You've seen Brent Jarvis' work on the cover of Hot Rod, Popular
Hotrodding, Super Chevy, and Chevy High Performance (to name a
few). This smooth '55 is no different than anything else
Performance Restorations built over the years, visually stunning,
custom craftsmanship and engineered to perform on the street.
"Performance Restoration went full-tilt on the envelope, from the
airbrushed '56 side moldings to the candy, pearl, and pixie dust in
the paint. Briefly, Performance rubbed the body smooth, shaved the
door handles, flush-mounted the front turn signals using a '57
backup lights, removed all side molding, reworked the hood so that
it opens back to front, installed a billet grille and custom
taillights, reshaped the bumpers for tighter fit, smoothed the
firewall and transmission tunnel, incorporated a gas-fill similar
to the '56 Chevy (hidden behind taillight), and hand built inner
fenders and custom radiator shroud. Performance Restoration owner
Brent Jarvis applied the custom mixed candy orange and pearls with
pewter. All and all, a pyrotechnic display not easily dismissed
from memory." ~Chevy High Performance
There are many shops that can build a pretty car, but very few pay
off in the performance department. This Pro-Touring "Sled" gets the
lead out- courtesy of a hand-built, balanced, and blueprinted ZZ502
V8, Hilborn Fuel Injected and fully polished, right up the to the
tips of the velocity stacks. Nearly 500hp and 500 pound-feet of
torque, this '55 is more Cruise Missile than cruise night queen. Of
course, power is nothing without control. A modern Roadster Shop
Chassis is fitted with Heidts' Superide front and rear suspension
modules, 9-inch axle is supported by a triangulated four-link and
QA-1 Coilovers on all four corners.
And with so much "Go", there also must be an equal amount of
"Stop". That job is handled easily by Wilwood six-piston calipers
on 14-inch rotors at all points. Monstrous Mickey Sportsman S/R
tires set the tone. The stance killer stance is pulled through,
from front to back. Up front, the Budnik Tiller 5 rims measure out
at 18x9, shod in 26x10R meats. The back hides are 29x15R20LTs,
wrapped around 14-inch-wide Budnik's out back.
The cabin of this cruise missile has more in common with a Lear Jet
than a 60-year-old car. The hand-stitched, glove leather interior
features reclining front and rear reclining bucket seats, divided
by a flow-through waterfall console. In addition to the seating and
console, custom components extend to the door panels, headliner,
and a big, clean trunk with minimal adornment. The overall effect
is detailed, yet clean; all at once it is both custom and timeless.
Driver comfort is ensured by Vintage Air HVAC. The Pioneer
audiophile system features hidden speakers and amps. Classic
Instruments also recreated one-off custom gauge set, complete with
shift indicator/quadrant, custom air/fuel mixture meter, as well as
a custom clock. It is the perfect balance vintage analog design and
modern convenience of the digital age.
If you are looking for form AND function, one-off customizations
and real world performance and reliability, then this I the '55
Chevy rocket ship for you.