would like a copy of the 1958 green del ray , it is awesome !!where do i mail the check??
Guest
29-Apr-2008 01:11
Do some of these cars have an exaust pipe on the driver side?
Rick Johnson
15-Oct-2005 02:57
1958 Chevrolet Delray Two-Door Sedan. Chevrolet was all new for 1958, as was the entire General Motors line, in celebrating GM's "Fiftieth Year Jubilee". General Motors cars that year would be bigger, heavier, and have more chrome and horsepower than ever before. Harley Earl was in his final years as Head of GM's Styling Studios and was a firm believer in going over the top with chrome, gadgetry and gorp. GM had been riding the crest of the styling and horsepower race for most of the decade, but that was about to change. A guy by the name of Virgil Exner over at Chrysler introduced "The Forward Look" in 1955 and "Flight Sweep Styling inspired Fins in 1957, and then there was the Recession in 1958. All this sent GM back to the drawing boards, and the new designs for 1958 that was also to have been the basis for the '59 models, were prematurely shelved, and the entire GM line would be new all over again for the second consecutive year!!!
But back to the wonderful Chevy in Ken's photograph. This beautiful Seafoam Green and White '58 is from the Delray series. The Delray had been a special edition two door sedan in the 210 series from 1954 through 1957. In 1958 it replaced the "150" as Chevy's entry level series, and the "210" series was renamed the "Biscayne" series. The BelAir remained Chevy's top series, led by two new sport luxury models, a hardtop coupe and convertible, called "BelAir Impalas". The "BelAir Impalas" proved so popular that they garnered 15% of Chevy's total '58 production and became the new top of the line Impala series in their own right for the 1959 model year.
The beautiful Delray in the photograph appears to be totally stock, as it would have appeared when the '58 models were first introduced in Chevy showrooms in the Fall of 1957. It is equipped with the popular options of the day....AM radio and heater, two-tone paint, and white sidewall tires. No wheelcovers here. Those are the standard issue hubcaps that would have been found on an entry level automobile. The lack of the "V" crest on the center of the hood means this car is most likely equipped with the standard 235.5 cubic inch in-line six rated at 145 horsepower. The Delrays were Chevy's ecomomy model, and as such, most would have probably been delivered with this engine. All '58 Chevys rode the 117.5 inch wheelbase, up from the 115 inch wheelbase used from 1949 through 1957. The base price for the Delray pictured with an in-line six was $2,101, and around 178,00 Delreys were built from a 1958 production total of 1.1 million cars.
I would like to congratulate the owner for maintaining the appearance of this car in much the same way as it left the factory. I have never seen a more beautifully restored and maintained '58 Delray series Chevy. Thank you, Ken for including the fabulous photograph of this wonderful car in your gallery.
