Man digs 1957 Chevy wagon out of hiding for first drive before realizing he's bought a 'lemon'
- This four-door, powder blue 1957 Chevy 210 station wagon is a beaut
- Despite its good looks, things start to go wrong on its first drive
- The situation quickly escalates, going from bad to worse
Published on Oct 21, 2024 at 3:48 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Oct 22, 2024 at 10:59 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
When a friend wants to offload a four-door, powder blue 1957 Chevy 210 station wagon ‘quickly’ – you go for it.
Its first drive is an eye-opener, however.
From initial signs of things going wrong, the situation quickly escalates.
The car enthusiast is forced to admit that the gasser is a ‘lemon’.
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The 1957 Chevy 210 station wagon
Mike Finnegan of Finnegan’s Garage alongside his friend, Joe, get the car out of storage to put it through its paces.
He purchased it quickly, planning to build a gasser.
However, while he’d noticed that the hood was held by a ratchet strap, and the rear brakes were possibly leaking – it had a functioning fuel system meaning that he didn’t expect this outing to go so ‘horribly wrong’.
As they set off, the station wagon’s old-school features and the need for minor adjustments including the steering and gear shifting meant the pair were in stitches.
After a brief stop for lunch, the car began to show signs of overheating and leaks – and Finnegan suspected a radiator issue.
However, things continued to go west as he realized the extent of the work needed.
As well as a new fuel system, braking system, seats, and tires, the radiator and floors needed to be repaired.
He quickly labels the car as ‘broken’.
Cars brought back from the brink
To try and remain optimistic, however, this ‘no-kill car shelter’ in Philadelphia takes broken down cars and turns them into ‘Mad Max’-style icons.
On a similar note with fewer wheels, these Indonesian enthusiasts crafted broken Vespas into stunning Mad Max-esque motorcycles.
Last but not least, this man sold his flooded and broken Lamborghini and then missed it so much that years later he decided to buy it back.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
