Technical This could a been your '55 Chev.

Concepts weren’t all go-faster models - this is comparably down-at-heel ‘55 Chevrolet Biscayne clap-door concept. Alas, it never reached production.

 

Some concepts have been know to wow the public but that prototype is IMHO is as ugly as a mud fence. HRP

 

Looks like a bug eye sprite got fucked by a buick

 

Front edge of the c pillar made it into the 58 Impailer.

 

That concept car was just discussed a little over 2 weeks ago in the "Corvette hot rod picture thead". There were pictures of when some guy found it in a junk yard. I think it was either under restoration or maybe already done.

 

Glad it's not MY 55 Chevy!!!

 

its been done for awhile. It was in the Petersen Museum a couple years ago

 

while not the prettiest car, quite a bit of future styling was here in this car, the windows were seen on like 59 Impala's. The coves were coming on the 56 Vette, the tail lights were little round lights that the vette and corvair would get. Also a 4 door hardtop would show up in 56.

 

A few random shots.

 

The overall shape of the car isn't bad but they sure took a crap on that headlight/grill treatment!

 

There's a ton of styling cues on that car that ended up on many different GM cars for years to come , that they didn't all work well together shouldn't come as a shock . Appreciate it for what it was , an exercise in styling concepts , probably was never intended for production ! I think its very cool , a veritable time capsule of advanced GM styling .

 

I like it I want two. one to shit on and one to cover it up with.

Some of the '50s concepts were pretty cool and some were just space ships. I cannot say that I hate it there are some styling cues that are doable in my perverse universe, but I am not sure that I could straighten it out if someone gave it to me.

 

To bad it didn't make production. It's probably the only 55 Chevy I'd have been interested in owning or driving...

 

Found my pics of the car restored I took at the Petersen Museum back in 2016. The interior really hints at future design. The dash looks similar to what came in 1958 and the buckets look similar to Impala bucket seats with the big chrome band.

 

When I look at that trunk and rear, I see Corvair, without the louvers. Windshield looks a lot like the 59's. If the headlights had of been outboard in the fenders, it wouldn't look so bug eyed.

 

Look at the A post stainless, connects to B post and wraps under rear window.
Sweet.
Stretch

 

As @2OLD2FAST said, take it for what it is, a concept. If it had made it to production, I think it would have rivaled the Edsel. But this was never intended for production.

The more I look at the car, the more elements of future production cars I see. I like the rear. A pretty bold look to put forward in the peak of the tail fin era.

 

From the back, sides and interior, it’s a nicely designed car.
But it looks like only the bad acid was left when they got to the front.

what’s the story behind the car ending up at a wrecking yard ?

 

I'm wondering the same VANDENPLAS. Most concepts were destroyed, Buick kept a few as I recall.

 

Folks at the wrecking yard decided to save it , either in concert with GM reps or behind their backs , who knows for sure ??

 

Visibility must have been pretty good with an A and C pillar that thin. Not to mention the wrap around overhead on the windshield. I appreciate it for it was, but it's still fugging ugly.

 

The chrome bezels on the front fenders look like the 56 Corvette taillight bezels.

 

ucking fuggly???

 

First of all, I am glad this concept car was saved from the crusher, even though it was never intended to go into production, it certainly displays a lot of styling cues seen on a variety of other GM cars that did go into production!

Is the car ugly?
In my opinion, let's just say it's appearance is controversial and probably not appreciated by a lot of people, if it was mine, I would be proud to drive it and show it off and possibly endure all of the negative comments that it may receive, but I would grin as I drove it around knowing that it's the only one, and that in itself, makes it cool, IMHO!

Because I have a warped sense of humor, I offer this artistic challenge to @Stogy , @Jigger , @themoose , @hotrodjack33, @rusty1, to do a drawing of a bug eye Sprite , Corvair , corvette, 59 Impala , and industrial snowblower of choice, to parody the famous, classic " dogs playing poker sitting around a card table"
The dogs replaced by the cars mentioned , with the restored concept car sitting in the middle of the table!

Those fellow hambers have the amazing artistic photoshop, and freehand skills, to make a piece of art like that!

People back in the day laughed their asses off when AMC brought out the Marlin, it was a radical controversial design that didn't sell well. Try to find one today that isn't all rusted out, the crusher got a lot of them. I use the Marlin as an example of what was widely thought of as " weird, ugly, automotive styling " yet when you see one at a car show ( there used to be one here in Seattle, that would participate in the annual Greenwood car show), people young and old would always be crowded around it asking questions about it taking pictures of it.

The owner always had the pleasure of knowing that his AMC Marlin was the only one at the car show !

I always thought that was cool!

 

Very interesting car, glad it was saved. Not very attractive as a whole but lots of good individual design ideas.


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I'd like it SO much more if the headlights were moved into the outboard scoops, maybe hidden for a bit of a '60s Riviera look, and the grille treatment re-imagined. Because all I can see is a car with its mouth sewn shut like a voodoo doll! Pretty darn neat though.

 

I would like to see one of the photoshop guys make it look like a gasser. HRP

 

It looks as though the only thing on that car that made it into the '55 production was the steering wheel.

 

The yard was called Warhoops and they got a few cars from the nearby GM styling center. The owner saved the cars and Joe Bortz, who had a string of restaurants and clubs bought them from Warhoops and had them restored. Bortz owns something like 50 cars.

 

Cool idea, I hope someone does that! Oddly though, as bizarre as this car is it would look better than some of the
so-called “gassers” that have been built.