It had been a longstanding desire of mine to buy and surprise my father with his dream automobile. He worked hard to support his family but never had enough money to save for his goal. He was a nice man, and he deserved to have something to be proud of beyond his family. Unfortunately, my dad died before I was old enough to make it happen. I spent several years seeking the car that I believed he would have picked. This weekend, I went 8 hours to New York and went back to make our dream come true. When I opened the door to the car I almost fainted from shock when I climbed inside and it smelled exactly like my dad. He was an auto body man and a mechanic. So he always had that “old car smell” when he came home from work That was a huge comforting bonus that most people could never understand.
The front grill with square turn signals indicates that it is a 1956. The chrome accent that extends across the full side, including the front fenders, indicates that this is a high-end Bel Air trim. The mid-tier 210 had chrome trim just behind the a-pillars, while the base 150 had none.
The “bullet” tail lamps were also unique to the 1956 model. The light on the driver’s side slides down, revealing the gasoline filler.
Congratulations on your awesome car. Drive like crazy and remember your father with every mile. I am sure he’s beaming down and will accompany us on every drive.
That was a huge comforting bonus that most people could never understand.