Hooniverse Weekend Edition: A Tale Of Two Ragtops

Well, my fellow Hoons, as seems to regularly happen, the esteemed Mr. Brennan does a post (or a series of posts) and this olelongrooffan’s memory is jogged. It happened again this weekend with another excellent series of posts comparing two sister model styles or classes of automobiles.

A whiles back this olelongrooffan was out and about and I spotted these two sister cars and got the opportunity to chat it up with their owners.

When I spotted these two beauties parked side by side, both sporting Georgia original year tags, this olelongrooffan kind a figured these two owners knew each other.

I mean, what are the chances of a 1959 Chevy and a 1960 Chevy, both convertibles and both white over red, ending up immediately adjacent to each other at an impromptu car show in the Belaire Plaza parking lot in the Birthplace of Speed?

Yes, these are identically badged Impalas just a year apart in their age and both of them are beautiful. The interiors of the rear compartment areas of these two cars are nearly identical

with only the upholstery designs and soft panels setting them apart. Even the speaker cover in the center of that girlfriend enticing rear seat is interchangable between the two.

However, once a Hoon checks out the body panels, it is realized there appears not to be a common one between the two.

Hell, even the wheel covers are different between the two, although they both possessed the Corvette inspired checkered flags.

If I remember correctly, between 1954 and 1960 Chevrolet changed the body style of their large car lineup every year. It appears to this olelongrooffan that the rear swept twin radio antennas were the only shared exterior body parts.

Yeah, the General was pretty strong in leading styling cues back in the late fifties and those designers even chose to create new fender markers for 1960 although

I think the jet inspired ones on the 59 are pretty cool in their own right.

I am torn between these two. I have always loved the lines of the 59 although it is not without its detractors. Sure it is bloated, has some funky horizontal rear fins and the El Camino, which I absolutely lust after, was prone to rust just above the rear window, maybe it is because this olelongrooffan was born the same year this car was badged

This 60 is in equally as nice condition. When I was in the sixth grade at St. Agnes Grade School the class bully’s Italian family drove a jet black four door, nearly identically styled, 61 Impala and he terrorized me to no end. Maybe that is why the 60 doesn’t quite do it for this olelongrooffan.

Although I would take one in this longroof version my buddy TheKenMan spotted a few years back.

So, anyway, as this olelongrooffan was gathering up these images, I spotted an older couple, although once again, probably just a few years older than me, and they came walking up to these verts. The gentleman went over to the 59 while the still beautiful member of the female persuasion of that couple walked up to the 60. I asked them if they were the owners and their response was in the affirmative.

In typical longrooffan manner, I asked them how they came to be in their possession. Well, it appears that when they were dating in high school back in the day, the dude’s dad owned a 59 just like this one. Same colors and all. He courted his now, still wife, in that car and they eventually fell in love and got married.

Now, many years later, they had been looking for a 59 but found this 60 first. As they were having difficulty finding the 59 they wanted, they bought the 60. A bit later found this 59 and snatched it up.

I asked them why they kept the 60 when the 59 was their initial choice? The Missus piped in with this, “Honey, Phil never lets me drive so I had to keep this one just to have fun of my own.”

Yeah, Car Girls, no matter what age, Rule.

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