'57 Wagons
Written by Keith Fudge

Recently, Dennis Gage had the opportunity to travel to Tempe, Arizona to visit with Bob Schmidt, a master car restoration expert and the curator of Classic Heaven, Inc., which is a collection of 70 vintage automobiles from the year 1957.  This collection includes hardtops, convertibles, trucks, and station wagons from the year that many classic auto experts consider to be America’s finest production era. 

When Dennis met with Bob at the site of the collection, they sat in a booth constructed from a ‘57 Chevy.  “What else would you expect?  Bob asked!  At that point, Bob went ahead and began to describe this remarkable collection.  Bob told him that another gentleman wanted to create a collection of every convertible produced in 1957.  From that idea came the notion to restore one of each model of 1957 cars and trucks.  Bob said they even went a bit further in the collection to include a 1957 fire truck and racecars from the same year!  Dennis then asked how long it took to assemble the collection and about the condition of the cars when they were obtained.  Bob told him that it only took five years to find the cars and complete the restorations.  He also mentioned that approximately 80% of the cars have undergone complete frame-off restorations.  The others they found had already undergone high-quality restorations.  Dennis also mentioned that up until now this collection has not been open to the public.  However, that is all about to change as the cars will be moved to Branson, Missouri and will be on display in a museum in conjunction with a 1950’s themed restaurant.  The museum should be open in March 2006.  Now everyone will have the opportunity to enjoy these cars from the landmark year.  Naturally, Dennis had arranged for Bob to show him some really rare cars of the collection, so they focused on what could now be called one of the early SUVs:  the station wagon!

Bob began the tour with what he referred to as, “a cute little car.”  This 1957 Rambler Cross Country was just the thing for the family who needed just a little more room!  Sporting an efficient six-cylinder engine and automatic transmission, the peach and mocha beauty was just the thing for a trip to Grandma’s house on a Sunday afternoon!  The car features the original dash.  Bob mentioned that the seats had been recovered in some original upholstery fabric that he located.  Next, Bob showed Dennis a classic 1957 DeSoto Firesweep Shopper.  This six-passenger wagon was the smaller of the two DeSoto Station Wagon offerings for 1957 (the other was a nine-passenger model called the Explorer).  This rust-free California car was restored with just a repaint to the factory original colors.  The interior is entirely original, complete with plastic seat covers.  Powered by a 325 cubic inch V-8, this ride is all ‘50s right down to those awesome taillights!  Another unique wagon was next in line as Bob walked Dennis over to a Pontiac Safari four-door.  As Dennis pointed out, seeing this vehicle as a four-door was truly unusual because most Safaris, just as Chevy Nomads, were two-door wagons!  This car was really loaded with options for its day including a leather interior and a reclining driver’s seat equipped with a headrest.  While these three wagons are simply stunning, Bob had saved the best for last!

The first of two very special vehicles he showed Dennis was a 1957 Mercury Voyager six-passenger wagon that was originally purchased by Senator Barry Goldwater.  Featuring the striking original two-toned yellow and white paint and powered by a Lincoln 368 Turnpike Cruiser engine, this car was already special enough.  But wait, there’s more!  This “grocery getter” is even rarer because it is a two-door wagon!   Dennis finally had all that he could handle in just looking at this one because soon enough, he was behind the wheel.  With Bob riding shotgun, they took this long and strong cruiser to the streets!  Dennis immediately made the comment about how good it felt to drive an original, low-mileage car.  After a cruise around the Tempe area, Dennis and Bob returned to look at the final car of the day:  a 1957 Buick Caballero Estate Station Wagon.  According to Bob, this immaculate red and white two-toned beauty was in great shape when it was located.  This car was classic Buick design and featured more chrome than you could shake a stick at!  Equipped with the original after-market air conditioning from the 1950s, and sporting wire wheels, this wagon is truly a work of automotive art.  Well, you know Dennis.  That means this vintage cruiser was also about to hit the asphalt! 

As they were cruising, Bob and Dennis talked about how station wagons were the underappreciated cars of their eras.  In the current collectable marketplace, wagons are now extremely sought after.  In fact, Dennis remarked, “Wagons are hot right now, and they are only going to get hotter!”   Soon Dennis and Bob made their way back to the museum and obviously a good time was had by all! 

Look for the Classic Heaven 1957 Car Collection in Branson, Missouri in the spring of 2006!  So until our next trip, “Honor the timeless classics.  Happy Motoring!”