.

The seller states, “looks, runs and drives great.” While I can’t validate the whole claim, I wholeheartedly agree the car looks killer. It’s hard to decipher with 100% certainty which of the many models this car was originally, but my guess is that this is a Styleline Deluxe (or “De Luxe” as stated on my title) with most of the trim removed. It’s also worth noting this appears to be a two-door sedan vs. the “Sport Coupe,” which has a different roofline.

If you’ve ever driven one of these cars that hasn’t been updated, keep in mind that many of them had a 216, a torque tube (vs. drive shaft), a generator, and vacuum-actuated windshield wipers. If they did have a 235, it was paired with a two-speed Powerglide and, I can speak from experience, they’re SLOOOW. Looking at this one, I’m seeing all the right mechanical upgrades: Offenhauser split manifold on the strait six/dual exhaust, power steering, power brakes, and a 10-bolt rearend. Add radial whitewall tires (I’m guessing they’re not bias-ply), an updated but not tacky interior, and decent paint, and I’d personally be very interested in taking this one for a spin.

Sure, almost 19K is a lot—but I don’t think you could build another one like it for that. There may even be room for negotiation on price, and the seller has stated he’s open to trades. I keep hearing a lot of the “50s stuff” is going down in value because twenty-somethings who are into “old” vehicles want muscle cars. As someone who’s almost 50, it’s hard to say whether this is factual speculation—but for me, this Chevy is cooler than a Chevelle or a Camaro and can be yours at roughly half the cost. As always, thanks to Curvette for the tip.