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Best Car Deals for April 2025Critics’ Choice: St. Patrick’s Day Parade Car
Obscure classics and crowd pleasers make for perfect St. Patrick’s Day parade cars, so long as they’re green.
At the End of the Rainbow
Even if you’re not Irish and can’t stomach Guinness, Jameson, or James Joyce, there’s one thing most everyone can still enjoy about St. Patrick’s Day and that’s all the cool cars that roll past in your local St. Patrick’s Day parade. Thus inspired, we challenged our writing team to come up with their pick for a St. Patrick’s Day ride. The only stipulation this time around was a green paint job.
Chris Kaiser
Pick:
Short List:
If it wasn’t for the requirement that our parade car be green, my snap choice would have been the DeLorean DMC-12 based solely on the fact that it’s the most famous car ever built in Ireland. But sadly, the DMC-12 came in stainless steel only (unless you were one of the five customers who ordered theirs plated in 24-carat gold, which, come to think of it, would be perfect for St. Patrick’s Day).
Narrowing my scope to just green cars, I found a few parade-worthy options. The first to catch my eye was a 1950/51 Willys Jeepster in dark green. A rare classic car and a convertible seemed like a decent choice. A 1974 Ford Bronco in light green was another option, if perhaps a little too mainstream. The final runner-up as a 2020 McLaren 720S Spider that’s about as loud as it gets, both in terms of its neon green paint job and its raucous twin-turbo V8.
And then I found it, a 1974 Volkswagen Samba replica in two-tone green and white. This example is based off the first-generation Type 2 Volkswagen Samba Van, or Sunroof Deluxe as it was known in the US. The VW bus is about as charming and crowd pleasing as vehicles get. And the generous amount of seating means plenty of room for whomever wants to ride along for the parade.
The Samba was the top-of-the-line model for the Type 2 and came in 23- or 21-window versions, with the 23-window distinguishable from its pair of wraparound windows at the rear. Eight “safari” windows line the roof to provide extra light and visibility. Naturally, the Sunroof Deluxe comes with a large sliding sunroof, flanked front and back by two chrome and wood luggage wracks. The open-air access is perfect for parades, where riders can stand to wave and toss candy to the crowd.
As this is a classic Volkswagen, the engine is in back, a 1500cc inline-four taking the place of the original flat-four. But rear-wheel drive and a four-speed manual keep the driving experience firmly vintage. The interior of the van is finished in beige and white and comes with two bench seats in back. Our favorite touch is the set of curtains that cover all the rear windows, plaid to match your St. Patrick’s Day kilt. The driver and front seat passenger get the added bonus of opening the split windshield for added airflow. We just don’t recommend this if you’re directly following any horses in the parade.
Jesse McGraw
Pick:
1936 Custom Chevrolet Pickup Truck
Short List:
A green classic car is a common trope at small town parades, but it’s kind of basic honestly. Thanks for driving your C1 Corvette through downtown and waving to the kids, but that’s kind of boring. I went out of my way to find something that would be the talk of a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Something you wouldn’t typically spot at your local Cars & Coffee. Something big! In my searches through Carsforsale.com, I think I may have found a listing that’s sure to be a star of the show.
This green 1936 Chevrolet Pickup Truck was custom built to carry more people and more things. It was crafted to be an extended cab, the body was widened, the length was extended, and it has a custom truck bed. It’s massive in comparison to the original model it was derived from. To add to that massive size, a rumbling 502 CID Chevrolet big block V8 crate engine was shoved into the front. That open hot rod hood allows everyone to always see that powerful American made powerplant that features some color matched valve covers.
Inside, the green theme continues with a color matched paint and light green upholstery. There’s seating for two comfortably up front and then a long rear bench seat that could hold what looks like four to five passengers. The highlight inside is the nice-looking mahogany wood steering wheel, otherwise the Interior amenities are a little lacking. Passengers get to work with just two air vents at the front and a CB radio. But there’s more than enough space to work with to outfit this thing with a full audio system and exterior speakers for a St. Patrick’s Day parade.
Now as far as a parade setting, this old Chevy truck has more than enough room for a horde of Leprechauns. That enlarged truck bed can carry a small local cover band through the streets with ease and those long side steps can hold a handful of people along the sides to throw out candy. The only thing I can’t quite justify with this perfect St. Patrick’s Day car is the price. $125,000 is a little steep for a restomod build, but there really is nothing else like this Chevy.
Jesse Batson
Pick:
Short List:
There are so many cars to choose from for this challenge! My choice for a St. Patrick’s Day parade car has to be green. That’s a given. But how do I narrow it down from there? As much as I wanted to choose a sharp looking bright green 1975 Chevrolet Corvette with a tan interior, or a lime green 2020 Ford Mustang GT with a black stripe (both of which are available on Carsforsale.com), I couldn’t. I also thought about a green 1978 MINI Cooper with yellow stripes down the center of the car and up the driver and passenger side doors. There were so many fun, cool, and interesting choices to sort through, but the car I settled on is a 1941 Ford Deluxe.
First, the color is just right. It’s not too dark. It’s not olive or chartreuse. This Ford Deluxe is a cheerful green, and the metallic trimmings and moldings are even more aesthetically pleasing. The little touch of green around the edge of the hubcaps is a nice touch, too. There’s some noticeable exterior detailing to be done on this vehicle, but that’s OK. It just needs a little tender loving care. I’d say it’s still almost parade-ready.
The 1941 Ford Deluxe (originally stylized as ‘De Luxe’) came in several different body styles, including: a two-door coupe, a two-door convertible, a two-door pickup truck, a two-door sedan, a four-door sedan, and a four-door station wagon. This 1941 Ford Deluxe is a two-door sedan. The robust frame, three-part front grille, and round corners make it a fun St. Patty’s vehicle.
I can picture the mayor of a small town, dressed in a derby hat and green tartan vest, waving out of the driver’s side window as he moves this 1941 Deluxe down the main drag. A flathead Ford V8 underneath the hood is sure to make some noise that can accompany any music, bagpipes, or hollering from the crowd of onlookers. An automatic transmission has already been placed in it. I see definite parade potential with this vehicle.
Stylish on the outside and spacious on the inside, Ford marketed the 1941 Ford Deluxe as “soft, easy, comfortable and luxurious.” It worked, too. Overall Ford sales went up by 150,000 units from the 1940 models. In their advertisements, Ford boasted about wide steel doors, multi-unit fenders, and streamlined running boards on the 1941 Deluxe. The length of the car measured 194.3 inches, more than six inches longer than 1940 models. Its wheelbase grew from 112 inches to 114 inches. Weight increased by an average of 150 lbs. Four people fit in the larger, newer 1941 Ford Deluxe.
The driver of this particular version is seated on two-toned leather upholstery, resting his or her hand on a tan steering wheel, and looking at a green and chrome dash. Orange wouldn’t be my choice for a floorboard color, but it is kind of fitting for a day honoring the patron saint of Ireland. The skull-shaped shift knob adds a little attitude as the driver is strolling along, too. The lining in the back of this vehicle also needs some fixing, but that is doable for someone with experience restoring cars.
Like I said earlier, there are so many green cars to choose from. If that’s pretty much the only guideline for choosing a car, someone can have a lot of fun looking at all the options! There’s a different kind of excitement that comes with the challenge of a partial fixer-upper though. Whether it’s a house project, old electronics that need refurbishing, or a car that needs a little bit of work, the satisfaction of completing that task can’t be beat. A lot of cars could fit in very well at a St. Patrick’s Day parade, but if this 1941 Ford Deluxe sedan was polished, primed, and primped, it could steal the show.
