Photo: Mecum
There’s a something about the cars of the first two decades following the Second World War that makes them incredibly appealing for car collectors. But they are also very alluring for some of us, who are hopelessly looking to find this type of design class and finesse on modern-day cars.
The Chevrolet El Morocco is one of the cars offering plenty of both. The name might not remind one of much, given how this was not a Chevy model per se, but this only adds to the exclusivity of the nameplate.
El Morocco was born from the mind of Canadian businessman Reuben Allender. A big-time Cadillac customer, he was looking for a somewhat less expensive alternative, and the Chevys of the late 1950s fit the bill for a conversion perfectly.
Allender called his creation El Morocco and launched it in 1956. It was a Bel Air-based machine (or Two-Ten-based in 1957) featuring Cadillac-style body elements, but also stock parts taken from Chevy, Willys, and Dodge, all fitted together in a very coherent package.
Allender succeeded in creating a very exclusive car, but not a very successful one in its time. Cadillac buyers were not looking to downgrade to a Chevy, while Chevy buyers dreaming of driving Cadillacs could not afford to pay $1,000 over the price of a stock Bel Air.
That meant only about 20 of them were ever made, 10 of which in hardtop guise. One of those ten is about to cross the auction block in January, and it is expected to fetch up to $160,000, much more than Allender would have ever dreamed his cars will be worth.
This particular vehicle, made in 1957, has been restored not long ago to its former shiny self, and it comes in the original black and silver bodywork, wrapped around an interior sporting the correct upholstery. The engine that powers it is a 283-ci (4.6-liter) that shows only 53 miles (85 km) since completion.
This El Morocco is scheduled for an appearance during the Mecum auction in Kissimmee, Florida, in the early days of January.
El Morocco was born from the mind of Canadian businessman Reuben Allender. A big-time Cadillac customer, he was looking for a somewhat less expensive alternative, and the Chevys of the late 1950s fit the bill for a conversion perfectly.
Allender called his creation El Morocco and launched it in 1956. It was a Bel Air-based machine (or Two-Ten-based in 1957) featuring Cadillac-style body elements, but also stock parts taken from Chevy, Willys, and Dodge, all fitted together in a very coherent package.
Allender succeeded in creating a very exclusive car, but not a very successful one in its time. Cadillac buyers were not looking to downgrade to a Chevy, while Chevy buyers dreaming of driving Cadillacs could not afford to pay $1,000 over the price of a stock Bel Air.
That meant only about 20 of them were ever made, 10 of which in hardtop guise. One of those ten is about to cross the auction block in January, and it is expected to fetch up to $160,000, much more than Allender would have ever dreamed his cars will be worth.
This particular vehicle, made in 1957, has been restored not long ago to its former shiny self, and it comes in the original black and silver bodywork, wrapped around an interior sporting the correct upholstery. The engine that powers it is a 283-ci (4.6-liter) that shows only 53 miles (85 km) since completion.
This El Morocco is scheduled for an appearance during the Mecum auction in Kissimmee, Florida, in the early days of January.
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