Build Sheet
- VIN: C55L041421
- 730ci (12.0L) all-aluminum pushrod Hemi-head V12 marine engine
- 620 Horsepower / 720 lb-ft Torque
- Triple 600-cfm Holley carburetors on a hand-built short plenum intake
- Built GM 4L80E four-speed automatic
- TCI electronic controller
- Ford 9-inch rear end with a limited-slip differential
- Full Roadster Shop chassis with Heidt's independent front suspension
- Four-corner QA1 aluminum adjustable coilover shocks
- Wilwood 13-inch four-wheel disc brakes with 6 piston in the front and 4 piston in the rear
- Two-tone Regal Turquoise and India Ivory paint
- "Suicide" style doors
- Forward-tilting and entirely removable front clip assembly
- 18-inch Circle Wheel billet aluminum Rally wheels
- Yokohama performance tires
- Ciadella reproduction turquoise and ivory vinyl interior
- Vintage Air A/C climate control
Wrench Report
RestoMods Head Mechanic. 20 year classic car mechanic & builder.
You can't judge a book by its cover. Especially when the cover is a reverse opening tilt front hood which reveals an insane V12. There are plenty of 55's which have been meticulously restored and modified. This Bel Air stands apart. The quality of the restoration is superb but the expert level craftsmanship to integrate the v12 and its power is what stands out. From the Roadster Shop chassis, to the AN braided hose to hide the battery cable, plus many other little features its the details around the V12 that sums up the quality of the build. You can tell from the interview on Jay Leno's Garage, the car's owner Gary, has put extensive thought and passion into every part of the Bel Air. A beautiful car which will draw all the eyes anywhere you go.
Description
This 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air two-door sedan is a custom restomod built by Gary Kollofski and fabricator Dale Pelvit. Originally a California car, it was imported to Minnesota in 2007, where it was transformed over a multi-year build into a high-performance cruiser. The vehicle combines a visually conservative aesthetic with an all-aluminum marine-specification V12 engine and a fully modernized chassis. It was displayed at the 2016 SEMA show, featured on a 2017 episode of Jay Leno's Garage, and named First in Class at the 2023 Grand National Roadster Show. The odometer shows 4,502 miles since the completion of the project, and the car is accompanied by its California clean title and a folder containing build receipts. Many photos were taken to catalog the build that are available in the photo gallery below.
The all-steel body features its original factory panels resprayed in 2013 using the stock 1955 two-tone color combination of Regal Turquoise and India Ivory (Code 612). While configured as a Bel Air sedan, it utilizes cleaner Chevrolet 210 window trim matching the owner's design vision to keep the car's extreme modifications visually understated. Subtle exterior alterations include de-chromed front fenders, Danchuk Smoothie bumpers, an enlarged set of rear wheel openings with a mini-tub layout, and a frenched rear license plate recess with an integrated light hidden behind the trunk emblem. The custom sheet metal work includes the original inner trunk lid with recessed upholstery, a custom cover for the trunk torsion bars, and a specialized battery box integrated directly into the trunk floor.
The vehicle rides on staggered-width 18-inch Circle Wheel billet aluminum Rally wheels with custom offsets, measuring 18x8 inches in front and 18x9.5 inches in the rear. These are wrapped in high-performance Yokohama Advan S.T. tires, sized 235/50R18 and 285/50R18, respectively.
Underneath the body, access to the heavily modified powertrain is granted by a unique forward-tilting and entirely removable front clip, along with a forward-articulating hood supported by custom tubular structures and custom hinges designed to articulate the hood forward to clear the stainless grill.
Accessible via custom "suicide" style doors, the interior is trimmed in a reproduction stock Ciadella turquoise and ivory vinyl layout designed to mimic the car's original factory styling. The factory front bench seat was relocated eight inches rearward to accommodate the modified cabin geometry, while the original-style rear bench seat and a custom-fit reproduction carpet set remain in place. To ensure structural comfort, the entire floor and interior panels were lined with HushMat sound deadener and a Lizard Skin thermal and acoustic coating was applied to the underbody. The rear side windows have been converted to a fixed, non-rolling design with tinted safety glass.
The dashboard remains in its stock structural location but has been completely shaved of all factory knobs, switches, and controls and relocated to the console. The driving interface consists of an Eckler's 15-inch stock-appearing steering wheel mounted to a tilting Ididit steering column, along with a Classic Instruments Belera II digital/analog instrument cluster. The cabin is bisected by a custom-fabricated transmission tunnel and a center console housing a Lokar shifter, a custom parking brake handle, and Pioneer AM/FM/CD player linked to a concealed A-pillar antenna. A complete Vintage Air climate control system custom controls linked to the original stereo controls, utilizing two fan-cooled condensers mounted beneath the rear seat and an evaporator assembly behind the back seat that pipes cooled air directly through custom ducting built into the transmission tunnel to dual console outlets.
The immaculate engine compartment houses a massive 730 cubic-inch (12.0-liter) all-aluminum pushrod Hemi-head V12 marine engine manufactured by BPM in Italy. The low-hour engine utilizes stock internal components with a 4.330" bore, a 4.130" stroke, an 8.7:1 compression ratio, a solid-lifter camshaft, and a custom coolant discharge manifold. Fuel delivery is handled by a hand-built, short open-plenum intake manifold topped with three 600-cfm Holley mechanical-secondary carburetors linked by a linear throttle setup, fed via a Jaz 22-gallon fuel cell, stainless steel supply lines, a Fram filter, a Mallory electric fuel pump, and a bypass regulator. Ignition is supplied by an Electromotive crank-trigger coil-pack covered by custom covers in the firewall, wiring tucked into custom covers, script plug wire covers, while a Meziere cross-flow aluminum radiator with an integrated electric water pump, full shroud, dual electric fans, and a Flex-A-Lite variable-speed controller manages cooling. Running on 87-octane pump fuel, the V12 was dyno-tested at 620 horsepower at 4,800 rpm and 720 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm.
The engine bay firewall was moved back 12 inches in the center and 8 inches on each side to transition the weight of the V12 onto a rigid, full-length Roadster Shop chassis. Power travels through a custom Bendtsen's Speed Gems transmission adapter to a built GM 4L80E four-speed automatic transmission managed by a TCI electronic controller and a stock lock-up torque converter.
Power is sent to the rear wheels via a Ford 9-inch rear end equipped with a Strange engineering cast-iron carrier, a limited-slip differential, 35-spline axles, but gear ratio unknown. The custom-fabricated exhaust system consists of ceramic-coated headers with two-inch primaries leading into six-into-two three-inch collectors, a two-inch equalizer pipe, and dual Flowmaster Super 44 mufflers.
The upgraded chassis incorporates a Heidt's independent front suspension, a triangulated four-link rear suspension, front and rear sway bars, and QA1 aluminum coilover shocks at all four corners. Steering is managed by a modern power rack-and-pinion assembly. Stopping power is delivered by an ABS electric brake booster and an aluminum master cylinder mounted parallel to the firewall via custom linkage, which feeds stainless steel brake lines connected to Wilwood 13-inch rotors with multi-piston calipers at all four corners, complemented by an internal drum-style parking brake mechanism integrated into the rear rotors.
Photo Gallery
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Starts AtJuly 1, 2026 04:45 PDT
Comments & Bid History
All vehicle descriptions and listings are provided exclusively by the seller and are assumed accurate by the platform without independent verification. Buyers maintain the sole responsibility to satisfy themselves as to the accuracy of any description, and independent research and physical inspections must be completed prior to bidding.
The Wrench Report is generated solely for informational purposes and is based on a subjective analysis of information provided by the seller. The contents of the Wrench Report constitute a good-faith opinion only; they do not constitute mechanical advice, professional valuation, or an assurance or guarantee of the vehicle's quality, safety, or condition.
Vehicles may possess latent mechanical, cosmetic, or bodywork defects not visually apparent in photography. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all lots are sold "As-Is, Where-Is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied. The sale is conducted between the buyer and seller. Please review our full Terms and Conditions for comprehensive liability terms.
Build Sheet
- VIN: C55L041421
- 730ci (12.0L) all-aluminum pushrod Hemi-head V12 marine engine
- 620 Horsepower / 720 lb-ft Torque
- Triple 600-cfm Holley carburetors on a hand-built short plenum intake
- Built GM 4L80E four-speed automatic
- TCI electronic controller
- Ford 9-inch rear end with a limited-slip differential
- Full Roadster Shop chassis with Heidt's independent front suspension
- Four-corner QA1 aluminum adjustable coilover shocks
- Wilwood 13-inch four-wheel disc brakes with 6 piston in the front and 4 piston in the rear
- Two-tone Regal Turquoise and India Ivory paint
- "Suicide" style doors
- Forward-tilting and entirely removable front clip assembly
- 18-inch Circle Wheel billet aluminum Rally wheels
- Yokohama performance tires
- Ciadella reproduction turquoise and ivory vinyl interior
- Vintage Air A/C climate control
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It's the breaks, what happened to the viper, why did Chevy betray me thus, ...the badging.... 🪽