Coveted 1955 Chevrolet Cameo Pickup Selling in Seattle
Soon to sell in Seattle is a coveted 1st-year, 1st-Gen ‘55 Chevrolet Cameo Pickup resto-mod that’s been doctored up as an athletic sports truck. This truck is updated to be driven. The single picture on the Lucky Collector Car Auction website is hazy and doesn’t do this Cameo justice but the data offers enough perspective of the direction taken with the complete build. Let’s jump in.
At the heart of this custom Cameo is a rowdy Chevy 327cid small-block V8 breathing deep with an Edelbrock intake and dual Flowmaster canons smoking out the back. Sure it’s rumbles smooth torque through a Turbo Hydramatic 350 transmissions to a speedy final drive of 308 from a Chevelle. It sounds like it’ll whip out those RPMs quick from the V8. Stopping has been enhanced with power discs in front and better drums rear from the Chevelle setup.
This build has been masterfully pumped up for performance and styling. This is a true driver’s truck for an everyday commute or even weekend shows. Take a look at the exterior, even in the foggy picture you can see the brilliant re-chromed pieces of the grille, bumpers and trim bathing in a fresh coat of hot Viper Red paint. Notice that there is plenty of beautiful chrome around the pickup bed which is fully boxed for rigidity. I think warmly of the original Bombay White paint.
This original Cameo’s distinctive character was crafted by Chevy to be a streamline utility truck with dynamics of a passenger car. Notice how it’s bedside smooth styling is similar to a car. This created a whole new class of truck designs leading designers to follow up with models like Ford’s styleside, Dodge sweptside and Chevy’s fleetside. It was meant to look and perform like a unibody car but still it is a body-on-frame design which has that nostalgic feel of yesteryear. The frame has likely been rigged up to keep the Chevy power planted. Drop your surfboards and gluten-free pizza and get this hot truck back down to California where it belongs.