Stored 60 Years: 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Barn Find
Most lists of top classic cars probably include the “Tri-Five” Chevrolets from 1955 to 1957. Besides being winners from a styling point of view, they heralded Chevy’s first V8 engine since 1918. The Bel Air was the top series and the 2-door Sport Coupe like the seller’s edition saw 190,000 copies assembled in ’55 alone. This Chevy belonged to the seller’s father who was its second owner, and the car has been in isolation for six decades. Needing a restoration, this Bowtie is available here on Facebook Marketplace and in Twin Falls, Idaho for $55,000 (no, I didn’t slip up and in too many zeros).
Some Chevrolet plants were likely working overtime as nearly five million 150s, 210s, and Bel Airs rolled down the line in ’55-57. Many of the ultimate buyers probably ordered the new 265 cubic inch V8 engine which was often paired with a 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission. That’s how this Bel Air was put together, so it may have been close to “top-of-the-line” in its day. The first owner of this Chevrolet only kept it for three or four years before passing it along to the seller’s father who drove it into the mid-1960s.
For reasons unclosed, this Bel Air was parked at 75,000 miles around 1965. And it’s been idle ever since with no mention of any attempts to get it back on the road. The way the seller’s listing and pricing are worded, you’d think this is a restored or highly functional original. But it’s not and a restoration is going to be in this car’s future. When the vehicle was built, it was painted yellow, but the seller’s father had it repainted in some shade of green.
We’re told the interior is nearly perfect, but we question the choice of green paint when the seating appears to be done up in turquoise or blue. Fortunately, the car’s isolation has kept the body solid and rust-free. With restorations costing what they do these days, this could be a very expensive project at the seller’s asking price. The recently exploding resale values of vintage cars have prompted the seller to shoot for the moon.
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Comments
Ree diculous price.
Reminds me of the Simpsons episode. “The sentimental value is through the roof!”
Sounds like one of “Howards stories” a brewin’,,I’ll be brief, but what do you think the story was here? Obviously, this car was known about all those years, yet the old man held fast. I bet the dad became unable to drive, and refused to have one of the most popular cars to hot rod, turned into that. The family knew it, so let’s say he was 30 in 1965( 23 when he got the car in 1958) when something happened, and could have easily made it to his 90s. That’s when the kid, who saw dollar signs all along, went into action. We all know the kid is a bit optimistic, and appears to have done nothing to the car, newsflash, junior, it’s not that easy.
Howard, Junior thinks he has a fool-proof “get-rich-quick’ scheme, and is going to find a chump for $55 large. The rest of us with common sense know better. He’s just dumb enough to ‘come down to’ maybe $50K or so, but he’ll only get laughed at. Not willing to settle for a realistic figure, the for sale ad will be terminated and that will be that. Seen it before; “If I can’t get my figure for it, I’ll just sit on it awhile longer!” Unfortunately Howard, they’re born every day.
The ad reads like a dealer wrote it?? But the ad talks about “my dad”, surely Junior isn’t a dealer, unless he is one of those who doesn’t really want (need) to sell something, so he asks x times its market value? Howard, in your saga, how old is Junior today?
In 1965 this was a ten year old used car, also cars at that time usually didn’t even last much beyond that. It was a pretty much valueless car if it didn’t run. Must have had a farm or something with available shed space. I’m quite surprised this wasn’t sold in the 70s, Tri-Five cars by then were making a comeback. Why didn’t dear old dad sell at some point? Love for the car? I doubt that, he would have fixed her up. Gonna fix her someday syndrome? Maybe. My bet is just plain stubbornness.
At that price and those lazy photos, all I can say is, “good luck Buddy”
I agree. For that price more detailed pictures are needed!!
While I like the 55 Chevys,( the first car I ever bought myself was a 55 Belair like this). This is a pie in the sky asking price. There was one for sale near me a couple months ago for $45k and you could literally eat off every surface. It had a small block 400 with a 350 turbo hydromatic. Power steering and vintage air. I agree it’s only original once and that has some value, this price is astronomical.
60 years ago the owner dropped the car off at Earl Scheibs, asking to have
it painted a light turquoise to match the interior. This was the result. He took
it home and parked it in the garage, never to to be seen on the street again…
I’ve got 55 k to spend on car(s)
Nice 57 Chevy on C’list for 21.5
05 Pontiac GTO, low miles 18.5
40 grand spent, and my Hagerty insurance and cost of ownership is paid for probably the next
8-10 years…
This is sad. I assume it doesn’t run to get it outside and wash it or there is a water shortage there?🤨
The car is unrealistically overpriced. So far the most of the comments have taken the most negative interpretation possible. Another possible and I think a more realistic take is the seller knows nothing about cars and their value. They’ve done some research online, which typically shows prime examples with expensive price tags. All the seller knows is their father “loved” it and has low mileage, they don’t have any idea how condition effects price, nor how to determine condition. If they reached out for help figuring value, what are the odds the actually spoke to anyone that knows value. They might have found an expert that watched a few 55’s sell at Mecum or Barrett-Jackson for six figures so theirs must be worth $55k.
For anyone that’s ever knock on a door or was put in contact with a family member clearing an estate knows, most initial prices quoted are not anchored in reality. Eventually most sellers will find someone that can actually walk them through the process of figuring out a more reasonable value or time teaches them that lesson.
Steve R