FINS AND CHROME

from London Concours 2022 Programme

MERCEDES-BENZ

1960 Chrysler 300F

Chrysler’s 300-series ‘letter cars’ blended luxury with performance, and are said to have established the muscle car movement – one that saw huge V8s fitted in two-door, four-seater sports coupes designed for high-performance driving.

This particular 300F boasts 375bhp from its 413ci V8, with huge ‘cross ram’ intakes to boost power lower down the rev range, and it has a push-button auto gearbox. Inside are sixway power leather bucket seats that ‘swing away’ for easy entry, and a full-length centre console. The body uses Chrysler’s lightweight unibody construction.

The 300F was ordered new from Manhattan Chrysler by a Donald J Baker, and is one of what is believed to be only 78 survivors from the original 248 convertibles built. It is the sole triple-black model in existence, and it came to the UK in 2011 after spending time in Monterey, California. It’s covered just 77,000 miles from new.

1956 Packard Caribbean

The Caribbean is considered to be one of the last ‘real’ Packards before the era of badgeengineered Studebakers of 1957. Only 276 Caribbean convertibles were built, with professionals and creative types in their sights.

The 374ci V8 was teamed with an electric pushbutton auto trans. Aimed squarely at luxury rivals from Cadillac, Lincoln and Imperial, it had amenities such as self-levelling torsion-bar suspension and power operation on much of the interior.

Visual tweaks for 1956 included an updated grille to match that of its Patrician stablemate, exaggerated headlight brows and reversible seat cushions. An original California car, this example has been fully restored.

1958 Cadillac Sedan de Ville

This 1958 Cadillac fourdoor pillarless sedan was first delivered in New York. The buyer specified a rare Tri-Power V8, which is still with the car today.

The current owner bought it in 2011, and – wanting to understand what it would have been like to have driven a brandnew Cadillac out of the showroom in ’58 – set about doing an extensive nut-and-bolt restoration that necessitated removing the body from the chassis to get it just right. This was a huge undertaking.

He had many highs and lows on the way, but after five years of effort the Sedan de Ville was finally returned to the road in 2021.

1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

Perhaps the ultimate expression of the finsand-chrome craze, the 1959 Eldorado Biarritz has become an icon of Detroit’s glory years.

Power came from a 345bhp 390ci V8 with triple carburettors. That was matched to a fourspeed Hydra-Matic auto, and power everything: brakes, steering, door locks, windows, six-way seats and more. Air suspension gave the ultimate smooth ride.

This car is one of 500 believed extant from 1320 built. It has bucket seats and Eldorado-only Persian Sand metallic paint. Once part of Chicago’s Tony Siciliano Collection, it came to the UK via Berlin.

1958 Mercury Park Lane

The Park Lane convertible was aimed directly at Mercury’s core audience – the top of the American middle class. It boasted power steering, brakes and soft-top, and – as with this example – could also have power windows and driver’s Memory Seat. Even this car’s trunk is power operated and the radio is self seeking. Power is from a 430ci V8, the largest engine in a passenger car since World War Two.

It’s believed that only between six and eight 1958 Mercury Park Lane convertibles still survive of the 853 built. This car’s current owner, the Homan Family Collection, had pursued an example of the model for over 37 years. It was restored in Quebec and spent some time in France before coming to the UK.

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

The Bel Air was Chevrolet’s top-of-the-range offering in 1957, and it went on to become one of the most recognisable US classics ever, appearing many times in films, on TV and even in songs. Powered by a 283ci V8 and Power Glide auto, this particular pillarless Sports Coupe also boasts power steering and brakes, as befits its luxury status.

The car was bought by the current owner in Salem, Oregon in 2008, while he was living and working in the US. After importing the Chevrolet to the UK in 2009, he set about restoring it to its original factory condition. The stunning black paint sets off its full chrome trim.