My 70-year-old V8 Chevy 350 is easier to live with than a Ford Focus

Elliot Florio has been waiting rather a long time to own a supercharged, two-door '55 Chevy 350 sedan. "I'd been looking for one for what felt like forever," he says. "Since I was 19, in fact. Finally, I bought this one a few weeks ago from a guy in the owners' club. I'd waited months for him to offer it for sale. He'd had work done to it, and it finally came my way." An hour or so before we met, I'd followed the old Chevy, finished in Primer Gray, along the A3, hoping it might be coming to the car meet. I was impressed by its braking power when the owner slowed for the exit, but then the car disappeared with a low rumble from its exhaust. And now here it was again. "I took a wrong turn," explains Elliot. "Yes, the brakes are good, aren't they? Originally they would have been drums, but they've been replaced with discs, which really bring it up short. Old Chevys are popular with drag racers, so it has a stronger front end from a '74 Camaro, a back axle from a '72 Camaro and a four-speed manual gearbox. The supercharged, small-block, 350-cubic-inch V8 produces 400bhp and has a lot of grunt." When I first saw it on the A3, something else that impressed me was that sinister, hunched look the Chevy has and which is typical of old US muscle cars. "It's a copy of the car in the 1971 cult film Two-Lane Blacktop, where two street racers, driving a '55 Chevy 150 drag car, challenge locals to race them," explains Elliot. "Mine has hydraulic brakes and steering, while theirs probably didn't, but it's just as hairy and a bit back-endy in the wet." The Primer Gray finish looks and feels a little rough, but there's no rust. "It's all good underneath, too," says Elliot. "Unfortunately, at the front the inner wings have been cut out, so on wet days like today water gets all over the engine bay. However, it means there's a lot of room to work in. "Most spares are easy to come by; everything is online. There are even sites that just deal in parts for '55 Chevys. It and the '57 are still very popular - people love the shape. If they can't find exactly what they're looking for, owners fit Camaro parts instead." This Chevy is not Elliot's first American car. He's owned Mustangs, Pontiac Firebirds and Model Ts. He says: "I grew up in the motor trade and love American motors. They're mechanically very simple, and they're different enough here that everyone looks at you as you drive by. At home I have a regular 1923 Model T sedan, but I had to sell my Model A hot rod to buy this Chevy, which cost me £25,000." Elliot's daily driver is another American car, kind of: a Ford Focus. That said, he's barely touched it since acquiring the Chevy, which, come rain or shine, but mostly rain, he drives nearly every day. Insurance costs him £300 with Adrian Flux. "I can live with that," says Elliot. "Considering how much car you get, how plentiful and reasonably priced parts are and what a great experience it is to drive one, a well-bought American car is a lot better value for money and easier to own than many younger European classics."

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My 70-year-old V8 Chevy 350 is easier to live with than a Ford Focus

This heavily modified supercharged Small-block also proves patience is a virtue

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My 70-year-old V8 Chevy 350 is easier to live with than a Ford Focus

This heavily modified supercharged Small-block also proves patience is a virtue

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Latest car reviews

Top manufacturers

Quick search

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Legal bits

About Autocar