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.