This rusty 1955 $20k Chevrolet Bel Air proves one man’s trash is another’s classic treasure
Published on Sep 14, 2025 at 10:10 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Sep 10, 2025 at 5:11 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Ben Thompson
The owner of this rusty 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air reckons there’s still plenty of life left in the vintage vehicle and thinks it’s prime for a restoration.
Introduced for the model year 1950, the Chevrolet Bel Air went on to have seven generations.
This 1955 convertible model in Tacoma, Washington, has recently popped up on eBay.
But its new owner needs to be prepared to carry out some extensive restoration work to get the car back on the road.
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The 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air has seen better days
Due to their long production run, spanning from the 1950s to the 1980s, it isn’t too rare to stumble across a Chevrolet Bel Air, often in need of a bit of TLC – like this one that spent 33 years inside a barn, or this 1957 that a team of restoration experts reckoned was worth saving.
In Washington, the owner of this 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air believes that his rusting classic is also deserving of a loving restoration.
The car has recently been placed up for sale on eBay by seller pinkstude, who says the vehicle is ‘ready’ for a restoration.
The listing goes on to say that the car has a V8 engine paired with an automatic transmission, but doesn’t share any further details on its condition.
Overall, the car is pretty rusted, but the seller insists it comes with a good frame, all trim, wings, and ‘fancy trim’.
They’ve even thrown in some extra parts that are stashed safely away in bubble wrap.
The seller says the ‘as is’ vehicle can sit in storage at his property until the buyer can get it transported and notes that it ‘rolls and steers nicely’.
The car has a somewhat optimistic Buy It Now price of $20,000, but has, at the time of writing, attracted just one bid of $100.
Restoring a classic can be timely, but worth it
While any prospective buyer of the 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air has a pretty mammoth task ahead of them, it could be very worthwhile.
Earlier this year, a couple of sons decided to restore a 1957 model and gift it to their dad as a surprise.
The restoration was a real labor of love and took around nine months to complete.
But it was all worth it when the two men were able to hand over the keys to their absolutely elated dad.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
