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2017 Shannons Sydney Winter Classic Auction
Lot
4

1936 Chevrolet Sport Roadster (Body by Holden)

$50,000

Sold

Specifications

Engine In-line 6-cylinder, 235-cid
Gearbox 3-speed manual
Body Work Roadster
Colour Black
Interior Red
Trim Leather
Wheels Steel Disc
Brakes Drums

Description

This lot is no longer available

William C Durant, founder of General Motors, left in 1910 to form a new company and the Chevrolet brand became a household name, ultimately joining the General Motors Empire in 1918.  Chevrolet established itself as the market leader with the introduction of the venerable “Stovebolt Six” in 1929, the driving force for millions of Chevy products over the next three decades.  By 1936 Chevrolet had incorporated a number of improvements, including hydraulic brakes for both the Standard and Master series, both powered by the same 79 horsepower six.  Notable styling features of the facelifted 1936 cars included the two-piece vee windscreen and seamless steel ‘Turret Top’ bodywork.  Sales of the 1936 model were up almost 70 per cent from the previous year, helping Chevrolet reclaim first place from arch rival Ford.  The rugged Chevrolets proved popular in Australia and were imported here in reasonable numbers during the Thirties, mostly fitted with local bodywork including the popular Coupe Utility and famous ‘Sloper’ coupes.  Chevrolet offered two models in Australia for 1936, the Standard and Master - both based on the export chassis built in Canada and the majority bodied by Holden.  Originally a leather goods business founded in Adelaide by James A Holden back in 1856, Holden’s Motor Body Builders Ltd was established in 1919 after winning a large contract to build bodies for Dodge cars from local dealer S A Cheney.  By 1936, the factory in Woodville was turning out a range of bodies for imported chassis, particularly GM products, and the Chevrolet line-up included a four-door sedan, coupe, tourer and roadster.  Of the latter, a total of 435 Sports Roadsters and 449 Business Roadsters were built on the Standard chassis, with a further 125 offered on the Master chassis, with only a handful of survivors still on the road today.