eBay Find of the Day: 1957 Bonaguro Special
This sensational one-off 1950's custom is a hand-crafted built over the course of six years (1957-1963) by one man - John Bonaguro. If you're picking out elements from other cars of its time, you're not alone-- the designer cribbed a 1955 Oldsmobile Rocket V8 and transmission for motivation, the taillamps are Chevrolet circa 1958, the seats are from '62 Ford Thunderbird, and so on.
The hand-laid fiberglass body is original, and the car 'received a sympathetic restoration a few years ago,' which appears to have put it in good running order, with the patina of a vehicle that is actually meant to be driven. It boasts a radically low-slung greenhouse with a pursed split rear window and gorgeous looking custom aluminum bumperettes.
The car has a solid show history, and was featured in a 1964 Hot Rod magazine Custom Car Annual. As the eBay listing's text correctly points out, complete custom cars from this era are hard to come by, as many were subsequently cannibalized or scrapped to yield parts for later project cars.
We think this Bonaguro Special is a real looker, with a cohesive design language that has held up far better than most of the period pieces still seen circulating now and again. If its condition is as good as it looks in the listing, the current bidding price of $25,100 would appear to be less than half of what it is worth.
[Source: eBay]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ron 8:36PM (4/15/2006)
Boy, does THAT ever bring back the memories!! I remember spending a week's worth of lunch money just to buy that Custom Car annual with the aqua metalflake Corvette on the cover.
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Tom Design 9:17PM (4/15/2006)
I have to agree with you. This is understated classic 50's. Spared the chrome weight of the massive 50's, this car has bling in tasteful, aluminum splashes. The roofline is very period cruiser style. I'm surprised it's not a hardtop? Great design.
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That One Person 10:08PM (4/15/2006)
That is hot. I always love T-Birds. Personally, I always thought they were the hottest car from the 50's (next the Vette than the Bel Air). I would do anything to have a car like this...
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