1937 Chevy Master “Public Enemy” Is a Legit Gangster Ride, And Then You See the Interior…

Yet the same era was one of great transformation and rapid development in the auto industry, and whenever a new car did surface, it usually was way ahead of everything that came before it. The Chevrolet Master and its Chevrolet Master Deluxe variant were just that, very advanced and completely new when they hit the market in 1933.

In the 1930s Chevrolet was still an up-and-coming car brand in its teen years, and relatively fresh under the General Motors umbrella. It had started its stint on the American market in 1911 with the introduction of the Series C, and followed that up with the Series H, L, D, F, and so on.

The Master came to be in 1933 as Series CA, and would move on through a lot of the letters in the alphabet until it was discontinued in 1942 as the Series JA. It was an impressive car for its time, one of the most expensive on the market back then, and available in four body styles (including a pickup truck, of course).

As successful as it might have been, the Master disappeared from the public scene once the war came, and never returned. And by never I really mean that, as even today, in our vintage and old car-hungry society of ours you can barely find one in good condition for sale, let alone restored or customized.

So imagine our surprise when we stumbled upon the 1937 Chevrolet Master Deluxe we have here, looking all gangster from the prohibition era on the outside and all modern under the hood.

Put together as a rod vehicle by an unknown crew in America somewhere, the car retains the main design lines Chevy envisioned for it all those decades ago, resulting in a vibe we kind of wish we experienced more often.

The car wears satin black paint all over, a hue that makes you wonder if it is possible to see this thing in the dark. Elegantly placed chrome elements (mirrors, door handles, window trims) add a dimension of class to the entire build, the most obvious of them all being, of course, the 15-inch American Racing polished wheels wrapped in fat rubber.

There are no bumpers on this car, as they’ve been shaved for the purposes of the build, and that makes the front end look especially simple and elegant, with the two, massive fenders arching over the wheels unobstructed. Just like the rear fenders and running board between them, they’re made of fiberglass.

Two round headlights float above each front fender, holding in between them the large, vertical grille of the Master. And then comes a hood so long it has you wondering what kind of a monster could be lurking under it.

The hood is hinged on either side, and all you have to do to find the rather disappointing answer to that question is flip it open. It will reveal a 350ci (5.7-liter) engine, unmarked and unpretentious, but yet still a perfect fit, working with the help of a 3-speed automatic transmission.

So far, so good, wouldn’t you say? We have a rare automobile on our hands, rodded beautifully on the outside (at least to these eyes), and packing not an extraordinary, but more than decent engine. And call us intrigued, we’re told the Master has only 2,100 miles (3,380 km) on the clock since being remade…

Problem is, to see that mileage one has to climb onboard. That means opening the doors and being treated to what is without a doubt the most awful manifestation of an idea that probably sounded great in someone’s head.

You see, this all-American car, coming into our time from an age history book remember as the Public Enemies era (hence the name we chose for the ride), and remade with pretty good taste on the outside, was fitted with seats taken from a... Scion.

That’s right, the sub-brand Toyota created in 2003 to capture the imagination of younger drivers and potential customers. The sub-brand so successful, the same Toyota had to shut down just 13 years later. The Toyota sub-brand nobody remembers today. That Scion…

Not only did the seats come from a Scion, but they seem to be in their stock form, not re-upholstered or anything for the purposes of this build. They might be a great choice for a Scion, but in a rodded, 3-inch chopped Chevrolet Master from the 1930s, they really ruin the fun.

So, we have two things going for the Master (exterior and engine), and one against (interior). Do the math, and let us know if the $34,000 asking price for this car on Classic Auto Mall sounds right to you.