Regarding that 'top of the line' and otherwise loaded '59 Bonneville rag-top you saw with a lowly "three on the tree" - while it's a bit odd that someone would spend the money for a new Bonneville, plus pay a bunch extra for a lot of other desirable options and not go for a transmission upgrade too, it's not all that uncommon for cars of the era. In the late '50's and very early 60's , 4-speeds where just starting to become available as optional equipment on most American cars and where still considered to be somewhat "exotic" (Mopars, with the exception of a tiny handful of Chrysler 300 "letter cars" in 58, '59? and '60 that offered the expensive 'imported from France', Pont-A-Mouson' 4-speed, didn't even offer a 4-speed option until 1962) and the early automatics with a very few exceptions where considered an anathema for any kind of performance car. What a lot of the newer - ie - 'younger' car guys don't realize, about '50's and '60's vintage cars, is that back then, and right up until the about the early or mid -'70's too - that that if you ordered a new a car and didn't specify an optional transmission - ie - an automatic or a 4-speed stick - and also pay a couple of hundred dollars extra for the privilege of having that optional tranny - that on almost everything - regardless of the engine, that the default was a column-shifted three-speed manual This was on just about everything, even on hi-po packages and so-called muscle cars. Even Corvettes came standard with a lowly 3-speed stick (albeit and at least, always on the floor, though!), if the buyer didn't specify a 4-speed or an automatic and then also ante up a couple of hundred dollars or so extra to get it. About the only exception and even then, only from about the mid-50's and up, was some 'top of the line' dedicated luxo-barge Cadillacs Lincolns, senior Packards and the like, that had by then made an automatic transmission as standard equipment and in most cases then too, didn't even offer a manual transmission of any kind, even as an option. But on just about anything else, if the buyer, for whatever reason, didn't specify an optional transmission as an upgrade from the base, the car came through with the ubiquitous "three on the tree". Mart3406 ============
Not as neat or rare as a loaded 421 tri-power, 4-speed Catalina wagon, but when I was a kid a neighbour of ours bought a new, otherwise 'plain-jane' '64 Beaumont (Canadian 'Pontiac-badged and trimmed' Chevelle) wagon with a 220hp 283, a 4-speed, dual exhaust and bench seat. Also, in the early 70's I had a '64 Chevelle Malibu SS with a built 283, (and later an even more radical 350) and a Muncie 4-sp in place of the original 2-spd Power-glide. Shortly after I installed the 4-speed, I came across a wrecked '64 Malibu SS in the boneyard that had originally been 4-speed car, but had been converted over to a Power-glide. But when they converted it, they had left the original 4-spd console in place, so I grabbed that for my car, plus a fairly rare factory tach that was still in the dash. A bit later, I found another, non-SS. '65 Chevelle in another boneyard that had factory power windows and a 4.11 geared, 12-bolt posi rearend which I also grabbed and put in my '64 SS. What was weird about the '65 that I scavenged the power windows and the 12-bolt posi from was that it was a base-model 6-cylinder Chevelle 300 with a 3-spd/OD and almost no other options other than power windows (!) and a factory trailer towing package (!), hence the 12-bolt posi rearend. And because the trailer towing package had been combined with a 6cyl and OD, the 12-bolt posi which otherwise normally only came on came the high-hp 300 & 350hp-327 V8 Chevelles in '65, came with with 4.11 gears too! Mart3406 ======================
even funnier about those Buick Hydraulic windows is they only powered they front windows, the quarter windows were still manual. I've never underdtood the logic behind that. the hydraulics, 1 pump under the right front fender powered the top, front windows, and the seat. Cadillacs did offer the power quarter windows.
The car in my avatar is a factory four speed, tripower car. That was uncommon enough for a Catalina or Ventura in 1961, but was quite unusual for a Bonneville.
I think the year was 1975, and yes, they did have a separate 110 volt alternator. They also had no defroster vents IIRC, and I was told someone had bought up all the windshields from Ford in the early '80's. My friend had one back then (T-Bird) and he was scared to death something was gonna happen to his windshield. One of FoMoCo's Better Ideas that didn't pass the real world "Tough Test"
One little known problem that brought grief to some owners of new Lincolns and T-Birds equipped with the"electric self-defrosting windshield" option was that the the thin gold film imbedded in the glass, besides conducting electricity, also very effectively blocked radar waves, which rendered dash mounted radar detector units completely ineffective and unusable. Owners of these cars who had previously depended on their radar detectors to keep avoid police radar and keep themselves out of trouble, usually only found out about the gold-film embedded glass's 'radar blocking' ability when they suddenly started getting speeding tickets in their new car! Mart3406 ============
In 1970, I had a '67 real stripper Camaro, which had no options, whatsoever. It was a inline 6 with bench seat and 3 speed on the column. At the time, not caring about the apparent rarity, swapped it to a 327, 4 speed, bucket seats, console. I've not seen any with 3 on the tree, and many "experts" have almost called me a liar. Pretty sure I was 3rd owner. Car had Chevrolet dealer sticker on tail light panel from Washington state. Anyone else ever seen one?
G'day, We were out at a friends farmsted in MN looking at his old junkers. There was this ugly green 70 Camaro sitting there half stripped. It was originally I believe a 307 3 speed on the column car. No options at all. For some reason I looked under the back of the car and there was a 12 bolt rear with a silver tag on it. Couldn't believe my eyes. For lack of options, 1959 Corvette with radio delete, heater delete, no wipers and no evidence of holes ever being drilled in the cowl, and no front turn signals. Not even close to legal but who knows what happened that day on the assembly line. ms
My friend Charlie has a '54 Skyliner glasstop with power steering, power windows and power seat. My dad ordered his '57 Buick Century with factory air and an odd dove grey-over-black paint job, and blackwalls. Heading O/T, a friend of mine has a '69 442 convertible he bought new from the dealer's showroom (in stock, not special order) with a bench seat, column automatic, and factory 8-track. (Has 220k on it now, looks a bit ratty but still runs great and the engine's never been rebuilt.) Finally, I was in the Monrovia Pick-A-Part about six years ago and spotted a '62 Dodge 880 four-door hardtop with a certified (aka Police) speedometer, which I quickly removed to squirrel away. I should put the damn thing on eBay...
------------------------------ Yep. Not common, but they made some and few people actually bought them that way. I think I've seen three over the years with bench seats and a column shift. - one 6cyl-3 spd manual, one 6cyl-Powerglide and one 327-2bbl with a Powerglide - all '67's.
I grew up in the White Plains, NY area, not too far from the Tarrytown, NY General Motors plant. In the seventies, the plant was producing Firebirds and Camaros. As cars came down the line, a little hang-tag on the door indicated what brand to make it. There were reports at the time that a few went out the door to dealers with Camaro fronts and Firebird rears and vice versa! I'd bet lots of these "rare options" were actually just cases of parts running out on the assembly line or inattention to build sheets. They just needed to keep the lines running and send cars out the door.
My dad said he'd seen one set up that way, or with a Powerglide and a bench seat, being driven by a young girl.
my 57 chevy is a 210 2door hardtop. has v8 motor, auto, tinted windows and factory padded dash. They could have bought a belair for all that they added to that car.
Didnt know it was rare...... Looked at one in high school as a potential first car. Ended up passing on it due to needing to have a v8 if i was going to drive a camaro. 6banger, 3 speed and bench seat....
I guess I've seen a few 1957 Chevrolet 4 door post injected 283 hp 283 dealer installed 4 speed 1959 fuel injected 4 speed Impala 1965 plymouth green 4 door, trailer package 426 Hemi 1960 T bird sun roof 352 ci 3 speed overdrive I seen a few of these 1950 Cad 2 door hardtop factory stick I've seen a few stick cads but this is to only HT 1961 Pontiac 4 door factory 4 speed 1969 Camaro 6, 3 speed column shift with a bench seat 1955 Corvette v8 3 speed stick I have a customer that has a barn full of one off cars that I need to get permission to list
You were posting the same time as me. the Camaro here in Oregon was green and might have been a 67 also thinking back The guy that bought the 4 door Hemi car was going to pull the hemi and junk the body till a friend stopped him. chrysler didn't show ever building a Hemi 4 door but this car had all the right numbers. the farmer special ordered it to tow a 30 ft airstream
Not HAMB worthy for sure but I once owned a '69 Chevelle with fiber optic turn signal indicators on top of the front fenders and fiber optic indicators on the rear shelf. This car also had a "traction control" package on it. For real, I had the build sheet also.
Yep my younger brother had one in '77. I had a 64 Catilina with 389 tri power, power brakes, steering, and a/c, 3 spd column shift. Friends Dad had a 64 or 665 econoline van with 6 cyl 4 spd column shift. Ol' lady here in town has a 67 Chevelle wagon 396 4 spd.
A couple ass kickers that were offered that I turned down A 70 Hemi Cuda (a real one) that had the hemi swapped to a slant six. $1500 I thought that it would never be worth the trouble to restore an old Mopar A 1969 Boss 429 (Semi Hemi) 4 speed car. all original ran good needed a a paint job I couldn't see paying $3500 and then paint on top of that and my favorite Dumb Ass Me story. I traded my 51 Olds for a 1957 Ford 300 post car with a factory F series. factory suoercharged 300 horse 312. when I got the car it had factory dual quad set up rated at 271 horse. both are rare. but I had a friend that had a 327 chev powered Austin Healy that wanted the supercharger. I sold it to him for 10 bucks and then sat and bought both of us beer all night and went home broke.
Completly off topic car. I had a 1980 or 81 Malibu in about 1989. Had a 305, turbo 350 & a factory power sunroof. No other option, has a am radio, no air, no power windows or locks, just the sunroof. The sunroof was metal not glass & I had never seen one before that car & have never seen another one with a sunroof since.
I was looking at a 58 Edsel 2dr wagon, V8 3pd W/OD just a week ago with a factory tach. Cable driven off of the dist. I don't study Edsel's but I was shocked to see it.
Had a 63 impala with 327 pg ac ps pb power windows & seat skirts posi dual rear antennas---------------also had a 65 impala 2dr ht with 409 4sd 12 bolt posi with 331 gears bucket seats console factory tach this car was Quick suprised many (pony cars} at redlights both cars were from the late 70s and are long gone
I remember seeing 1 in the mid 70s think it was a 68 but it had 6cyl 3spd on column bench seat 1967 or1968 camaro
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