The 59 Blues

The receipt of an award for “Most Unseen Car” at the Club Inspection Day has prompted me to put pen to paper and to pass on “the blues” I have been feeling of late.

All the fun began in June 1997 whilst cruisin’ in my 1959 Coupe DeVille on a routine inspection run. The culprit was some loose wheel nuts on the front left wheel which resulting in a “three wheel rocketship” and minor panel damage to the front guard. Six months have passed and the designated panel beater then decided that they could not allocate any time to fix the 59. In February 1998 I drove my pride and joy towards home–I nearly forgot how much fun it was!

No less than 200 metres from home, the gearbox decided not to play anymore. We rolled the 59 down the hill and after much frustration we pushed the Caddy nose first into the garage. A needle in a haystack search began to find a gearbox doctor. A couple of months passed and the surgeon was found. “Bring it over and we’ll have it fixed in a week”, he said.

For those of your still following, the time is now December 1998. I’m now cruisin’ home again to prepare for inspection day in two day’s time. We replaced the battery and drove over to meet up with the members for a great day. After jump starting the car, we drove home very satisfied. With all the bugs ironed out we ventured to Bass Hill drive–in night just prior to Christmas. We ran out of petrol on King Georges Road just prior to sunset. The replacement battery was still in the silver 59 so we could not turn the lights on without draining the battery further. Whilst we worked on the car the girls formed a human road block (100 metres behind the car) and funnelled the two lanes of traffic into one lane... well done girls. We got the car started and after the rear tail lights decided not to work, we called it a night and headed home and watched a video... not quite as much fun as the drive–in!

After returning from a recent holiday I jumped into the 59 for an inspection run. With a big smile on my face I drove out of the garage and up the road. The four speed auto is so smooth but not so good when the auto won’t shift into second, third or fourth! The gearbox has twelve months warranty so in March 1999, the 59 is back on the flat bed towtruck to be cured of the latest disease. It must be “The 1959 Blues” See you all soon,
Michael Hawkes, Sydney

Update: late 1999 Michael sold this vehicle to fellow club member Mike from Adelaide.