Chevrolet Roadster convertible 1933 images

In 1933, Chevrolet’s answer to a Depression-era car market was a modest 65-horsepower inline six wrapped in a body that briefly wore the name ‘Eagle.’ The roadster in these photos keeps that silhouette but throws out almost everything else, running a turbocharged Pontiac V6 and a modern automatic instead. Two very different eras of engineering, one recognizable shape.

In 1933, Chevrolet’s answer to a car market fighting through the Depression was a modest inline-six making a claimed 65 horsepower, wrapped in a body that briefly wore the name “Eagle” before Chevrolet settled on something more enduring. Nothing about that original spec sheet suggests speed — a three-speed manual, mechanical brakes, and a top end barely cracking 70 mph on a good day. The roadster in these photos keeps the silhouette but throws out almost everything else, swapping the factory six for a turbocharged Pontiac V6 backed by a modern automatic, built specifically to be driven rather than displayed. What survives from 1933, and what has been quietly reengineered underneath, tells two very different stories about the same car.

What Chevrolet Actually Built in 1933

The car started life as part of Chevrolet's Series CA lineup, badged “Eagle” early in the model year before being renamed “Master” once the cheaper Standard Six joined the range. Power came from a 206-cubic-inch inline six making roughly 65 horsepower, routed through a three-speed manual with synchromesh to four-wheel mechanical brakes. Pricing for the sport roadster started around $485, a genuinely affordable option in the depths of the Depression.

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The Turbocharged Update Hiding Under Vintage Sheet Metal

Everything mechanical in this build has been replaced. In place of the factory six sits a turbocharged Pontiac V6 paired with an automatic transmission, along with the mechanical upgrades needed to make a 90-year-old chassis safe to actually drive on modern roads. It is a resto-mod in the truest sense — keeping the silhouette Chevrolet designed in 1933 while quietly swapping out everything that made the original slow.

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