1956 Chevy Bel Air Barn Find Gets First Wash in 33 Years, Becomes Beautiful Survivor

The two-door Nomad wagon is the rarest at some 23,000 units delivered over three model years. The 150 Delivery Sedan and Utility Sedan versions are also relatively scarce. The other variants, however, saw daylight in hundreds of thousands of examples. This also applies to the most sought-after Tri-Five, the Bel Air Hardtop Sport Coupe.

There's a catch, though. Because Chevrolet built so many of them, Tri-Five Bel Airs also have a somewhat low survival rate. These cars were pretty affordable, and many owners didn't find it hard to abandon their rigs in junkyards and barns once they purchased newer automobiles. As a result, most of the Bel Airs that soldiered on to see 2023 are in poor condition. Sadly enough, some are rusty beyond restoration.

Fortunately, Tri-Fives still get rescued nowadays. Some are turned into powerful and flashy restomods, while others are restored to original specifications. The 1956 Bel Air you see here is one of the lucky ones. Even though it spent 33 years in storage, it's still in one piece and just a bit of work away from becoming a pristine classic.

It also comes with a touching story. The two-door sedan was brought back into the light after more than three decades by the owner's son. He did it as part of a therapy process for his dad, who suffered a stroke. He got the car out of the garage and brought it to its best possible condition with a thorough cleaning. He then presented it to his dad, who was visibly impressed to see the Bel Air he drove until the late 1980s.

The cleaning process revealed a vehicle that's still in excellent condition. Sure, the paint shows some rust spots, the interior a bit of wear and tear, and the original engine is missing, but this Bel Air is a full-fledged unrestored survivor. And it's finished in India Ivory over Sherwood Green, a gorgeous two-tone combo. And in true 1950s fashion, it flaunts a matching interior.

One of 105,098 Bel Air two-door sedans built in 1956, this Tri-Five is anything but scarce. However, survivors in this condition are hard to find today, so this Bel Air is more than worthy of a complete restoration. And hopefully, it's precisely what it will get soon enough.

There's no info as to what it had under the hood, but the surviving gear suggests a V8 engine. The 1956 Bel Air came standard with a 235-cubic-inch (3.9-liter) inline-six, but Chevrolet also offered a selection of V8 mills. The options list included a 265-cubic-inch (4.3-liter) unit with 162, 170, 205, or 225 horsepower.

Any of these engines are easy to source nowadays, but I wouldn't mind seeing this Bel Air with a modern LS under the hood. We need this beauty back on the road!