Name That Car

His Easter car with its fancy tiara is a keeper.

Almost as far back as I can remember, I have loved this model’s perfect lines and fancied owning one. Over the years, I’ve owned three, including the top-of-the line version that I still have.

I bought the first one from my brother in 1987, fixed it up, used it for car shows and fun, then sold it for a $200 profit. In 1989, I bought my keeper and gradually brought it back to its current restored condition.

Several years later I bought a third one in Long Island, New York. It had only 20,000 miles on it but required some restoration. I fixed it up, used it daily for a few years and then sold it to a friend who thought it was the nicest car in his large collection.

The version I still own was dubbed the Easter car because the polished stainless steel tiara across the roof gave it the appearance of an Easter basket with a handle. And the factory options for pastel colors—yellow, pink, green, blue, orange—put an exclamation point on the nickname.

Mine is from the second year of production for the Easter car, when about one-fourth as many cars were produced as in the introductory year. So the second-year model, with updates like heavier stainless and chrome and a larger engine, is more desirable to collectors.

It had the new “lifeguard design” features—deep-dish steering wheel, padded dash and seat belt options. Many (including me) regard this as one of the most beautiful cars ever produced for the average driver.

Back then it sold for about $2,400.

Today it’s worth a little more, though I doubt I’ll ever sell. My wife, Linda, and I have refined it through the years. In our eyes, it’s still incredibly beautiful.