Two articles appeared in SIA #50, April 1979, that dealt with the histories of unusual, essentially one-off body styles. First, W.E. Gosden chronicled Ben Ellerbeck’s “shiftable top,” or what we would today call the convertible hardtop, installed on a 1919 Hudson Super Six. Next, Keith Marvin delved into the story of the Cavalier, a car that was supposed to have been a sort of semi-kit, on which the customer could order four body styles. Of course, neither proved successful – one because it was ahead of its time, the other because, well, it sounded kind of dopey.
