Thursday, January 6, 2011
The sweetest '55 in Cuba
|Bel Air convertible could hold its own at a car show anywhere.|
But to me, it's the balance of the 55's proportions — the roundness of its profile and the squareness of its stance — that sets it apart. Look at it, and you see more of the cars that arrived later than those that came before.
For collectors, the '55 Chevy to have is the two-door Nomad station wagon, of which just 8,386 were built. But for my money (and I'd need a lot of it to buy one), the Bel Air convertible is nicer yet. Chevrolet made 41,292 of the ragtops, and you know every one was a smile-producer.
Like this example parked at Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport. From bright grille to period-perfect Continental kit for the spare tire, this was a show-quality car. Notably, it remains in private ownership, unlike many of Cuba's best classic convertibles that now bear blue government plates and ferry tourists around Vedado.
If there's a sweeter '55 on the island, I'd like to see it.
Labels: 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air '55 Chevy