Photo: Hemmings
The Chevrolet Confederate is not something we talk about every day. Produced from 1932 as a rival for the Ford cars of the age, it was a true hit back in its day, but apparently not interesting enough to be adopted by the current collectors’ market. Never in its history, though, did the Confederate look like this.
It’s a strange contraption, this one. You’re looking at a Confederate chassis and front end to which a boattail rear made of wood was attached. The machine is presently for sale as is, in a Hemmings auction that has a reserve of $22,000.
The guy selling it accidentally stumbled upon the wooden body in a barn in Ohio. As he tried to identify it, he discovered the rear end matched cars very few remember GM ever made. Those would be the Vauxhall 20-60 Hurlingham 2-seater built in the UK in the 1930s, and something called Holden Moonlight Speedster made in Australia. Both these models are incredibly rare, so getting hold of one was impossible. Luckily, the guy had a Confederate sitting around doing nothing, and an idea was born.
The rear end was slapped on the body of the Confederate, and this thing here was created. We're told the wooden part was intentionally left with no paint on, so it can be viewed in all its glory, including with patina and “numerous small worm holes.”
Aside from the part at the rear, pretty much everything else is stock, including the 194-ci (3.2-liter) engine, now in restored condition.
The car is a work-in-progress, and whoever ends up buying it might have a lot of work ahead. We can only hope to see this again in the not-so-distant future, finished and looking far less weird.
As a side note, even though the asking price was $22,000, the highest someone bid for it was $10,500.
The guy selling it accidentally stumbled upon the wooden body in a barn in Ohio. As he tried to identify it, he discovered the rear end matched cars very few remember GM ever made. Those would be the Vauxhall 20-60 Hurlingham 2-seater built in the UK in the 1930s, and something called Holden Moonlight Speedster made in Australia. Both these models are incredibly rare, so getting hold of one was impossible. Luckily, the guy had a Confederate sitting around doing nothing, and an idea was born.
The rear end was slapped on the body of the Confederate, and this thing here was created. We're told the wooden part was intentionally left with no paint on, so it can be viewed in all its glory, including with patina and “numerous small worm holes.”
Aside from the part at the rear, pretty much everything else is stock, including the 194-ci (3.2-liter) engine, now in restored condition.
The car is a work-in-progress, and whoever ends up buying it might have a lot of work ahead. We can only hope to see this again in the not-so-distant future, finished and looking far less weird.
As a side note, even though the asking price was $22,000, the highest someone bid for it was $10,500.
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