The Chevrolets of 1955 - 1957 have long been darlings amongcarenthusiasts for their iconic styling and legendary little - blockV-8s , and the 1956 Chevrolet One - Fifty is an interesting example .
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As is typical of most fifties and 1960s gatherer automobile , the most seek - after models are top - line , heavily optionedconvertiblesand two - room access hardtops . Today , most Chevrolet accumulator fawn over glitzy , two - toned Bel - Airs festooned with mass of tawdry manufactory accessories .
However , not every new Chevrolet shopper in the mid-1950s was rock by fender skirts , bumper guard , tissue dispensers , signal - seekingradios , or Autronic Eye headlight control condition . Some buyers just wanted to go as tight as potential for as little money as necessary , and were uncoerced to forgo creature comforts in the quest of speed .
The age - honest-to-goodness recipe for going tight on the cheap has n’t changed much over the years : Simply drop the hot engine into the lightest , cheapest body available , and go for the frills . The 1956 Chevrolet One - Fifty shown here is a textbook example of the perfect budget bomb .
With a 3,117 - lbf. curb weight and a $ 1,734 base price , the One - Fifty two - door utility program sedan was the lightest and least - expensive model Chevrolet offered in 1956 . A single chrome side fizgig ( a newfangled embellishment for the serial ) and minor hubcap highlighted its severe exterior trim . internal accoutrements were equally ascetic : India rubber floor mats ; a individual sun visor ; and no radio , heater , or clock .
The rear window were specify – who need gyre - down rearward window with no back tush ? The utility sedan have a 31 - cubic - foot freight arena lined by " durable writing - circuit card loadspace wall " behind the single split - workbench tail end .
While most 1956 Chevrolets were usable in an raiment of internal color choices , One - Fifty sedan buyers had no selection ; a ecru and Au - striped vinyl with golden - flecked black form material was the lone trim combination .
The Chevrolet small - auction block V-8 was already well on its way to becoming a carrying out fable when the 1956 model were introduce .
A masked 1956 Chevrolet prepare and driven by Corvette engine room guru Zora Arkus - Duntov set a new Pikes Peak hill - climb book on Labor Day 1955 , and hot - rodders were quickly light upon how well the new engine responded to performance modifications .
Chevrolet applied scientist did a little blistering rodding of their own when the Corvette three-fold - four - cask 265 was made available as an across - the - board option midway through the 1956 season .
With the first of the famous " Duntov " Cam River , dual four - barrel carbs , lightweight valve , and larger breathing in and exhaust porthole , it was good for 225 bhp at 5,200 rpm . The Carter carburetors were crown with a prominent " batwing " zephyr cleaner from which hung two oil - bath air filters .
Claremont , California , Chevrolet dealer Richard Hibbard possess the meticulously restored Matador Red sedan featured here . Its option are trammel to the hot engine , Powerglide automatic transmission , and factory - appurtenance dual exhaust tip .
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