A common fantasy is to be able to live in the world forever, not as an old man but as a young man in the prime of life. Twenty five years old for eternity. In our darkest moments, we may have wished that we could live in that state with moral impunity, free to do whatever we want to whomever we want for as long as we want. Oscar Wilde tackled these themes in his classic 1890 novel, which this car made me think of.
Ok, it actually made me think of the 1945 movie (one of at least 25 film or TV adaptations), since like most people, I’ve never read the book. I saw it when I was in high school, me being that odd teen who was fascinated by old black and white movies and watched them every chance I got. The movie obviously made an impression on me because I haven’t seen it since and I still remember it.
As unlikely as it may be, I ran into something of a doppelganger to the 1964 Wildcat that I wrote up last fall. Maybe you remember that one:
I declared it my favorite car of all the many hundreds I saw at Arizona Auction Week in January last year (alas I’m stuck in Texas and unable to go this year 🙁 ). It was remarkable both for its rare powertrain and even more so for its excellent condition: unrestored with original paint, interior and drivetrain despite not having especially low mileage (78k). One might reasonably ask how a car can manage to pass through many decades with a fair amount of use and yet be so well preserved. It seems kind of unnatural.
Perhaps the Wildcat’s owner struck a metaphysical deal of the sort Dorian Gray did in the story. Dorian has his portrait painted when he is an impressionable young man. At the artist’s studio, he meets a deceptively devilish older man who regales him with tales of the joys of hedonism causing Dorian to wish he could pursue the pleasures of the world forever, staying the same age as he is in the painting and have the portrait age in his place.
Dorian gets his wish and lives a life of indulgence, debauchery, and treachery. The picture not only absorbs age but also sins. Every terrible thing Dorian does over many years shows in the painting, becoming uglier with every wicked deed while Dorian physically remains young and immaculate.
What if the strange powers of mysticism would allow a similar dynamic to work for a car? You could buy a beautiful, special car and have a second one just like it made which you keep hidden in your garage. You then proceed to use your car without care or concern. You leave it outside all the time and never wash or wax it. You run into things. You habitually make jackrabbit starts and brake hard at every light. You never change the oil or follow any of the maintenance schedule in the owner’s manual, which you never read. You drive it through snow and salt without even washing off the grime. You chainsmoke while driving.
Despite committing every sin of car ownership imaginable, your car is clean, looks perfect, runs great, and doesn’t even smell like cigarettes. Decades pass.
Meanwhile, the car in your garage looks worse and worse every year. The paint fades to the point it’s hard to even tell what color it was. Surface rust spreads all over the upper surfaces. Dents and dings prevail. Body panels become perforated with rust.
The engine belches smoke and the blown out exhaust sounds loud and nasty. The Wildcat 445 engine feels more like a 155hp 225c.i. Fireball V6 (new in the Buick Special that year). The carpet rots, the floorboard rusts through and the interior fades and cracks. It smells like a Soviet ashtray.
Odd lesions and rust holes break out all over the hood, while the rusty edge won’t even hold a trim piece on any longer. The windshield has more crack than the corner drug dealer.
The Picture Of Dorian Wildcat.
Perhaps you think after all these years a perfect car is your right and you can get rid of that deplorable heap taking valuable space in your garage, which is the only evidence of the terrible car owner you’ve been. You tow it to the crusher and watch it be destroyed with satisfaction, then walk back to the parking lot to drive home in your speedy, perfect Wildcat.
Only you find that it now is just like the car you destroyed. All the age and sins it took upon itself have settled right back onto your exceptional Wildcat.
You slowly, very slowly, drive home in a giant cloud of blue smoke, finally forced to drive the car you deserve.
photographed in Houston, TX January 11, 2024
Yes, even the dilapidated Wildcat is a special car, undeserving of the crusher! See my original 64 Wildcat article for the Wildcat story and links to other Curbside Classic Wildcat articles.
Great take. Kudos to you, Sir.
The Picture of Dorian Wildcat. Prose at its best!
Yep, an excellent comparison!
Excellent!
The odd rust (?) repairs on the hood and the mis-matched front/rear license plates on the TX car truly puzzle me.
Very well done Sir ! .
This old Buick doesn’t look too far gone, holes in the trunk lid notwithstanding .
-Nate
People have got to get into just doing mechanical stuff & drive it as is ! Since full restoration cost so much ! or your good a home body work . As I’d seen more barn finds / drive as is at shows ! these cars have the great TH 400 trans ( first year ) no dinofluff & torktube ! lol . so it might need serious engine work ? But needs to be saved ! there’s a cable show thats called ” Roadworthy Rescues ” that does just that !
Good point. Body needs would likely doom any prospect for a full restoration, but the interior is actually not that bad. A mechanical refurb maybe not TOO expensive to rule out for someone who wouldn’t mind the rough look.
Thanks Jon, for an excellent and well constructed post. The way the cars are similarly posed in the photos really contributes to the story. I just recently watched the movie in October, on TCM. It made me curious enough to actually read the novel. I would say that the movie is better than the book, in that it advances the story better. Not to mention that it features the first film appearance of a young Angela Landsbury, who brings a beautiful, tragic innocence to her role. The novel is buried in layers of Victorian frippery, but it does contain some surprising phrases and passages that I never knew were written by Wilde.
I think that this is the best model of the WildCat, a two door hardtop with the convertible look roof and bucket seat interior. Later models would expand the line to include a four door sedan with a bench seat!
Thanks for reading the book so I don’t have to! I figured it’s probably one of those books that’s more for true literary enthusiasts, while the movie(s) are meant for the rest of us.
I’m not sure if I like the 64 or 65 Wildcat better. It’s definitely between those two.
The book is good, but I prefer Wilde’s plays and short stories. “The Canterville Ghost” is a fun short story that’s easy to read for those who want to give his work a try.
Years ago, I saw the 1945 film at our restored local theater on Halloween. It wasn’t bad, but I couldn’t help feeling that Hurd Hatfield was miscast as Dorian Gray. Nothing personal, but Gray was labeled an “Adonis” in the book, and I wasn’t getting that vibe from Hatfield. Regardless, the painting done for the movie was perfect, and the ending of the movie was just right in a creepy way.
Regarding the Wildcat, you can’t beat a big Buick. It’s too bad it’s just a little too rough to leave alone (at least in my opinion). Being that it looks solid, it might be a good candidate for a cheap single stage paint job (maybe even with white tractor enamel or Rustoleum) if one’s capable of doing the work themselves. That becomes a losing game if there’s much mechanical work to do, but it is a hobby after all. Money’s not always the sole consideration.
I think I’d rather keep the original finish, as bad as it is, than any super cheap spray can job.
After reading your post I am now feeling like I resemble the unrestored Wildcat. Creaky suspension, in need of Bondo to smooth out the wrinkles, and smells like a Soviet ashtray. Might as well light up another cig with my afternoon vodka / tonic as I am too far gone for restoration. Also, I am thankfully remined, I have a pristine first edition copy of ‘Dorian Gray’ that I bought for some big bucks at a rare bookseller in NYC about 45 years ago. It was a gift to an actor friend, now dead, and willed back to me. Think I might get it appraised just in case my T-Bird develops a leak during winter storage.
I hope you are exaggerating and don’t really look as rough as the Wildcat. Hopefully at least your air cleaner is still on your engine!
That first edition sounds like quite a collector’s item.
Looking at the snow outside in New England as I speak, I wish I could have option of an old “salt” version to drive whilst my Ghia sits inside in the dry. Trouble is, I would spend time working on that one that could better be devoted to the Karmann. Carbs to be added, seats to be changed out, etc., etc. I guess you would describe it as a running restoration/upgrading.
And the only time I don’t drive it is when there is salt on the roads – otherwise it is my daily.
Can’t wait for some better weather to see what the top end rebuild feels like on the road….
I used to live in Vermont, and remember well the Winter Car practice. Good for you driving your good car in all but the worst conditions.
Wow. Loved this conceit! Excellent execution. The ending is almost like “Christine” in reverse.
Thanks! Hadn’t thought of that.
Ah sweet memories! I had a ’64 Wildcat convertible. Loved, loved, loved that car. I had to sell it when I sold my house and lost my garage.
I self stored it, but knowing it would be a while until I would afford another home I sold it to my cousin in CA. He flipped it to a man in Texas. It received good care and his 3 daughters used it for proms, graduations etc. I later bought a red 1968 LeSabre convertible which I instructed my executors etc. is not to be sold while I’m alive. Because if I was alive and I found out they sold it, it would kill me. Please don’t tell Lola (the ’68) about the Cat (the ’64). Lola thinks she’s the only one.
I won’t tell Lola if you don’t. But maybe you’ve just found your project car! Just needs a little TLC…
What a great approach on this car! I loved The Picture of Dorian Wildcat!
I have read the book (actually listened to an audio book) and found it better than the movie. The part where young Dorian cruelly treats the young actress who is in love with him is one of the most cringe-inducing passages ever!
Wonderful article, Jon! Very creative.
I caught the last half of the movie a year or so ago, but didn’t know the setup. Now I do thanks to you. The final scene showed a quote from an author that was compelling enough for me to snap a pic of the TV screen.
I sometimes think our mind and body are involved in the same interplay, the mind gaining knowledge and wisdom at the expense of an aging body..
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You can see a nicely restored Wildcat on the TV show “Key & Peele”.