Aged Like a Fine Wine – Bob Dron’s 1948 Chevy Fleetline
A good custom car should be like a good wine or bourbon and get better with age. That’s certainly the case with Bob Dron’s 1948 Chevy Fleetline.
The car was originally built for the late Harold Olsen in the 1980s by a who’s who of California customizers like Gene Winfield, Bill Reasoner, Rod Powell, Butch Hurlhey, and Ryan Falconer. Mods included a hardtop-style chopped top, Buick fadeaway fenders, custom grille built from two ’46 Chevy units, frenched headlights, and much more. Originally painted with a Winfield fade job, and later a root beer candy color, the car won many accolades, including the first Harold Bagdasarian Award for Most Beautiful Custom at the 1991 Sacramento Autorama.
After getting sold to a couple in Pennsylvania in the 1990s, the Chevy was redone with green paint and ghost flames and regularly shown in the Northeast. Bob Dron tracked the Chevy down a few years ago, brought it back to California, and had it freshened up with dark candy green paint by Marcos Garcia and white and green upholstery by Bob Divine.
The Chevy still rides on a ’69 Trans Am subframe installed in the ’80s, with a four-bar rear suspension, small-block Chevy engine, and 2004R transmission. The Cadillac Sombrero hubcaps and Diamondback wide whites lend perfect period style.
Four decades later, this1948 Chevy Fleetline’s tasteful restyling and custom craftsmanship hold up beautifully, just like a fine wine.
Photos by Damon Lee & Steven Bunker
