A while back, a stellar crop of Tri-Five Chevrolets (’55 – ’57) visited COMP Performance Group world headquarters in Memphis for a quick morning coffee and tour. The group was on its way the to Tri-Five Nationals in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Among the classic bowties was Robert and Claudia Pyne’s 1956 Chevy Bel Air. The couple resides in Falcon, Colorado, just outside of Colorado Springs.
Robert has owned the car for 42 years, saving it from the crusher for the grand total of $50 back in 1974. Robert worked on and drove the car for decades before undertaking a ground-up restoration in 2005.
The ’56 Chevy features a self-tuning FAST EZ-EFI system that helps Robert and Claudia get 15-20 miles to the gallon on premium pump gas, allowing for 13:1 compression. The car makes 280 horsepower at the rear wheels. Under the hood and on the battery is an airbrushed scene of the car in front of Mel’s Drive-In from the classic TV show Happy Days.
This vehicle is certainly no trailer queen, Robert says he drives it around 15,000 miles each year. The couple hits a wide variety of shows each season, even planning to visit Burlington, Vermont, for the NSRA Northeast Street Rod Nationals this September.
Robert believes there is no reason to have a classic if the owner plans to only tow it around.
