With the ever-growing popularity of Tri-Five Chevrolets, it is no surprise that potential buyers will be falling over themselves to bid when one hits the market. That is the case with this 1955 Chevrolet 210. It has been parked in a barn since 1969, but when it emerged, what the owner found was a car that needs very few rust repairs. Enthusiasts can also see the potential here because there have already been 35 bids submitted at the time of writing. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, you will find the Chevy listed for sale here on eBay. The bidding action has pushed the price to $8,600, and with the reserve now met, a new home is a few short days away for this classic.
The owner doesn’t offer a lot of good photos in his listing, but the ones that he features tell an important part of this car’s story. It rolled off the production line wearing a combination of Shoreline Beige with an Autumn Bronze top. Of course, it is no surprise that more than 50-years parked in a barn has taken its toll on the paint, but when you look beyond that, things show a lot of promise. I think that there might be a rust hole in the driver’s side quarter panel just in front of the rear wheel arch, but I’m not 100% sure about that. The panels themselves look pretty good, with no appreciable dings or dents. However, the big news is the lack of rust in this classic. As the owner rightly points out, it is rare to find a vehicle of this age with its original paint on the floors. That is what is on offer here, and there isn’t a rust hole to be found anywhere. There is surface corrosion across many parts of the car, but the lack of penetrating rust means that you won’t be paying to send some panel guy’s kids through college! The 210 features tinted glass, and this looks to be in good order. All of the exterior trim is present, and while some pieces look like they would present well with a simple polish, other items will require a trip to the platers.
Lifting the hood brings that moment that will divide opinions amongst our readers. What we find is a 235ci “Blue Flame” six-cylinder engine. If bolted to a manual transmission, this motor would have produced 123hp. This one is hooked to a 2-speed Powerglide, which means that Chevrolet boosted the output to 135hp. That still isn’t a huge amount, and it meant that the trip down the ¼ mile took a fairly leisurely 20.2 seconds. Normally we would have many readers who would immediately advocate for slotting something more potent under the hood, but it is worth pausing for a second. This Chevy may have been sitting since 1969, but that doesn’t mean that it is dead. The owner has been able to coax the six back to life. He doesn’t indicate how healthy either it or the rest of the drivetrain is, but it does open the possibility of returning this numbers-matching classic to its former glory. Sure, it would attract plenty of attention with some slick wheels and a small-block under the hood, but faithfully restored, it would probably grab even more attention. It’s a point to think about, anyway.
Despite what you may think when you look at the photos, this 210’s interior is essentially complete. There are no coverings on the floors and the radio is gone from the dash, but the remaining interior trim and upholstery is all present. Not only that, but the seller indicates that the seats are in nice condition. Of course, one person’s definition of nice can be at odds with another’s, but it does sound promising. Before I spent any money inside the Chevy, I would spend some time removing five decades of accumulated dust and dirt. This could lead to a surprise or two, especially with the remaining upholstery and the plated components. If the buyer is considering a faithful restoration, tackling the interior could prove to be a straightforward, affordable, and rewarding undertaking.
There are still a few days left on the listing for this 1955 Chevrolet 210, and that leads me to believe that the bidding action is a long way from over. It is hard to say what it will go to, but it should easily sail beyond $10,000. That begs the question of what the buyer should do with it once it is tucked safely away in their garage or workshop. If they decide to wander down the path of a custom build with a V8 under the hood, I would understand and respect that choice. For me, it is too solid and too complete for that, and the fact that the original motor runs make it ripe for a faithful restoration. That’s the way that I would go, but that is a matter of personal choice. There are no right or wrong answers in a case like this. I would love to see this car when the work is complete because I’ll be fascinated to see what emerges from the buyer’s fertile mind.
Gone.
Looks like a very nice staring point for a project which has the potential to go any direction. Seems like someone liked what the saw and made an offer the seller couldn’t refuse. For the right car, that’s a smarts strategy.
Steve R
Too bad for the buyer. This car is a rust bucket.
‘very little rust”..if that means very little of the car is eaten away from rust. There are holes erywhere, besides it was taken off the market.
It seems pretty solid to me ,considering its age . Then again, I live on the East Coast and around here a 55 would have probably looked even worse than this by 1965 .
Its a color scheme you dont often see on these and the 6cyl and auto trans would be fine for cruising ; but I fear this will become a bright red fire breathing V8 car in the near future
Amazing – would have even been a heap in ‘69. Who’d keep it
I agree. Local tracks were using also these for stock cars by then , I’m surprised it manage to avoid that fate.
Money pit for a POS six 210. All you can buy is China junk parts unless you pay at Danchuk.
Not related to the current discussion on this car but a note to 55 lovers. My pal had one of these and we nicknamed all our cars; the 55 was called “smooth ride”. The name came from an article in Road and Track about the design of the 55. It said GM put the engineers in a room with a case of beer and kept playing a recording saying “smooth ride” over mag and over. I may have the wrong mag. If one of you know the article and have a source, I’d love to read it again. Another nickname was for a 64 impala – “she’s real fine”.
before the 64 the beach boys called the 62 409 Impala “Real Fine” in the 409 song
We called it she’s real fine as it had a 409 and 4 speed. It was a convertible purchased in that configuration to tow a custom inboard ski boat. It was fun passing others on the long hill on the way to the lake with the top down and pulling the boat.
I owned one much like this in high school except mine was a three speed. I bought it from a friend for. Fifty bucks because his enemies had knocked all the side windows out with grapefruit and it cost more money to replace the windows than the car was worth. I rattled a rod loose trying to race it so me and my buddies pulled that piston and rod out of it and ran it on five cylinders. I eventually busted the crank from all the vibration so on its way to a life on the dirt track it went.
Now on local Craigslist for $12,000.