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Best Snow Tires for SUVsCool Car Find: 1951 Chevrolet Master Deluxe
This 1951 Chevrolet Master Deluxe “tin woody” station wagon has its origins with a legendary surfer and gives all the nostalgic beach vibes.
The Golden Age of America
1951 Chevrolet Master Deluxe – carsforsale.com | Shop Chevrolet Master Deluxe on Carsforsale.com
With World War II behind us, America was growing and changing in many ways. It was the beginning of an era in America – an era that saw more families traveling on the interstates and moving out to the suburbs. An era when the Big Three automakers saw a demand for luxurious but practical people movers that would transport us into an age of transformation and prosperity. Chevrolet supplied its version of an automobile to meet those demands in today’s cool car find, a 1951Chevrolet Master Deluxe. This iconic Tin Woody station wagon fused luxury, style, and practicality to meet the needs of a new generation of families.
Making Room for More
Chevrolet’s Deluxe trim line was produced from 1941 to 1952 and featured a wide range of body styles. General Motors cars were designed to have wider measurements in order to make room for up to six people – three in the front and three in the back. This extra interior space for passengers was gained thanks to the omission of the exterior running board.
During the post-war years and through the early 1950s, the Deluxe range was Chevrolet’s leader in sales boasting a balance of luxury, style, and practicality. These niceties couldn’t be found in the base Special series. A wider range of body styles was also offered including two- and four-door sedans, a convertible, a Sport Coupe hardtop, and station wagons like our cool car find.
Enter the Station Wagon
Chevrolet Master Deluxe station wagons weren’t known for their speed or nimble handling, but a people mover it was, along with hauling a week’s worth of groceries, home goods, and yard supplies to boot.
Station wagons weren’t always the practical family vehicle that we know today, though. The term station wagon comes from a time when hotels had depot hacks, or station wagons as they were called, which were horse-drawn wagons with special semi-enclosed wooden bodies meant for picking up guests at the train station. Around World War I these were replaced by automobiles with similar bodies with lengthened chassis to accommodate more passengers.
By 1951, the world had drastically changed, and fewer people were traveling by rail. Thanks to improved highway systems, driving family vacations and roadside hotels were becoming more common and the station wagon was entering its prime.
Interested in some other icons of the 1950s? Check out our classic car comparison of the Chevy Bel Air vs Ford Fairlane.
Goodbye Wood, Hello Steel
In 1949 Chevrolet changed their wood-sided wagons to all-steel bodies and used DI-NOC, a 3M self-adhesive product, to simulate wood grain. This concept took off as people were seeing the many advantages of steel and vinyl over wood.
We go more in depth in our article, What Happened to Wood Paneled Cars?, but this transition made the cars lighter and sturdier as well as easier and cheaper to produce. These “tin woodies” as they would become known, could better withstand the daily demands of shuttling families, cargo, and supplies.
Our Cool Car Find Example
These iconic, faux wood trimmed wagons would become synonymous with the coastal life and make history as one of the most popular beach cruisers ever produced. Its rich history is what really makes our cool car find a true gem.
The original owner of this 1951 Chevrolet Master Deluxe was none other than Greg Noll, a legendary surfer who holds the unofficial world record for riding the biggest wave ever surfed in 1969 at Makaha, Hawaii.
The American pioneer of big wave surfing, Noll received the nickname “Da Bull” in reference to his physique and the way he would charge down the face of the wave. This ’51 tin woody’s license plate bears that nickname and also comes with a copy of the title issued in Greg Noll’s name.
You’ll find this Chevrolet Deluxe wagon in superb shape both cosmetically and under the hood. It has been upgraded to a small block Chevrolet V8 paired with a Turbo 350 automatic transmission. The brakes have also been upgraded to power assistance with a dual master cylinder.
1951 Chevrolet Master Deluxe – carsforsale.com | Shop Chevrolet Master Deluxe on Carsforsale.com
If you’re looking for more restoration inspirations check out our recommendations for The Best YouTube Car Restoration Channels.
The interior features newly upholstered seats with new German style carpet. The exterior cranberry red paint and faux wood is in excellent condition and the wheels are painted to match the car with moon caps and trim rings.
One look at this piece of tin woody history and you’ll be dreaming of the beach and catching that perfect wave like Da Bull.
