vintage Chevrolet
Some guys love their Chevys so much that they’ll go out of their way to flush out and record every bit of their cars’ histories. Such is the case with Gene Lavine of Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Lavine is 65 going on 35. A car guy since he was 16, he served his country as a jet fighter pilot and then went on to fly for the Federal Aviation Administration. He also has a Ph.D. and now is vice president of a company that manages collections for more than 30,000 businesses.
Nineteen fifty-eight was certainly a year of change for our nation with the formation of NASA and the launching of the United States’ first spacecraft, Explorer I. This was also a year of jet power, as Douglas introduced the DC-8 that year shortly after Boeing’s 707 went into regular service, offering transatlantic flights between New York and Europe. In addition, Elvis began his service in the U.S. Army.
As we’ve come to learn, there’s something special about a ’55 Chevy, particularly when it is fitted with one of the popular Chevy engines that have become so common today. But that’s not the case when the hood is opened on this ’55. It is not the celebrated 265, or one of the more respected LS engines, or even a Chevy big block that captures your attention here. This is something different, and not a Bow Tie at all.
