20 Trendsetting Tri-Five Chevys that Made a Difference
It wasn’t long after the first ’55 Chevys rolled off the assembly lines that enthusiasts and go-fast gearheads began modifying them. With Chevrolet’s hot new V8 under the hood, these cars were strong performers from the start, and that performance potential only grew as an eager aftermarket developed speed equipment for the engines and related components for the cars themselves. Within a few years, the cars we would come to know as Tri-Fives – ’55, ’56, and ’57 Chevys – became hot commodities on the secondary car market and were sought after by young enthusiasts, racers hot rodders, and customizers alike.
The popularity of Chevrolet’s mid-’50s marvels only grew in the ensuing years and decades. Like many of the hot rodding icons that preceded them, Tri-Five Chevys developed a following for a wide range of reasons. For starters, they were plentiful and relatively affordable compared to other makes and models of the era. The V8 engines responded well to simple bolt-on upgrades, and the cars themselves were light enough to be suitable for racing, whether on the street, dragstrip, or dirt track. Beyond their performance potential, Tri-Fives were also cleanly styled, with a design that looked great in stock form, but was also easy to enhance and modify in a wide variety of ways.
Thousands of Tri-Five Chevys have been hot rodded and customized over the past 70 years, and we’re sure most Goodguys members have a few favorite examples of their own. As we reflect on the seven-decade history of these cars, our editorial team thought it would be fun to showcase some trendsetting Tri-Five Chevys from our archives. Many of these cars are icons from our hobby’s past, while others are noteworthy for earning elite honors like Goodguys Top 12 of the Year awards – in multiple categories, we might note, which only reinforces the versatility of this mid-’50s platform.
What follows is an interesting and engaging look at some trendsetting Tri-Five Chevys that had an impact and made a difference (in no particular order!). We know this Chevy showcase only scratches the surface, and we encourage you to follow up and send us some of your favorite Tri-Fives from the past 70 years.
The Aztec ’55 Chevy
Tri-Five Chevys started to be customized right away, as evidenced by the radical ’55 Chevy known as The Aztec built for Bill Carr by Barris Kustoms. The multi-year project began when the car had just 145 miles on it! Modifications included a chopped cantilever top, extended quarter panels and fins, ’57 Mercury quad headlights, ’57 DeSoto bumpers on both ends, custom trim, hand-made taillights, and Honey Gold Candy paint. Finished in 1958, the car earned scores of awards, disappeared for decades, and was saved from the crusher in the 1990s by Barry Mazza, who restored it back to its early custom glory.
American Graffiti ’55 Chevy
Rodders have long debated which version of this ’55 Chevy is best – the one that appeared in the movie “Two-Lane Blacktop,” or the “American Graffiti” version. We opted for the latter, the early-’60s street racer piloted by Harrison Ford’s Bob Falfa in George Lucas’s iconic coming-of-age movie. With radiused rear wheel openings, chrome reverse wheels, a hand-made hood scoop, and slightly elevated stance, the AG ’55 represents a transitional time when traditional rods and customs were giving way to the ’60s street machine era. This car has been emulated countless times, and word has it the original movie car is currently undergoing restoration.
Project X ’57 Chevy
Who could have imagined that a ’57 Chevy purchased for $250 in 1965 to be used as a project car in Popular Hot Rodding magazine would still be so relevant today? Project X, now a part of Hot Rod Magazine, has been through a gamut of incarnations and engine swaps, including an inline six, a blown big block, and even an electric motor. At last report, it now sits comfortably with a 632c.i. Chevrolet Performance engine. One commonality over the decades is the bright yellow paint. And yes, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tony Danza cruised X in the 1980 movie “The Hollywood Knights.”
Cheez Whiz ’55 Chevy
It’s hard to believe, but Scott Sullivan finished his now legendary Cheez Whiz pro street ’55 Chevy in 1988! Better still, he showed the pro street world that a car with overly fat tires could be driven long distance when he and Hot Rod Magazine editor Jeff Smith cruised the Chevy from Dayton, Ohio to Los Angeles, where he ran a couple mid-10 second drag strip passes. It’s hard to calculate how many builders were influenced by the monochrome paint, brushed trim, and less-is-more ethos of Scott’s ’55, which even today looks as good as it did 37 years ago!
Chezoom ’57 Chevy
Designed by Thom Taylor and built at Hot Rod by Boyd, Chezoom was a completely reimagined ’57 Chevy that upped the ante for modern street customs when it debuted at the 1992 SEMA Show. It was built on a custom tube frame with Corvette suspensions and an LT1 engine, but the real story was the clean-sheet design, which reportedly used just 10-percent of a ’57’s original steel. Everything else was custom shaped to give the Chevy an exaggerated new look. The coolest part is that the car worked – Boyd Coddington and his son Chris drove it from California to the Goodguys Indy Hot Rod Nationals.
Rick Dyer ’55 Chevy
It was tough to nail down one (or even several) Tri-Fives from drag racing because ’55-’57 Chevys have long been popular on the strip. Gassers are fun, but in the early days of the Fastest Street Car Shootouts, NMCA, NSCA and others, there was Monty Berney on the West Coast and Rick Dyer in Detroit, both rocking ’55s. Dyer had support from the C.A.R.S. Inc. resto parts company and his purple-and-white ’55 Chevy was a serious performer with a massive big block and plenty of nitrous. You can find videos of it in action on YouTube. The car reportedly still exists and makes occasional appearances.
Monty Berney ’55 Chevy
Like Rick Dyer’s Chevy. Monty Berney’s ’55 – known as Bertha – was a hero in the Fastest Street Car wars of the 1990s. Based in the Bay Area, Berney’s Chevy had national appeal thanks in part to ripping off quarter-mile passes in the 7s – very impressive for a 3400-pound street car without a tube chassis and with a full interior. The car rose to fame with a 565c.i. aluminum big block with twin Dominators and plenty of nitrous. It even had chrome bumpers and full trim. Berney would go on to build faster, more serious ’55s – Bertha II and Bertha III – but the original remains a favorite.
Boyd Air ’57 Chevy
The Boyd Air ’57, also called the RodZoom, was designed by Chip Foose and built by Boyd Coddington when the duo worked in the same shop. Take another glance at the picture and you can see how the car looks flattened due to it being widened several inches from door to door. This concept came about when Chip wondered what a ’57 would have looked like with the proportions of a ’59 Impala. They purchased a ’59, stripped it down to the cowl, and then reskinned it with modified ’57 metal. That oversimplifies the process, as there’s a lot going on under the skin, too.
Dennis Marchand ’56 Chevy
Dennis Marchand was a Sacramento-area fleet vehicle salesman and a master at building pro street rides like this righteous red ’56 Chevy, which won the Goodguys Street Machine of the Year title in 1999. The car personified pro street with a heavily polished and supercharged big block, full tube frame delivering a killer stance, aluminum interior, and an extremely straight body with a ’glass nose and bumpers. It ran hard, too – he took it to Sacramento Raceway and stopped the clocks in the 8.90/155mph range. This was the final Goodguys Street Machine of the Year winner selected in Pleasanton.
Newmad ’55 Chevy
The trend of reimagining Tri-Five Chevys was still going strong at the dawn of the new Millenium when designer Chris Ito and builder Steve’s Auto Restorations unveiled Dave Hall’s incredible ’55 Chevy known as Newmad. The wagon’s extensive list of body mods included a chopped top, lowered roof crown, ’64 Mercury windshield, relocated wheel openings, extended fenders, fabricated bumpers, custom flush-fit taillights, and hand-crafted trim. It was built on a custom frame with C5 Corvette front and rear suspensions and a fuel-injected Arias big block Chevy engine, while the leather-covered Lexus seats and hand-built double-hump dash inside reinforced its new-century style.
Denny Terzich ’56 Chevy
Before pro touring rides completely took over the Street Machine of the Year competition, Denny Terzich shook things up with this menacing ’56 Chevy in 2002. A Fatman front clip, Ridetech rear suspension, and channeled body helped deliver the ground-scraping stance, with plenty of rowdy power coming from an 895hp 572c.i. carbureted big block backed by a TH400 trans equipped with a Gear Vendors overdrive. The refined body displayed perfect gaps, classic two-tone paint, and a trick hood with a unique Bobby Alloway-made blister. While the rear wheels were a massive 20×12-inches, they wore radial rubber for a modern street vibe.
Doug Hoppe ’55 Chevy
Built by Iowa-based craftsman Roger Burman at Lakeside Rods & Rides, Doug Hoppe’s drop-top Bel Air didn’t try to reinvent the ’55 Chevy, but it did aim to put a modern twist on the classic design. Shaved emblems and handles, Jeep Liberty headlights, custom taillights, and a wild custom dash were just some of the metal mods on this bright orange and black beauty. An Art Morrison chassis with air springs and Colorado Custom wheels delivered the slammed stance, while a 502c.i. RamJet crate engine provided power. Black leather upholstery by Recovery Room coordinated perfectly with the two-tone exterior.
Richard Ruiter ’55 Chevy
Tri-Five Chevys were fixtures in the Custom Rod of the Year competition in the mid-2000s, and Richard Ruiter’s platinum ’55 Chevy convertible took the crown in 2006. It was a sneaky and subtle car that revealed more mods as you studied it, like a flipped front bumper, flush-fitting headlights and taillights, and a custom grille. The custom chassis employed C5 Corvette suspension components, 19- and 20-inch Budnik wheels, and a 1990-vintage LT5 ZR1 32-valve Corvette engine with a T56 six-speed. The inside was pure contemporary custom, with ivory-colored leather upholstery over four bucket seats split by a full-length console.
Gordon Peters ’56 Chevy
The 2008 Goodguys Custom Rod of the Year was this ’56 Chevy owned by Gordon Peters, which began as a low-level 150 Handyman wagon but looked more like a Nomad after the crew at Rods & Restos chopped and de-crowned top, angled the B-pillars, and streamlined the body with a wedge section, re-arched fender tops, and extended quarter panels. There was also a custom grille and bumpers, copper and cinnamon paint, and a custom chassis with C5 Corvette suspensions, Ridetech Shockwaves, 18- and 20-inch Budnik wheels, and an LS1 engine. Fresh leather upholstery by Paul Atkins finished off this fine ’56.
Jon & Kali Budda ’57 Chevy
It was fun to see Jon and Kali Budda’s brilliant green ’57 Chevy – a car originally customized in the early-’60s – earn the Goodguys Kustom of the Year honor in 2009 after being restored by Claude and Russ Freund. The period-style body mods included canted quad headlights, a ’57 DeSoto grille bar, and ’59 Chevy taillights turned on end and integrated into the fins, while that vibrant green finish was accented with Jeff Allison-designed scallops. It was traditional underneath, too, with a dual-quad ’59 Corvette 283c.i. V8 and period-style upholstery by George Frank covering Impala bucket seats and a wrap-around ’62 T-bird rear seat.
Kenneth Davis ’55 Chevy
We had a real wagon train in the early 2000s, as Kenneth Davis’s ’55 Nomad was the seventh wagon to win Custom Rod of the Year since the turn of the century. Built by Kenneth’s son, Kenny, the slick Kosmos Red Chevy maintained its original design, with minor enhancements in the form of shaved emblems, tucked bumpers, and a billet grille. A dropped-down stance over 18- and 20-inch Billet Specialties wheels gave this Nomad a no-nonsense attitude, while a pewter-colored engine compartment surrounded the well-detailed 454c.i. Chevy big block. Saddle brown leather upholstery finished this fine wagon off in enduring style.
Goodguys Clean Air ’55
Goodguys got into the Tri-Five game in 2011 when we teamed up with some seasoned shops and aftermarket companies to build the Clean Air ’55 Chevy Grand Prize Giveaway Car. It was an all-new car that employed a reproduction body from Experi-Metal and a chassis from Ironworks Speed & Kustom that used C6 suspension components, Ridetech coil-overs, Wilwood disc brakes, Intro wheels, and an emissions-legal E-Rod LS3 from Chevrolet Performance backed by a Gearstar 4L60E transmission. Painted a vibrant PPG red by Kenny Davis Hot Rods and outfitted with comfortable leather upholstery by Recovery Room, this repop drop-top was a first-rate, ground-up double nickel driver.
Shomad ’57 Chevy
By the time the crew at A&M Deluxe Custom finished with Ron Maier’s ’57 Nomad, it was essentially a coach-built custom. After owning the car for three decades, Ron wanted a dynamic makeover, and A&M delivered. Every panel was reworked, the top was chopped 2-inches, and that was just the start of things. The foundation was a new chassis from Art Morrison with an IRS, a 427c.i. LS7 for power, and Boyd rolling stock. Nomads aren’t generally privy to radical custom makeovers, but Ron’s “Shomad” is an example of how it can work, as evidenced by it scoring the 2017 Custom of the Year title.
Johnny Martin ’57 Chevy
As iconic as the ’57 Chevy is, there is no shortage of customizers who aim to reinvent it. Greg Hrehovcsik and Johnny’s Auto Trim and Rod Shop collaborated on Johnny Martin’s highly stylized ’57 Chevy, which won the 2018 Ridler Award and was Goodguys Custom Rod of the Year. Every panel was modified, with a chopped top, one-off windshield, custom hood, and wedge-sectioned body. The tubular chassis featured a custom IRS and IFS and one-off 19- and 20-inch EVOD wheels modeled after Bel Air hubcaps. Power came from a twin-turbo 515c.i. big block, while the inside was trimmed in terracotta-colored leather.
Blasphemi ’55 Chevy
Fans and followers of Roadkill or Finnegan’s Garage will instantly recognize Mike Finnegan’s ’55 Chevy Gasser affectionately known as Blasphemi. What initially started as a bare shell in the first season of Roadkill has morphed into a street-proven, gear-grabbing Gasser that delivers wheels-up launches and runs 8.50s thanks to a blown 528c.i. Hemi engine and G-Force-prepped T-56 trans. Mike scored the Drag Week Gasser title in 2019, and he continues to run the car in a variety of drag-and-drive racing series, in addition to using it to pick up the kids at school.
Brute Force ’55 Chevy
While the Brute Force name given to Bob Matranga’s ’55 Chevy references the 540c.i., Arias-head, twin-turbo engine, the amount of custom fabrication on the car is astounding. Yet even with a lengthy list of body mods, the car is instantly recognizable as a ’55 Chevy. Take a quick look at the sloped front fenders, the reverse-opening hood, reformed bumpers, modified wheel openings and more…and that’s not even getting into the interior or custom chassis. The car earned the Goodguys 2020 BASF America’s Most Beautiful award, and we’d argue it’s one of the most advanced Tri-Five Chevy builds of the 21st century.
