Chevrolet built Cavaliers for close to a quarter-century, selling something like five million units. If you count the all the other J-body siblings sold around the world (including some really weird stuff), the extended Cavalier family is one of the largest in automotive history. Somehow, though, the once-ubiquitous 1982-1987 first-generation Cavaliers have all but disappeared from North American car graveyards; I’ve documented plenty of later Cavaliers during my junkyard travels, sure, but the early ones seem to have been crushed decades ago. Finally, here’s a reasonably straight ’85 wagon in a northeastern Colorado yard. (Read More…)

Longtime reader/contributor David Holzman asked yesterday if I could find him a ’64 Chevy wagon while hanging out in San Mateo. We aim to please, so here it is, unfortunately hiding in a garage. Sorry, David; that’s as good as it gets. But for anyone who grew up in the sixties or early seventies, the back end of this then-ubiquitous wagon will undoubtedly trigger memories of riding in one. And hearing that little 283 rev it heart out in first gear up to about seventy, when the two speed Powerglide finally shifted into high under full throttle. In a break from tradition, Chevy went with uncharacteristic rectangular tail lights on the wagons only for 1964. If it weren’t for that Chevy badge, you’d think for all the world this was a low-end Oldsmobile. Enjoy, David; and Happy New Year.