LUXURY AND POWER

Bob Mazzolini built this, 1956 Buick as a tribute to the car he used to own.

- STEPHAN SZANTAI

The Chevy Tri-Five cars (1955-57) have undoubtedly captured the hot rodder’s imagination through the decades. Well-built, they offered good looks and great performance, thus landing Chevrolet products in the top sales spot in America, swapping places year to year with Ford. Buick wasn’t far behind in the ranking, being either third or fourth during the same 1955-57 period. These cars also ran potent V8s, which replaced the dated inline-eight-cylinder engines in ’53. In fact, early 322ci Buick V8s have become favorites in the traditional hot rod world.

The 1957 models have a style of their own, but ’55s and ’56s show only minimal differences. Bob Mazzolini happens to own a 1956 version, though its underpinnings have little to do with Buicks of this vintage. That year, clients could pick between four offerings: Series 40 (Special), 50 (Super), 60 (Century) and 70 (Roadmaster). This orange-and-white coupe happens to be a well-appointed Century model.

Bob traces his interest in Buicks to the year 1963 and his first car, a ’56 model. “As a senior in high school, I bought it from my parents when we lived in Montana,” he said. “I told my dad I wanted to buy a car, and he told me I might as well get his ’56 Buick for $1,000, since I already modified it!” Like many of his peers at the time, the young Mazzolini had a deep interest in automobiles, taking every opportunity to work on them, alter them, or make them go faster. These wrenching sessions eventually led to his involvement in drag racing and restoring classic cars.