In retrospect, it's a bit hard to imagine that the designers responsible for creating the various utilitarian vehicles of the 1930s and 1940s known as Carryalls, Suburbans, or even Carryall-Suburbans (and by more than just one manufacturer, to top it all off) would believe their models would eventually become what we all lovingly refer to as sport/utility vehicles. If they were still around today, many might outright question what "sport" had to do with "utility" in the first place. Nevertheless, history has left its path, and what was once considered a work of art on wheels is now the embodiment of the modern mode of transportation-far from the '42 Chevrolet Carryall, which has been compared to a Wurlitzer, not a land-locked UFO like we have nowadays. Thankfully, with people like Southern Californian David Gonzales, those of us who do prefer to admire the true classics still have real points of reference to, well, refer to.
If the name sounds familiar to you, it's probably because David Gonzales last appeared on the pages of CLASSIC TRUCKS with his other extremely rare relic of a Chevy, his '54 Canopy Express, back in the May '08 issue. Ironically, the Canopy Express models were the predecessor of the Carryall-Suburban, which officially made its debut in the Chevrolet lineup in 1937. By the 1940s, the commercial line had fully developed into the Art Deco beauties so many still cherish to this day, but it's also where the production ceased due to wartime commitments. David's '42 is the final "civilian" offering before the Carryalls were produced solely for military use.
David located this particular gem in Florida back in 2001, already restored for the most part, but lacking the collection of accessory items adorning the Chevy today. With a fair amount of time spent gathering the variety of knickknacks (many with considerably hefty price tags these days) and the obligatory adding of the personal touch, David no doubt has yet another Sunday driver keeper in his possession.