Another random thought or two, starting with California aviation
history: For many years, the FBO at Santa Ynez had '58 Chevy
Biscaynes as their rental fleet. Maybe they bought them from a
Tijuana taxi company. I seem to recall that they went for $8/day in
1970. Gas was thirty cents a gallon.

Typically, V8s of the '50s got 12-13 miles to a gallon. Caddys got as
much as 17. Remember the "Mobilegas Economy Run"? 20 mpg was
unheard-of for Detroit iron. Until the Falcon and Corvair. (OK. I'm
slighting the Nash Metropolitan.)

'58 was the only year for Chevys with that particular rounded body
style. The next year, Chevy went to the Martian Ground-Chariot body.
Basically, they hammered the fins on the '57 over sideways. '55s,
'56s and '57s all used different tricks to hide the gas cap behind the
left tail=light so that green gas-jockeys couldn't find it.

My old man had a '58 that he must have bought around '61. It was
painted what could only be called, "GM chalky sorta-blue." I learned
to shift on his '54, which was "GM chalky pretty-much-gray."

Don't mind me, I'm old.

Don