A Customized 1957 Buick Caballero with Style, Comfort and Serious Power
Long before the rise of minivans and SUVs, station wagons were the vehicles of choice for road trips and family vacations. Starting in the 1950s, these long-roof people movers were common sights on highways and by the latter part of the decade American automakers were offering them in upscale trim packages that rivaled nearly anything on the road.
The most stylish station wagon offerings were the pillarless four-door hardtops that began appearing in the late-’50s and were built through the ’60s. Larry Debevec got reacquainted with this body style when he saw a 1957 Buick Caballero at a Goodguys event in Charlotte 15 years ago. “I fell in love with those hardtop station wagons and just had to have one,” Larry says.
He began searching for a wagon of his own and finally found the right one a few years later – a clean, original ’57 , that had spent most of its life in California. After another year of planning while driving it stock, Larry dropped the Buick off with Vinnie and Lourie Minichiello at CMX Customs in Summerville, South Carolina for a complete custom rod makeover.
With the goal of a great-handling long-distance cruiser, the rebuild began with a Roadster Shop chassis that incorporates a coil-over front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, a four-bar rear suspension supporting a Strange 9-inch rearend, and 14-inch Wilwood disc brakes behind Schott 18- and 20-inch wheels shod in Nitto tires. Modern power came in the form of a Chevrolet Performance Connect-and-Cruise LT4 delivering 650-horsepower and backed by a 4L75E overdrive transmission. The engine is surrounded by a smooth firewall and custom inner fenders.
Larry was already a fan of the Caballero design, so the body was left essentially stock. Vinnie and his CMX team made the few minor metal repairs necessary and got all the panels straight and tight before Rick Machosek laid down the fresh Axalta colors – Honda Fiji Blue Pearl complemented by Audi Monsoon Gray on the roof.
The cavernous 1957 Buick interior was updated with road trips in mind. The heated and cooled seats come from a 2014 Cadillac CTS and were stitched in Relicate cashew leather by Holy City Trim Shop. The original dash was updated with Dakota Digital HDX gauges, Vintage Air climate controls, custom white oak trim, and a Sparc Industries wheel atop an Ididit column. Pioneer tunes and Clayton Machine pedals and handles finish things off.
Completed late last year, the big 1957 Buick has already made a few road trips, including the 250-mile jaunt to Raleigh. And you can rest assured there are many more highway journeys to come in this wagon’s future. “I just love to drive my cars,” Larry says. “That’s what I enjoy.”
Photos: Damon Lee, Todd Ryden
