This 1958 Chevrolet Yeoman Is a One-Year Gem You Probably Never Knew Existed

While the Limited remained a one-year-only model, the Bonneville, which was Pontiac's most luxurious vehicle at the time, morphed into a full-time nameplate. And the badge soldiered on for a whopping 47 years. Likewise, the Chevrolet Impala remained in continuous production through 1985, becoming one of the company's most iconic models.

But the Impala wasn't the only brand-new Chevy that hit showrooms in 1958. It was one of four fresh nameplates for the year. Chevrolet also rolled out the Biscayne as a more affordable version of the Bel Air. It slotted above the Delray but eventually became the base fleet model in 1959. Chevrolet kept it in production through 1972.

The Biscayne was joined by two station wagons very few people remember. One was the Brookwood, and served as a mid-range grocery-getter below the more iconic and luxurious Nomad. It was discontinued in 1961 and returned as a wagon version of the Biscayne from 1969 to 1972.

Finally, Chevrolet also debuted the Yeoman in 1958. Arguably the least remembered "bowtie" automobile from the era, the Yeoman survived for just one model year as the company's entry-level station wagon. Essentially a replacement for the 150-based grocery-getters of the Tri-Five variety, it was available in both two- and four-door configurations.

It wasn't restricted to the entry-level 235-cubic-inch (3.9-liter) inline-six, though. The Yeoman was also available with the 283-cubic-inch (4.6-liter) V8 and the range-topping 348-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) W-series. As you might have already guessed, the Yeoman was discontinued due to slow sales.

Chevrolet's full-size lineup was quite popular that year, with the addition of the Impala helping the company regain the number-one sales spot from Ford. In all, Chevy sold a little more than 1.2 million automobiles that year. The grocery-getters did well, too, with 170,473 examples delivered. However, only 16,590 of them were Yeomans.

So, while it's not super rare by production numbers alone, the Yeoman is a scarce nameplate compared to the Biscayne and Impala. Moreover, only a few thousand examples likely survived, and most of them are still rotting away in junkyards. The light blue example you see here is one of only a few that have been restored.

A spotless two-door example, this grocery-getter is waiting for its next owner at Gateway Classic Cars. And whoever is willing to write a $46,000 check for it will get a nice surprise of the hot-rod variety. That's because this Yeoman had its original unit replaced with a more modern small-block during the restoration.

The unit in question is a 350-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) V8. Granted, it's not a spectacular upgrade, but it's a tried-and-true mill that powered the greatest Chevrolet pony cars back in the day. And I bet it turns this one-year hauler into an excellent highway cruiser, too. And as you'll notice in the first few seconds of the video below, it sounds pretty mean.

So what do you think about this Yeoman? Is it a vintage wagon you'd take home, or would you rather spend your weekends in a more common but fancier 1958 Impala? Let me know in the comments.