1958 Pontiac Star Chief Golden Jubilee Edition

A Survivor Car

A few weeks ago this car was auctioned off in Murray, Ky. for $33.500. Why did it bring such a price? It has less than 5,000 miles on the odometer - and I can attest that this is accurate. The car has not been "restored". This is the original paint, upholstery, engine, and drive train. Now, how do I know so much about this car you ask? It was my Mother's car. It was purchased from her estate in the 1970's.

She was very proud of this car as I believe it was the only car she actually picked out and bought. All of her previous cars were chosen by my Father for her -and she really didn't like any of them as they were too big!! This car, while still big, seemed to suit her just fine.

Obviously, she didn't drive it much. In fact, she would call Anne Marie to come and take it through inspection for her. Mom had stopped driving several years prior to her death. My brother would take it for a spin occasionally but she really didn't like him driving it. I don't know why? One day, Mom called me at the office about taking the car through inspection. I assured her that the police would not come up in the driveway and give her a ticket for no inspection. She seemed relieved and we never took it through again.

The car was kept in a garage but the garage didn't have a door on it. Consequently, the trunk and rear bumper were exposed to the weather. When the buyer brought it to Kentucky he had the trunk repainted in the original color and had the rear bumper re-chromed. He put new tires on it, just like the originals. By the way, he towed it all the way to Kentucky on the original tires which were at least 15 year old! After putting a new battery in it as well as an oil change it cranked right up and was ready to go. He then polished it up and put it on display in Nashville for several years.

I don't know who bought it but rumor has it that Jay Leno was interested. Who knows?

Mom was only 5'1" tall. The first car I remember her driving was a HUGE Packard sedan while Dad drove a nice Oldsmobile coupe. The next one was a 1942 Cadillac sedan (the car I learned to drive in) while Dad drove a 1941 LaSalle Convertible! The LaSalle went to my brother and was replaced with a 1946 Cadillac 2 dr "Torpedo Back" which when the Cadillac sedan finally died was passed on to Mother. This '46 Caddy was what she traded in on the Pontiac. Dad had a series of cars after Mom got the '46 Caddy. He had a Plymouth - with no back seat, no radio, no accessories at all. We used it in the toy business and tried our best to wear it out but it was too tough! Finally he came to his senses and bought another Caddy - for about 2 hours!

He had bought the car and traded in the pitiful blue Plymouth - a done deal. The salesman came back to him saying that the manager needed another $100. He made the mistake of bringing back the check Dad had written. Dad, very calmly reached out and took the check and tore it in half and demanded the keys to the Plymouth. The salesman was shocked. He told Dad that they had already sold the Plymouth. Was he going to let $100 stand in the way of him owning a Caddy again? You bet! After much to do, Dad got the keys back to the Plymouth and went and bought a huge Chrysler Imperial 2 dr hardtop. It was light green and a beautiful car. In those days, Chrysler had torsion bar suspension. It rode like you were riding on a cloud. But, it wasn't a Caddy. Dad never again owned a Caddy - or a Plymouth!

This is just some more Botto history. Hope you enjoy.