Carl and Bonnie Fry's cars couldn't be much different if they tried. The big red '65 Buick Riviera was the first car they bought after they were married back in 1966; the little two-tone pink '59 Nash Metro was purchased just last month but already commands a spot of honor in their garage.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The 1965 Riviera is sleek and powerful, seeming to be accelerating forward even sitting still. The 1959 Metro, on the other hand, simply could not be cuter.
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Hot pink and pink give the little Metro amazing eye appeal. "You don't see many men driving a car like this," quips owner Bonnie Fry.
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From behind, the miniature continental kit actually contains a spare tire. The '59 Metro was the first to feature a functioning trunk; earlier models required accessing the cargo area through the back seat.
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Genuine Nash fog lights mount to the front end of the tiny car. Carl Fry says he's not sure the generator could keep up with the power demands if the lights were actually switched on.
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Named "Pinky" by its previous owner, the Metro naturally carries a pink flamingo theme throughout.
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Another period-correct Nash accessory is the "flying lady" hood emblem, with the figure incorporated into a swept-back wing design.
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Wide whitewalls, bright red wheels with Metro logo hubcaps are all accented by beautifully rendered red pinstriping over the pink lower body panels.
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Another Metro logo finishes off the full-length red pinstripe down the side of the two-tone car.
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The instrument bezel, known as a "mono-pod" contains an optimistic 80 mph speedometer and a few warning lights. The radio is equipped with pink dials, while the turn signals are activated by the switch atop the 2-spoke steering wheel. Note the yellow stick-on notes from the previous owner to explain various switch functions.
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The ribbed upper door panel mounts a hard-to-find original Nash rear view mirror, complete with a visored "eyelid."
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The top-of-the-line bench seat (with latching mechanism for the back rest) is covered in gray tweed material. Shoulder harnesses were added for safety.
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The Metro was delivered with everything the Frys would need to show the car, including this wicker basket filled with glassware decorated with pink flamingos.
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The heart of the beast is this 52-horsepower Austin 4-cylinder engine. Both Nash and Hudson, working with Kelvinator (the refrigerator company) contracted with English automaker Austin to build Metros and export them to the United States.
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The Riviera is nearly stock, with only subtle upgrades applied during a year-long frame-off restoration. Ironically, it replaced a fuel-injected '57 Chevy hardtop as a boat-towing vehicle because it had more heft and better brakes.
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The rear view of the Riviera shows clean, creased fender caps, with taillights incorporated into the wrap-around rear bumper.
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Stock Buick mag-style wheels mount 245x15 Goodrich tires inside the artfully flared rear wheel wells.
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There isn't much that even comes close to the '65 Riviera's front end styling, with its forward-canted egg-crate grille and ribbed vertical headlight covers.
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A massive flight-deck styled instrument panel, flowing into a wood-grained center console is filled with all the necessary gauges and controls. A closer look reveals the ribbed chrome tilt steering column.
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Fry's Riviera features the "standard" interior, with Chevy-style bucket seats and armrests. The back seats replicate the front buckets and are separated by a center radio speaker grille.
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The engine bay of the Riviera is one place where Carl Fry stepped things up from stock: twin 4-barrel Carter AFB carbs with custom matched K&N air cleaners, chromed valve covers and custom-machined caps for the power steering and master cylinder reservoirs, along with an MSD ignition add sparkle and utility.
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Bonnie Fry at the wheel of her "new" 1959 Nash Metropolitan.
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Carl Fry / Courtesy