In the world of American car culture, it’s impossible to talk about speed and domestic tuner culture without mentioning the hot rods of the past. Hot rods like this 1956 Chevy Bel Air with cherry red paint, sharp body lines, and 450 big ol’ beefy horses under the hood of this magnificent classic car.
This automobile embodies the pinnacle of 1950’s America, back in the day these menacing burly boys were meant to replace the Fords of the time that people would tune-up for the drag strip and that they did. People took quite a liking to these sleek beasts rolling off the assembly line, with only 162 little tiny baby horses under the hood it wasn’t much of anything special stock.
However, what made these cars so great was the potential for creating something that could fly. Because of this, Bel Airs became a huge part of the American hot rod culture. The prevalence of these cars in racing cemented their image as a piece of American car history. You can just see the nostalgic grin wipe across Jay Leno’s face as he hears the sound of that engine roar.
This car was featured on the show Jay Leno’s Garage and is depicted driving around town and making the rounds at all the Italian restaurants. This is a fun car and the fact that it has been kept in such good condition for so long makes it just that much better.
Whether it’s cruising around the city looking for some good pasta, at the drag strip, or even just getting shown off on Jay Leno’s Garage this mean machine is always at home and if you’re ever lucky enough to drive one, you will be too. These cars are for the true enthusiast and no matter who you are, everyone can admit that this is a pretty sick ride.
Elizabeth is hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
