The thought of a classic car not seeing daylight for 31-years is a pretty sad idea, but that’s been part of the story for this 1955 Bel Air. The current owner purchased it as a project, but the project has stalled. The owner then listed it for sale, but the winning bidder failed to pay, so this car can’t seem to take a trick. Maybe its luck will be better with the next owner, who can find the Bel Air listed for sale here on eBay. The car is located in Superior, Wisconsin, and the bidding has reached $7,300 with the reserve now met.

If you are on the hunt for a ’55 Bel Air project car, then you really need to take a long, hard look at this one. There are a number of photos of the underside of the vehicle, and while there is a pretty consistent coating of surface corrosion under there, it looks like it is free of any rot. Similarly, the rest of the body is showing a lot of promise. All of those usual areas designed to give you heartburn such as the rockers, lower quarters, and headlight eyebrows look to be really good. There are a few minor trim pieces missing, but these should be fairly easy to replace.

The owner has given the Bel Air a bit of a heart transplant, dropping the 283ci V8 and 3-speed automatic transmission out of his Nomad project car into the Bel Air. The motor ran fine when it was in the Nomad, so hopefully, it will do the same in its new home. The owner also says that there’s a fair old pile of parts in the trunk of the Bel Air, and this includes the car’s original Powerglide transmission.

The owner refers to the interior as being “old-school,” and that’s as good a description as any. It isn’t the most attractive look on the planet, but it appears to be complete and serviceable. There’s little doubt that the new owner will make some changes, either a few, or there will be wholesale changes. The vinyl covers on the front seats and rear seats don’t match, and none of that vinyl is the same as the rest of the trim. So I can see a trip to the nearest rubbish skip somewhere in the future for all of that vinyl.

When I look at some of the cars that I write about, I spend some time just shaking my head. It’s hard to see how a classic like this Bel Air can spend decades locked away in the dark. However, these things do happen, and if that hadn’t been the fate of this car, who knows where it might be today. I tend to think that the Bel Air is headed towards a long and pretty happy future, and I would personally love to see it when the new owner completes this project. For me the big question will be whether that person will be one of our Barn Finds readers.