As many readers of the Chris Craft Commander Forum, Inc., know, the fiberglass Chris Craft Commander line was launched at the 1964 New York Boat Show, when the very first public glimpse of the new 38' Commander was unvieled. It was designed, constructed, and shipped in secret. The unveiling of this boat sent a shock wave thorough the boating industry and the reverberations are still being felt 43 years later.
The new boat had all of the coolest styling ques of the era, partically from Detroit, partially from Chris Craft historical precedance, and it was a looker. It was also a performer too, with the top power option of the day being the 430 big block Lincolns (as tested in this report) with lots of torque and a horsepower rating of 275.
The cover photo of this great water-test article, shows a Lincoln-powered 38 Commander being driven at full speed into a cresting wave. What a PHOTO, and what fun that must have been to be on board or on the photo boat!!!
This article represents one of the first, or perhaps "the" first published impression of the new fiberglass Chris Craft muscle-cruiser that resurrected the Commander name.
Enjoy !
Paul
See next post for continuation of the article.
Regards, Paul