Can you imagine being a Chevy owner shopping for a new car in late October 1954? Perhaps you hop into your 1952 Bel Air and head down to the dealership for the big unveiling; the glass has been painted and postered up for days, maybe weeks. You’ve been planning to trade in your sedan anyway; maybe the new ’55 will strike your fancy. What do you think when you see it? You might be surprised at first, but only the staunchest traditionalists wouldn’t have warmed to what was probably the most revolutionary Chevy ever sketched under Harley Earl’s watchful eye. There aren’t enough words to be said about the famous ’55s, and even the sedans have long been coveted; over 1.7 million 1955 Chevrolets were sold, and the most popular among them was this Bel Air four-door sedan, with 366,293 finding new homes with new Chevy buyers. Barn Finds reader Zappenduster spotted this one on Marketplace in Sterling, Nebraska; it’s been in the same family for 60 years, and that family is asking $5,000 or best offer.
Aside from the completely new body, Chevy introduced one of the greatest American engines ever built in 1955: the small-block, seen here in its inaugural 265-cubic-inch displacement. The 265 two-barrel had 162 horsepower, dozens more than the still-standard Stovebolt Six, and that number was destined to grow quickly. This car has the optional Powerglide automatic, and while it hasn’t run in years, the engine turns freely. The Bel Air also has optional power brakes.
The interior is…old. While the missing passenger door panel appears to be in the trunk (see picture below), time and mice have definitely had their way with this Chevy. It would be a good candidate for a complete interior removal and a trip to the coin-operated car wash to wash away the remnants of rodents past.
The inside of the trunk and jambs tell us that the Chevy had, at some point, a quickie paint job over the short-lived original color of “Coral.” I’m sure that this wasn’t uncommon; when coral went out of style, it undoubtedly looked extremely dated, and in the days of Earl Scheib paint jobs, why not? With that being said, I wonder how difficult it would be to gently sand through the blue to unmask the original paint. These days, a worn or faded Coral would certainly look better than what’s on there.
That might be the best course of action anyway. I don’t see anyone giving a still-fairly-common sedan a full restoration, but it might be fun to spend some time getting it back on the road and looking presentable. It has a title and if any parts are truly missing, the Tri-Five aftermarket is still active. The seller does come off as a bit standoffish (“Do not waste my time.”), but he does mention that he “will…entertain offers in person.” The body looks very solid, so if you’re in the greater Sterling area, it might be worth a peek. It won’t be as much of a surprise as it must have been to a Chevy shopper back in late 1954, but it might be just as much fun.
If you post a car for sale on Marketplace, you should expect that there will be wasted time.
Between the bots and the flakes and the dreamers and the idiots, you will regret posting it there within the first 10 minutes. Ask me how I know!
Got that right! LOL. The most annoying ones are “Is this still available”?
That automated response is created by FB Marketplace. Lazy people just hit the button without doing research of the prospective item, seemingly not wanting to put forth effort…
I remember as a kid, kitty corner from us lived an ancient couple, who owned a decrepit International pickup and a fly’s butt green ’55 Chevrolet. The old man drove the truck, the wife drove the Chevy. They never bought anything new, keeping those vehicles until they passed in the mid 70s. Coral, as this car once was, was especially attractive when two-toned with black. As for the price of this car, it’s very likely in the “best offer” category and the owner will have to put up with time wasters and looky-loos. Oh, about that couple, they used to have us kids pick dandelions so they could make dandelion wine. And they gave us some..and yours truly enjoyed his first taste of sin!
Had a ‘55, 210, four door six cylinder. White over blue. Got hit from behind on the freeway. Car flipped over and spun in the median. Four of us crawled from the wreckage unharmed. These were sturdy vehicles! Insurance paid $750 for the total out.
Who’s getting the Derek Bieri vibe off this car? A new battery, a can of tru fuel, a bottle of mystery oil and some Vice grip make it shine stuff?
You forgot brakes…”they never have brakes…” LOL!
I’d keep the faded blue, coral is not in my likes corner.
Would be nice to slip a healthy 289 or even a 327 under that hood in place of the 6 with a 4spd behind it. Outside of that getting it road worthy and solid, … about all I’d do. After that drive it and clean/fix as you go.
Nice looking ‘55!
Grew up in Memphis, had an old maid aunt (one of 3 that lived together, all nurses) that bought a new 55, 265/PG/factory air. Very cool car for a 10 year old. Was riding with her and my mother on Audubon Drive headed to her house. Elvis Presley had his first house on Audubon Drive, before he bought Graceland. He was sitting out front on motorcycle talking to a coupe of fans, this was before the Colonel made him quit riding motorcycles. I yelled “There’s Elvis, gimme a pen and a piece of paper, I’ll get his autograph!” Mom complied, and I got out and asked Elvis for an autograph. He refused, said he didn’t do autographs, but he’d give me a ride around the block on his motorcycle. Asked Mom if I could, and she said “No, those things ain’t safe!” She died 55 years ago, and I still haven’t forgiven her!
Oh, man, what a loss. You almost rode with the KING! Being asked, is almost as good.
Lots of work to get this 55’ back on the road! Shame the coral paint is gone, favorite colors that year was the coral/gray combo. Only year the combo was offered.
This was a time of “shock” at new cars — 1955 Especially. I still remember the summer of 1948, when the 1949 Ford appeared… like something from outer space! But 1955 was revolutionary. In the G.M. lineup, Cadillac, Buick, and Oldsmobile, had all put on smart new clothes in 1954, but still looked related to what they had been in 1953. And the 1955 Pontiac, despite the all-new body, still looked like a Pontiac. But the 1955 Chevrolet was a total blast! — most particularly that front end and grille: I LOVED it! And what a disappointment to see Chevy become more “conventional” in the front for ’56. That was a “transition”, I suppose, for what was coming in ’57. But I’ve always had a soft spot for the ’55 Chevy. Seeing one this far decayed reminds me of just how long ago 1955 was, and how old I’ve become. I still see 1955 as the year for fresh new cars that finally departed from the last vertiges of frumpy pre-war lines, and set the standard for what American automobiles would be, until 35 years later. Not so long ago, you couldn’t “touch” a tri-five in ANY condition for this price. But… what goes up must come down, I suppose. And now the cost of a complete restoration has become so prohibitive, that one asks, even at this price, what do you DO with a car such as this? — especially since prime examples appear bound to continue to depreciate in value?
needs some bucks put in it
Actually doesn’t look that bad for the price….wish they’d kept the orginal color….