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1953 Chevrolet 3100 Rides Lower Than a Lawnmower

Air suspension systems must be some of the greatest inventions of all time, especially if you’re in the business of customizing cars, trucks, and any other vehicle that might make use of them in the most extreme variants.
1953 Chevrolet 3100 11 photos
Photo: Mecum
1953 Chevrolet 31001953 Chevrolet 31001953 Chevrolet 31001953 Chevrolet 31001953 Chevrolet 31001953 Chevrolet 31001953 Chevrolet 31001953 Chevrolet 31001953 Chevrolet 31001953 Chevrolet 3100
Technically, such a technology has been around right from the early days of cars. A Brit by the name of Archibald Sharp is largely credited to have invented the first air suspension system, though it was mostly used for bicycles.

Across the pond, a more car-oriented technology came to be in the hands of William Humphreys. Just days after the Brit, in January 1901, he patented an idea for a “pneumatic spring for vehicles.” That was the beginning of more than a century of evolution for a technology that is now incredibly widespread and varied.

Air suspension, especially the one of the adjustable variety, is, of course, used at its finest by the custom industry. Be it cars or motorcycles, builds have been completely transformed by such hardware, awards were won, and at times fortunes were spent because of the visual effects created.

We have this all-black 1953 Chevrolet 3100 as the perfect example of what the right air suspension can do to a project. We’re dealing here with an air ride powered by an engine-driven compressor so effective in lowering the pickup truck that it seems to ride closer to the ground than a lawnmower.

At least this is how it looks as it sits in a field somewhere, waiting for someone to notice it and place a bid during this weekend's Mecum auction in Houston, Texas.

Powered by a 5.7-liter LS1 engine linked to an automatic transmission, the truck will be going with no reserve during the event, meaning that if the stars align, someone might be going home with it as a bargain.

And no, you are not mistaken: this could-be bargain has suicide doors.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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