Corky Coker found this very rare early V8 Chevrolet chassis and early 1950s runabout in North Alabama. Finding them was the first challenge, now getting them out of the basement of this old Chevrolet dealership is the issue.

Chevrolet's first attempt at building a V8 in 1917 and 1918 put a watercooled overhead valve V8 on the road nearly 40 years before the introduction of the legendary small block V8. The engine feature exposed valve train components protected by a simple metal shield. The engine cranked out a groundpounding 36 horsepower. The Series D Chevrolet that the engine was equipped in was a slow seller in showrooms and quickly went out of production. This very rare example of a complete Series D chassis was used as a showroom display at the now closed Word Chevrolet in Scottsboro, Alabama for many years before going into basement storage as seen here.

The Century Boat Company was started in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1926 and was a leading builder of racing boats in the United States. The company also built thousands of vessels for the US Navy during World War II, but it was recreational runabouts and the larger cruisers that have been the mainstay of the company ever since. The Century brand has changed hands many time throughout the years, most recently being purchased back from Yamaha and based in Dade, City Florida in the United States. This early 1950s boat was purchased new in 1953 by Jake Word and was enjoyed for over a decade before maintenance forced the boat off the water into the basement storage. The boat still bears it's most recent permit on the bow issued in 1962. This 19 foot runabout (likely a 'Resorter' model) is a classic wood boat with a Continental sixcylinder engine that produces 125 horsepower.

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