Dont you hate when people hack up rare cars?

Status
Not open for further replies.

ck80

Moderator
Moderator
Supporting Member
Feb 18, 2014
5,742
9,114
113
So, I found a 1984 somerset regal tonight, for sale no less.

Unfortunately, the guy who had it tore up many of the harder to find stuff because he "wanted the blackout look like a gn"...

Most could be scrounged up with enough time and effort, but, the somerset fender emblems he scraped off and sounds like threw away could be a tough item.

There was a pic when he just started in on it and only had the emblems off. Notice the specific wheels and d84 brown paint.

116335633_169099541345290_9139856748046581310_o.jpg


The interiors came with bronze brushed trim on the dash plastic and door panel inlays, think the silver they used in 1987 but bronzed instead. That was specific only on 1984 somersets. The seats were brown with tan piping, the piping also being unique to that year.

116858288_169099654678612_6489525045811693698_o.jpg


Since then he sold the header panel, removed the cornering lamps/wiring, removed the chrome, sold the taillights and bumpers.

116427233_169099574678620_5804425258127199938_o.jpg


116908701_169099604678617_6010852411620275043_o.jpg


116437240_169099698011941_1219448097861333354_o.jpg


Engine is now a sbc that blown/seized.

114198037_169099628011948_2762490739057955750_o.jpg


Not sure if all the unique trim is left on the interior. The missing pieces on the wheels could come off other years. Cornering lamps, same deal. Needs lots of love though, and likely far more than it'd be worth on the other side of doing anything with it.

Still, thought I'd share since sometimes people wonder about somersets. I'd seen an equally trashed 1980 a couple weeks back but didn't think to save pics....
 

kornball426

Royal Smart Person
May 29, 2009
1,439
286
83
Philadelphia, PA.
To be honest I've never even heard of a regal "somerset". Was it just an appearance package?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

565bbchevy

Geezer
Aug 8, 2011
9,591
12,612
113
Michigan
My second Gbody was an 81' Regal, I don't know how rare it was with it's two tone gold and brown paint and matching interior and it also came with gold turbine wheels but I was young and on a budget but wanted what I thought was a cool car that was fast, the first thing I did was black out the chrome and buy rims and tires and next was a V6 to 406 SBC swap.
Even though I have my Monte that car is the main reason I built my current Regal.
hpqscan0001.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4 users

ck80

Moderator
Moderator
Supporting Member
Feb 18, 2014
5,742
9,114
113
To be honest I've never even heard of a regal "somerset". Was it just an appearance package?

More or less. It was supposed to be the highest limited edition paint/trim above and beyond the regal limited. In the earliest year cars the seats themselves were blue and tan tutoned, as well as the paint. Then for a while they made the Somerset II after the 81 redesign which had tan interior with dark brown carpet accents and piping... then eventually it went back to just called somerset before gm dropped it as a gbody top trim level and shifted the nameplate to the downsized fwd car they built side by side with the g regals until phaseout of the rwd platform.

I know they had them 80-82, and of course like this 84, but haven't seen one from 83. They used a D84 paint scheme, although, you also could just order d84 paint on a plain regal. Difference was it usually offered a color combo not otherwise available from the factory - in the case of some years taking riviera paint colors and putting them om the regals. They also, of course, had the badge on the fender, another replacing the std regal crest on the sailpanel, and a unique hood ornament. Of the half dozen if seen through the years every one had cornering lamps and the lower door panel courtesy lights when you opened it, although, could be dealers loaded them up for sale.

It was a factory option, not one of those local/regional packages that were often dealer backed.

80 was tan paint with blue sport upper paint and tutoned interior.

81 was a brown/gold paint with tan interior seats dk brown accents piping carpet etc. Called somerset II

82 was tan paint top/lower with dk blue tutone, and back to tutoned seats, back to plain somerset.

84 was as pictured, dk brown upper/lower with the tan middle, dark brown seats with tan piping, woodgrain trim replaced with brushed bronze.

20 years ago they were uncommon. Now they're so rare most people don't know that they had their own magazine ads, and gm/dealers listed it as a separate trim level: regal, regal limited, regal somerset, then either your sportcoupe/ttype of the year, and if applicable grand national.

Rare enough that of a couple hundred cars I chopped for parts that included a sandstone 83 H/O and somewhere around 6 or 8 87 442s (I'd have to go count) I never did one of those. Still see them time to time though.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

ck80

Moderator
Moderator
Supporting Member
Feb 18, 2014
5,742
9,114
113
Surprised the AC lines were still there....
me too, at first. But then it looks like the ac bracket it there and someone just stole the compressor out of it.

I almost want to buy it just to get the interior and wheels and scrap the rest, but, it's 5 hours away and still $1500. With all the missing stuff it's more like a 5 or 700 car. Too much work, too much missing to be worth restoring to me I think. Trying to think with the pocketbook for once.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

69hurstolds

Geezer
Supporting Member
Jan 2, 2006
8,088
17,308
113
It used to bother me to see people take rare cars and hack them up and permanently deface them forever, but then you find there's always bigger problems in life to worry about. And you can't save the dummies from themselves. If I have no $$ invested in such vehicle, I have no say in the final product. Sometimes that's a good thing, though. Cars are indeed like art. And the beauty is in the eye of the owner. But just like all art, I don't have to like what the artist does to their canvas.

Somersets are rare. I've only seen one in my life. Maybe more, I just didn't really notice the others. It was back in 1981 or thereabouts since I hadn't ordered my 82 Z28 at that point. I'm pretty sure it was tan/dark brown top section but the thing I most remember about it was the blue/buckskin colored seats that sorta reminded me of The Rolling Stone's lips logo, and it had the luxury trunk carpet mat that covered the wheel wells and everything. Weird. It had a V6 and I was immediately like, nope, moving on...

Back in the 80s, G-bodies were EVERYWHERE. I know it sounds strange, but many of them were just considered A to B vehicles. If it wasn't flashy, it didn't get much notice.

Rare does not always make things popular or desirable. Even when kept in nice condition (for whatever reason). Case in point:

Yugo.jpg


For those wondering WTF? It's a 1988 Yugo. Rare? Yes. Desirable? Aw, hell no. Not even when they were new. I'd rather have the Cutlass Supreme in the background.
 
  • Agree
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users

UNGN

Comic Book Super Hero
Sep 6, 2016
3,048
3,264
113
Southlake, TX
A friend of mine in in Greenville, SC had 2 Yugos he bought new. I'm like WTF? Why would anyone need 2 Yugo's.

He was a mobile HVAC mechanic and drove everywhere. The first one he bought for $3600, put 50K miles on it the first two years, Drove by the dealer saw there was still one on the lot unsold, bought that one too for $2,500 - new. in 1988. He had 100K miles on each and his cost per mile was about nothing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

motorheadmike

Geezer
Nov 18, 2009
8,976
27,522
113
Saskatchewan, Truckistan
LOL - don't ever look into my history. You may not want to see what cannot be unseen.

 
  • Haha
Reactions: 5 users
Status
Not open for further replies.

GBodyForum is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon, the Amazon logo, AmazonSupply, and the AmazonSupply logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Please support GBodyForum Sponsors

Classic Truck Consoles Dixie Restoration Depot UMI Performance

Contact [email protected] for info on becoming a sponsor