Vehicle Description
1955 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-Door Hardtop
Among other claims to fame, a '55 Chevy appeared prominently in
American Graffiti and Two Lane Blacktop. As it turns out, Harrison
Ford's character in American Graffiti used the same car from Two
Lane Blacktop, only it was painted gloss black. Then later, the
main on camera car was restored with the help of the original
builder, brought back to primer and sold at Barrett-Jackson in 2015
for $159,500, but not before James Taylor got to see it in Jay
Leno's garage. Meanwhile, when new, the 1955 Bel Air cost about
$2,200.
For consignment, a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-door hardtop with a
title-verified 77,584 actual miles, dressed in a stunningly classic
color combination, and ready for the next caretaker to jump into
the Tri-Five pool with both feet!
Exterior
Two stage Gypsy Red paint glistens up to the point it gives way to
the gorgeous Shoreline Beige rear fender and roof. Framed by the
jet-age trim piece on the rear quarter panel, the two colors
complement each other and represent a stylistic trend not seen
since. The use of metal trim work on this car is quite a work of
art, from the piece that hugs the front wheel opening and flows
back on the rocker panel, to the front spear that offsets the rear
jet, the tapering C-pillar in polished metal, the grille, bumpers,
and of course, the now iconic hood ornament, part eagle, part jet,
all spectacular on this car. Chevrolet hubcaps are on the color
keyed steel wheels which are wrapped wide white walls. Search as we
might, we did not find any glaring imperfections in the paint,
glass, panel gaps, or brightwork.
Interior
Red and beige makes its way to the inside of the car where two tone
door panels show a little bit of discoloration or dirt and a nasty
scratch in the painted header of the driver's door. Slight usage is
apparent on the driver's side of the split bench seat which is
topped in red vinyl over beige cloth and a robust red shell, all
intact and in very good condition. Same configuration on the rear
bench which, along with the sculpted side walls, appears to be in
top condition. A shiny red steering wheel has a shiny metal horn
ring, and it shares the bright red column with the black handled
shifter. The bowtie stamped dash and wedge shaped speedometer look
amazing and the paint of the lower dash looks like it's been
polished and waxed along with the car. Our consignor states the AM
radio is original and still works and of course, we'll test that on
the drive, but it looks right at home in the center of the dash.
The passenger gets a wedge of their own on the dash which has Bel
Air in script and sits above an analog clock. Smooth and fitted
bright red cloth mats cover the floor along with floor mats and
from stem to stern, it all looks fantastic. Shiny metal braces
support the beige headliner and are clean while the trunk brings in
the exterior beige paint cleanly and a fitted rubber mat blankets
the truck floor.
Drivetrain
Under the hood is a show worthy 265ci V8 rated at 162 horsepower
and supplied fuel by a 2-barrel carburetor. The transmission on
hand is the TH350 3-speed automatic which eventually connects to
3.36 gears in the back. Power steering is on board and drum brakes
are on all four wheels.
Undercarriage
More show worthiness underneath as it's pretty darn clean! There's
no surface rust to speak of and only a drop of oil on the pan. The
newer dual exhaust flows into a pair of Magnaflow mufflers and then
black pipes carry the fuel byproduct to chrome tips that exit under
the rear bumper without a lot of pomp and are not really visible to
onlookers. Coil springs up front, leaf springs in the back, just
like Grandpa's car!
Drive-Ability
There's something ultimately patriotic about a Tri-Five, especially
one with the classic two tone pattern. As such, it's a joy and
honor to drive these and this one performed just about flawlessly
on the test loop. No complaints and no reports of malfunctions.
Just a clean, well running representative of America during the
time Rock 'n Roll was about to be hatched. While Classic Auto Mall
represents that these functions were working at the time of our
test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at
the time of your purchase.
Runs good, looks good, iconic model and color combo. If you're
shopping at Classic Auto Mall for a Tri-Five why wouldn't you, put
this one on your checklist. Or start your Tri-Five collection
today, appropriately with the first year of the run!
VC55K034692
V-V8
C-2400 Series
55-1955
K-Kansas City, MO Assy Plant
034692-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
STYLE NO 55 1037D-1955 Bel Air 2 Door Hardtop
BODY NO K1215-Kansas City Body #
TRIM NO 521-Beige & Red Cloth & Vinyl
PAINT NO 615-Shoreline Beige & Gypsy Red
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in
person.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
