General Information
The 1955-57 Chevrolet Bel Airs, often collectively referred to as the ‘tri-five’ Chevys, have been hugely popular with car enthusiasts for decades. Restorers and customizers alike adore them, with the result that the collector car world is populated with 1955, 1956, and 1957 Chevrolets that range from meticulously researched, factory-accurate restorations to wild and imaginative customs.
This particular car has to be one of the most unique interpretations of the 1955 Chevrolet in existence. Builder Scott Winfield and his crew from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, spent over 3000 hours fabricating this one-of-a-kind car. The frame is a custom, hand-fabricated item made from 2x4 boxed steel tubing. A Fatman independent suspension was installed at the front, complimented by a Jaguar rear end and independent suspension at the rear, with Wilwood disc brakes and Boyd Coddington Stingray rims at all four corners. The engine is a 502 Chevy crate motor cranking out 502 horsepower mated to a 700R4 automatic transmission, and there is a 3” stainless steel exhaust.
The chassis and drivetrain almost seem ordinary when compared to the body and interior. The roof, pillars, and glass are from a 1999 Chrysler Concorde, but most of the body panels, including the fenders, rear quarter panels, doors, rockers, and trunk, are new 1955 Chevrolet reproductions that have been heavily modified. Front fenders were notched in 22 places then filled with metal to get the desired shape, door skins were sectioned by three inches, and two sets of rocker panels were grafted together to achieve the necessary length. The front lip of the hood is 1955 chevy, the nose section is from a 1956 Buick, and the rest comes from the roof of a 1960 Chevy Impala. The trunk lid is a hybrid of Concorde and 1955 Chevy, and the trunk and engine bay pieces were all hand fabricated. The rear console, door panels, and dash were custom made from fiberglass and covered in leather, and the latter features a 1955 Chevy gauge cluster. The seats are from a 1995 Mazda MX-6. Vintage air has been fitted, all accessories are power and there is an automatic door and trunk opener. The PPG Orange Pearl Mist paint is covered with five coats of clear. Not surprisingly, the ‘Retrolet’ is a multiple award winner, despite being completed in 2003 and last shown in 2004. It has been featured in four magazines and has appeared on ESPN2 twice. Tammy Allen purchased it at the 2009 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction.
