Me and My Car: It's a woodie like no other
Is there a car more elegant than an old woodie? There is something about woodie convertibles and station wagons that car enthusiasts covet.
Partly, I suppose, it's because real woodie cars are not available anymore, or maybe it is the special craftsmanship that went into building them and the beauty of the wood used. Today's woodies don't use real wood.
That may be part of the reason why Danville resident Jim Ashworth is into woodies. He offered another possible reason, "When my brother and I were growing up, we wanted a woodie station wagon, but our parents would never buy one."
Ashworth has become an expert on classic cars, including woodies, even teaching classes on investing in and restoring classic cars at UCLA and UC Berkeley. A collector since the 1970s, he has owned some great woodies, including a 1940 Buick wagon that was once owned by Bette Davis, a 1947 Chevrolet wagon, a 1953 Buick wagon and a 1947 Ford Sportsman, in addition to this beautiful baby blue 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster Country Club convertible.