December 2014 Feature Car
Our Texas Connection
The story of our 1955 Convertible probably begins as a familiar tale to all the car nuts in the club. It was 2001 and we lived in Reno, Nevada at the time, home to the Hot August Nights car event which takes over the town with 5000+ classic cars. A great event with many free concerts, lots of cars, and cruising down the neon lit streets of downtown Reno. As a previously certified car nut, the garage was full of old cars when my wife and I decided that we needed a convertible for cruising at the big events. My wife Chris, set a condition on buying a convertible - sell two other old cars to make room.
So, two ads went into the the papers to sell our '55 hardtop and our '57 2 door sedan. The hardtop went first to the first person that looked at it. I remember Chris cried as the hardtop left the driveway with its new owner at the wheel. As any good car nut would, I used the fact that she hated to see the car leave as an excuse to get out of selling the second car. We still have the '57 to this day.
Our hardtop was turquoise and white, which was our favorite color combination for 1955. So we wanted the same colors in a convertible with a matching data plate. After a long search, which included traveling to look at a couple cars which were horribly misrepresented, we found a candidate in Florida that sounded promising. It was an older restoration with a 265 V-8, power steering, and the colors matched the data plate. One curious thing in the windshield was a vehicle inspection tag, but more on that later.
After much cleaning and detailing, we enjoyed cruising the Hot August Nights cruises with the top down under those big, neon signs of the casinos. However two big events in 2003 changed the cruising conditions for a while. My job took us to St. Louis, Missouri and our twin girls were born within 24 hours of our arrival in St. Louis. We took the convertible with us to St. Louis, but the other cars were placed in storage. The old car hobby was on hold for a while. It's true what they say, “having kids changes everything.” I guess it's windy in that back seat since the girls always wanted the top up while driving. This always provoked my response of, “but it's a convertible!” We attended a couple local shows in St. Louis, but missed our great event in Reno.
In 2009, another job transfer brought us here to Texas. We towed the convertible down here and, as soon as the shop was built, had the other cars shipped in after their 6 year hibernation. We joined Dallas Area Classic Chevys and began to cruise again. The twins' car seats in the back of the convertible proved to be a bigger conversation starter than the car itself!
The girls have outgrown the car seats, but still ask for the top to be put up when we're getting on the freeway. I'm hoping that someday they'll want the top down. Maybe by the time they're in high school they'll want that top down for a homecoming parade.
Back to the title and that inspection sticker - the convertible must be back in the state where it's restoration occurred. The inspection sticker is from Texas. Unfortunately, a portion is missing and only a partial name can be read from it. I can make out the first name of “Ray” and the first initial of “T” in the last name from the tag. I was reading the 'Throwback Thursday' section on the club's website and came across the name Ray Trevathan. I began to wonder if our convertible had a history with the club. I'm hoping a club member will recognize the handwriting or the car from the pictures and be able to give us a little history on the car.
Thanks to all the club officers for their work to promote the hobby and organizing all the great events. We look forward to seeing everyone at the next event and many more years of cruising!
Jim & Christine Baughan
MORE PHOTOS
HERE