BangShift reader Mike Kenworthy sent in this tip and when I am able to get a night’s sleep again after washing the image of this car out of them with steel wool and hydrochloric acid, I will thank him for it. Before then, I will sit here and think about how someone took a 1955 Chevy and turned it into something that the clowns in the circus would be embarrassed to drive into the tent. Newsflash: Making any car into a “shortie” is a disaster. Literally any car you are thinking of lopping the center out of and jamming both ends closer together is the dumbest idea you have ever had. Stop now, get help, seek counseling, and talk to your priest. Whatever you have to do to prevent the construction of another “shortie” do. If you were planning on making the car a “shortie” and then adding a cargo box like a pickup truck has, you need to move into the mountains and become a monk.
The builder of this car needs to seek the help of the monk brotherhood. This thing is the pits for sure being that it looks like a kind of mutated golf cart and then has a comically tiny “cargo box” that is barely large enough to wedge a wedding cake into. I am always amazed when people build these things and talk about them like they have improved on the looks of the original designs (good luck in doing that on a 1955 Chevy). Can people have a disorder that alters their vision to make it seem like horrible junk actually looks cool? It needs to be investigated!
Here’s the CL Ad text:
1955 chevy short wagon elcamino
$5500.00 obo
Runs drives and stops
Stock 283 two barrell power glide.
leather seats and sun roof.
Clean title
Talk about an ” odd rod ” ….. At least it’s the right color ….ouch !
I have wondered where all these shorties have come from too. I don’t think anyone is making them these days, most of them are prolly leftovers from the 70’s- 80’s. A time when anything 4 door was uncool, so making these shorties was prolly cooler in many peoples eyes than actually driving a full 4 door.
This one, while still ugly, isn’t as bad as some of the Chevy II’s or Nova shorties I have seen over the years. This one kind of has a Nash Metropoliton look to it.
If I could get it to paste on here I’d show ya a picture of the 60 Metropolitan pickup I have. It’s kind of funny looking but it saves gas when ya got to drive 36 miles round trip to get to a parts store.
I doubt this 55 will give 45 mpg. and it’s funnier looking than my Metro.
Yeah, I’d agree that is pretty terrible. But, the best “shorty” ever built is definitely the Imperial Speedster, as seen in Hot Rod a few years ago.
http://image.hotrod.com/f/featuredvehicles/hrdp_1107_1959_chrysler_imperial_speedster/37207998/hrdp-1107-02%2B1959-chrysler-imperial-speedster.jpg
nah, that imperial speedster thing merely proves that you can have all the time, money and skill on the planet and shorties STILL look utterly crappy. I winced when they first featured it and still do.
Aw! C’mon, Guys! It ain’t THAT bad! All it needs is some aluminum Slots, some fatties and skinnies, and a blower!
Cars like this always seem to have the cheesiest aftermarket wheels from the late 80s too. LOL
Wood make a nice pedal car.
Hell If I could win the lottery, the first thing I’d buy is the narrowed C-10 “roadster” pickup, that hacked and butchered 63 Impala and now this.
I love chevies, they make me laugh. Ok boys for our next project we are gonna do us a camaro
Browsing E-bay the other day and there was a 67 Camaro with a 1.9 VW TDI swapped in, no joke. Buy that one and cut the center out and section it down the middle too and it would top them all.
I love it.
I actually think the Imperial Speedster is pretty cool. I saw a ’58 Chevy shorty that was actually pretty good looking as well.
However I saw a shorty VW van/truck thing at the local cruise yesterday and it was horrid looking. This one is not good looking and the bed just makes it worse. As an ultra short coupe, it might have worked, the bed just makes it look like they had more trim than good parts and decided to make it a Ute.