Originally posted by MarkJerling Ooooh, tough question Les. I'll try and answer it in three ways.
If I had the funds to spend on a 50's car, I'd spend it on a '56 Continental. It would seem a good one is around $60,000 and a superb example around $80,000. (US$)
That came stock with a 368Cu. engine and that's good enough for me.
If I had enough money to buy two 50's cars, then the '56 Continental is still my first choice, but my second choice would be a '57 Skyliner in Raven Black, Colonial White two-tone with either 292 or 312 engines, but I'll pass on the Paxton supercharger, as it's super rare and bound to push up the price. Auto or manual, I'm not fussy. O/D too, I'm not fussy.
If money was no object I'd want the entire '57 lineup from Custom, Custom 300, to Fairlane and Fairlane 500, with a Ranch Wagon and a Ranchero thrown in for good measure, with the pinnacle of course, being the '57 Skyliner. And, I suppose I'd have to have a Thunderbird too, just to round out the collection! And, of course, the '56 Continental.
Of course, the more likely outcome is that I'll buy a Model T and use that as a every day vehicle just to annoy everyone else. As it will run on practically anything, I'd be able to drive it long after the powers that be outlaw gasoline sales and I'll be able to annoy all and sundry with it.
Great choices. For some reason, I see you in a '57 Ford 300, 2 door sedan post...with a 312 supercharged V8, HD 3 on the tree and O/D...if O/D could handle that power.
My dad's first car was a 1926 Ford Model T, he got when he turned 16 in 1936. It ran ok, except for a hole in the gas tank. No matter, he would buy a pack of gum, before he took it out for a drive and keep on chewing gum. About every 15 minutes he would repatch the hole in the tank, with another freshly chewed stick of gum.
I have mentioned that my parent's had a '58 Ford Ranch Wagon with a 292 V8, three on the tree. As you know for the '58 Ford models were available with the first big blocks
...the FE series engines. In '58 out here, both the 332 and the 352 cube V8 were avaialble.
I have fond memories of the '58 Ford wagon...and if I was extremely wealthy would have a large collection of vintage automobilia, truckobilia, motorcycleobilia...at my mansion.
One vehicle in my collection, would be a '58 Ford wagon, painted the factory green with the gold slash...as per my parent's wagon...beefed up suspension, cooling, braking, comfort...with an FE...but the 428 FE as found in the '68 1/2 Mustang...which was seriously underrated @ around 335 hp...also with a aftermarket 6 speed manual transmission.
Another car in the collection, would be a '60's Volvo PV544....like the one I used to drive.