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We always enjoy the blend of modern and classic when people mix a vintage car with a modern motor, and this 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air is a prime example of what that means. The owners of this car, Ken and Colleen Bittner of Sequim, Washington, get plenty of attention when they take it out to shows. As a matter of fact, at this years Sequim Irrigation Festival Hot Rod Show and Shine where we found the car, they walked away with not one, not two, but three awards: Best ‘50s, Most Photogenic, and the People’s Choice award.
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The sleek cream colored interior really complements the candy apple red exterior detailing.
This Bel Air is powered by an LS2 engine out of a 2006 Pontiac GTO and pretty much everything on the car – other than the sheetmetal – is brand new. While you can definitely see in the pictures that the candy apple red paint looks nice, you can’t get a full appreciation for the quality and depth of the color unless you are looking at it in person.
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Ken’s car also has a cool Vintage Air system [7], four-wheel disc brakes, and Dakota Digital [8] gauges. Every aspect of this frame-off build is customized and no detail was left un-touched. It was that attention to detail that caught Ken and Colleen’s eyes when they were at the auction where they bought the car one and a half years ago.
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What are the plans for the car going forward? “Keep it running good, looking good, and just enjoy it as much as possible,” Ken explained. He doesn’t plan on making any real changes, he just wants to drive and enjoy it as much as possible.
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We love the Bittner’s car, and we’d love to see what you guys are driving out there. If you love it, odds are good that we will too, so shoot us an email [13] with a couple pictures and a little information on your ride, you might just see it here as one of our Street Features [14]. Still a work in progress? Now worries, we’d always like to see a project for our What Are You Working On [15] series.