Butterscotch Pearl and Champagne—could you think of two color names that would be more fitting? Wes Cassel bought this Bel Air about four years ago after finding it online. An avid collector and builder of Chevrolets, he purchased the car and proceeded to give it a complete overhaul and breathe new life into the classic.

"I don't know how many I've owned," he said. "Hundreds of Chevys throughout the years. I had several '55s when I was 18 and 19 years old. I'm 67 now and I've had many, many Chevys of all types."

Wes and his son Andy are both Bow Tie enthusiasts. Besides the '55, Wes owns a '12 ZR1, a '38 Coupe, a '73 Corvette convertible, and a '11 Colorado V-8, while his son has six of his own. The pair helps each other out with various projects and has enjoyed bringing the '55 to car shows and taking home award after award.

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"The most memorable experience we've had with the car was the first show we went to," Wes remembers. "We won an award and many have followed."

The '55 is powered by a 385 Fast Burn 350-cubic-inch crate engine with an upgrade kit, which means it has been equipped with a hot hydraulic roller camshaft, 1.6:1 ratio roller rocker arms, and aluminum 62cc cylinder heads. The rotating assembly is comprised of a forged steel crankshaft and 9.6:1 pistons, with powdered metal connecting rods. The valvetrain is made up of stock GM pushrods and the aforementioned GM 1.6:1 ratio roller rocker arms.

A polished Edelbrock Performer RPM intake manifold and Edelbrock 1411 750-cfm carburetor handle the air/fuel chores. A Be Cool aluminum radiator and twin electric fans keep the powerplant running at a proper temperature, and a mechanical Holley fuel pump makes sure it is well-fed from the 16-gallon fuel tank from Rick's Hot Rods. Doug's 10-inch long-tube headers lead to a polished stainless steel Dynomax exhaust system. The end result is a purposeful 420 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque.

See All 9 Photos

See All 9 Photos

A TH350 automatic transmission with a shift kit was installed with a B&M Holeshot torque converter with a stall speed of 3,000 rpm. An Inland Empire Driveline polished aluminum driveshaft was also installed with a 9-inch differential and housing from Strange, a 3.23:1 gear ratio, and 31-spline axles.

Up front, the suspension consists of Heidts 2-inch drop spindles, Carrera coilover springs, a Heidts sway bar, and polished adjustable shocks lowering the car 3 inches. Heidts tubular A-arms can be found all around. And in the rear, Posies springs with a 2-inch drop (which have been relocated inward using a kit from Earle Williams Classic Chassis Works to provide room for wider wheels and tires), Carrera chrome shocks, and a Chassis Engineering sway bar have been installed.

Wilwood drilled and slotted rotors work in conjunction with dual-piston polished calipers to provide adequate braking for the Billet Specialties Bullet wheels from the Legend Series.

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Passengers ride comfortably in the heated and air-conditioned (Vintage Air) leather interior that features such amenities as Specialty Power Windows and tinted glass, Watson's StreetWorks power door lock and window switches, a Jensen stereo with pop-up video screen, and front bucket seats out of an '02 Pontiac Grand Am, and custom-made rear seat installed by Tim Chubs. Classic Instruments gauges and Quartz clock, Vintage Series tachometer, Billet Specialties Fast Lane steering wheel, and Hurst pistol grip shifter also reside in the cockpit with a Billet dash trim from Pete's Fabrications.

Now, power is obviously important. But as with many Tri-Fives, the killer looks are really what does it for many. Wes put a lot of thought into how he thought the Bel Air should appear when it was done, and he worked to ensure that the finished product would be as perfect as humanly possible.

"This car, like most all projects, was in three different body shops, all doing some work," Wes told us, "but the shop to finalize the bodywork and coat the Bel Air in Chip Foose paint was Street Vizions in Pottstown, Pennsylvania."

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See All 9 Photos

"The body is mostly stock, but all of the seams were filled and smoothed," Wes explained.

With the restoration now complete, the '55 features a smoothie bumper in the front and a station wagon-type bumper in the rear. The stock hood has been peaked and nosed, while the trunk has been decked, meaning the emblems have been removed.

Wes told us that if the right person came along, he would sell this '55 to build another one—this time fuel injected. But for the time being, Wes and Andy are just going to enjoy wracking up awards to add to their collection.