The Perfect Trade

For Bob Squillari, This ’56 Chevy’s Blend of Old-school Looks and Modern Upgrades Strikes a Sweet Balance

- Richard Prince

Back in 2010, Bob Squillari wasn’t looking for a ’56 Chevy but didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger when the beautiful example featured here found him. “I was selling a ’34 Ford three-window hot rod and was contacted by a gentleman who wanted to do a trade,” he explains. “He had several different cars but the one that caught my attention was a 1956 Chevy with a big-block engine. He sent me photos of the ’56 and it was love at first sight so we made a deal and a few days later the ’34 Ford was gone and the ’56 Chevy was in my driveway!”

The car hobby is certainly not immune from sellers who exaggerate or outright lie and we all know of instances when buying or trading for an out of state car without going to see it first results in profound disappointment after it arrives. Thankfully, however, that was not the case with the Ford-for-Chevy trade. “The car was very accurately described with a laser straight body and awesome black paint,” Squillari recalls. “It needed a few things because it hadn’t been driven very much in the nine years since the initial build was completed, but it ran great and the overall quality of the workmanship was extremely high.”