The luxury edition of Nissan is Infiniti and Toyota is Lexus, but the luxury Chevette/Leata never took off despite being advertised as a hand-built, handcrafted automobile.

Despite those claims, it was really not much more than a $6,000-$8,000 dressed-up 1977 Chevrolet Chevette. By dressed-up, I mean it had power windows, a power driver’s seat and cruise control.

The price seemed a little over the top when you could buy a base model Chevette for $3,200.

The Leata was built by the Stinebaugh Manufacturing Company and named after Donald Stinebaugh’s wife Hilda, whose nickname was Leata. The correct pronunciation is LEE-tah and not as expected Lee-AH-tah. I hope she had a more voluptuous shape than the pictured disaster!

Stinebaugh’s first try at building his own car was in 1975. Of the 22 examples built during that year (17 coupes, one convertible, three trucks and a single sedan), only seven are known to have survived until today.

Stinebaugh made another try in 1977, with the new model being touted as the finest and most beautiful car ever built in Post Falls, Idaho. (Perhaps a more accurate claim would be the “ONLY” car built in Post Falls!)

The total production of all Leata automobiles amounted to 97 units. Thank goodness approximately only 75 Cabaleros were ever built!

I know the owner of the pictured vehicle, Myron Vernis, personally — a man who has a passion for obscure and rare vehicles and will not be angry with me over my harsh comments about the Leata.

After all, he took top honours at the inaugural MotorCity Concours d’LeMons this summer, taking home the coveted Worst-of-Show award and was very happy.

He certainly knows how to be serious — he is a respected judge at concours cars events all over the United States, but also knows how to have fun and is a regular entrant at the Concours d’LeMons. Visit concoursdlemons.com to check it out.

The luxury Cabalero model looks like the front of a 1974 Monte Carlo mated to a Dodge Aspen with a Chevrolet Impala. If the company had survived one more year, they would have had access to the four-door Chevette and perhaps could have built a limousine.

A few Leata Cabalero pickups were also produced. One was advertised on eBay with a buy-it-now price of $8,000, nine months after it was bought by an optimistic flipper at the 2011 Scottsdale Barrett-Jackson auction.

Nigel Matthews is the director of sales and marketing for Hagerty Canada, LLC — Hagerty is the world’s largest specialist provider of collector car insurance and provides many resources that support the classic car lifestyle. Contact him at nmatthews@hagerty.com or visit hagerty.ca.