NUT-AND-BOLT RESTO, NO EXPENSE SPARED, BACK-TO-STOCK, 283 V8, POWERGLIDE, A++!

The backbone of the old car hobby is nostalgia, and who among us doesn't long for the pastel days of the 1950s? This 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible had a spectacular and expensive restoration about seven years ago, and the result is a very attractive and very road-worthy ragtop that hits all the right buttons.The car's original color code 604 is Neptune Green and Seamist Green, so that's how it was restored. The car was fully restored in 2009 using as many OEM and NOS parts as possible and since then it's been used only sparingly. Finish quality is extremely good, probably better than new, and thanks to hours and hours spent blocking, sanding, and aligning the sheetmetal, it looks ready to show. This was definitely not some home restoration project, but rather an expensive undertaking using professional shops, and it shows in the brilliant final finish. The surface is glossy and smooth, and despite being driven enough to work out all the bugs, the car looks amazingly fresh. Most of the chrome and stainless trim was replaced when the car was reassembled, but things like the door handles and fender spears were borrowed from that donor car to keep it looking authentic. It also wears an accessory continental kit and fender skirts, both of which make it look far more upscale than a mere Chevrolet. This is a seriously nice car.The two tone green interior was also restored to match and like the exterior, the workmanship is impressive. Correct seat covers, reproduction door panels, new carpets, and just about everything else remains in first-class condition. The beautifully restored steering wheel highlights a very correct interior, and details like the bright metal instrument panel and restored gauge cluster make it a delight to sit in the driver's seat. An accessory tissue dispenser lives under the dash and the original AM radio still plays loud and clear. There's a white power convertible top overhead and it stows beneath a matching green boot to give the car a clean look, top up or top down. The trunk was also nicely detailed with a correct rubber mat and correct jack assembly, although you'll note there's no spare because it's in the continental kit, as intended.The engine is a nicely detailed 283 cubic inch V8 that looks like it was born there. We're not sure whether this is the original engine, but it starts and runs like it's new. From the oil bath air cleaner to the accessory oil filter (yes, they were optional in 1955) it looks the way it would have on the showroom floor. A generator still makes the electricity and it was all detailed to a very high standard before being reassembled. Chevy Orange paint, a single master cylinder, and even stock exhaust manifolds make it look very authentic. The transmission is a 2-speed PowerGlide automatic and it, too, was completely rebuilt before going into the ragtop's ultra-clean chassis. It does show a few signs of use underneath, but you can't blame a guy for driving his dream, and all of the mechanical parts remain in top-notch condition, so it rides and drives like new. Proper color-matched wheels and hubcaps are protected by a set of bright bias-ply wide whites, which ride great and look right.This is a very high-quality 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible that's in exactly the right condition to drive and enjoy, and perhaps even relive your youth a little bit. Call today!