You would think a classic car dealership like MAXmotive would find itself situated on some elite piece of property in some snooty U.S. city, like Los Angeles or Miami.
But no, these hearty folks call Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, their home. And this time around, they've got a 1956 Chevy Bel Air for sale that's rocking one heck of a unique paint job.
Granted, the subsequent 1957 model year of the Bel Air may be the more desirable model. But is there really all that much difference between them? Well, it's a little bit complicated, because 1957 was one crazy year for Chevrolet.
The 1956 Bel Air was a continuation of the second generation of the moniker. It featured unique styling that differentiated itself from the more Ferrari touring car-inspired front end of the previous 1955 model. It doesn't help matters that the very next year, Chevrolet unveiled its 1957 lineup consisting of the 150, 210 and Bel Air.
But this lineage is further muddied because the previous second generations also used these names to make distinctions between different body styles on a similar platform.
Photo: MAXmotive
Whatever the case, there's far more to love about a classic American car of this caliber than gatekeeping the specifics of its model year for clout. Just look at the thing!
Whoever said pink was a color for women, you can kindly shut your mouths now. Colors don't have a gender, and neither do cars. Maybe it's just best to refrain from pretending like they do, or that a paint color can magically change it.
Because it doesn't matter what parts you're rocking, we can all appreciate the craftsmanship into the gorgeous "iris" paint, polished chrome, and custom-designed black interior of this 56 Bel Air. Although iris is more assosiated with the blue-violet part of the color spectrum. But at least to some of our eyes, it just looks like hot pink.
The 350 Cubic Inch (5.7-liter) small block Chevy engine isn't anything to sneeze at either. It's making an eyewatering 600 horsepower to the wheels. Eat your heart out, M3 drivers. This car will smoke you if you underestimate it.
Photo: MAXmotive
As you can imagine, all the new, shiny suspension makes this Bel Air sit a full two inches lower to the ground (5.8 cm). You need components like a well-sorted multi-link suspension setup and a big four-wheel disk brake package when you're dealing with big boy levels of power.
Happily, these are both things this 56 Chevy has in droves. This isn't an LS 5.7 swap, mind you. It's an old-school small-block engine running a four-barrel Edelbrock carburetor. Probably the same carb setup our Lord in Almighty was born sporting.
Fitting, as this engine technology might as well come from the days of the Old Testament. The rack and pinion steering is more than a little bit more sophisticated than the engine. It's a night and day change from the ox-cart, leaf-suspension from the 1950s.
You may call it brash, and we call it a near picture-perfect restomod that can smoke modern sports coupes while their drivers sit behind the wheel slack-jawed. Why? It's simple really.
Photo: MAXmotive
Because their rear ends just got gapped by a car they no doubt assumed was driven by some boomer grandpa. But shame on you for judging someone before you've met them.
Because if an elderly lady or gentleman does take this car off the MAXmotive lot, the only thing you'll hear from any of us is we wish they were our grand-folks, whatever you may call them. They'd get to sit behind the wheel of their beloved classic car and tune the custom Pioneer head unit to their favorite classic rock station.
The kind that plays the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, and Hot Tuna back to back. Great music to listen to while you smoke some delinquent in a tuned Infiniti or BMW bumping XXXtentacion way, way too loudly, out of their Wal-Mart stereos.
At $69,500 out the door before taxes and fees, this is the kind of car you cruise around in not giving a rat's behind about whatever anyone thinks of the color you chose. Nobody can judge you behind the wheel of this pink-ish Chevy, because it can absolutely body just about any sports coupe betwen 1958 and 2022.
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