Steve Martin, of Orlando, Fla., says that he grew up surrounded by cool cars from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s—like T-Buckets and roadsters. His father was an open-wheel modified driver, and cars were all Steve knew as a youngster.

It was no surprise that in the early 70’s, after he got out of the military, Steve went looking for a collector car of his own. He says that his neighbor had a ’32 T-Bucket Roadster for sale, and soon it was his new ride. And, since that very first collector car, Steve says that he has bought, fixed and sold around 40 specialty rides. His niche was with muscle cars, specifically.

But, now his pride and joy is his ’55 Chevy 2-Door Sedan that he purchased in 2005.

“My car is not as sweet as some,” says Steve. “But, it’s still the love of my life. Next to my wife, of course!”

Steve explains that it was only after consulting with his wife that he was allowed to purchase this car as a birthday present to himself.

“This one was very gruesome when I got it,” he says of the car. “In 1990, it ran the drag strip. And, after it sat in a backyard for many years, I got the car for my birthday. What a challenge it was, after having heart attacks and open-heart surgery.”

It was only six months after his surgery that Steve and his wife decided to buy this car. He says that he thought it was time for another car. And, his wife said “okay.”

He goes on to explain that as a mechanic by trade, working on his car at night is actually very relaxing.

“I do this out of love for the old cars,” says Steve. “And, it’s very peaceful doing it.”

Steve has been finding relaxation from working on the Chevy for over two years, now. What was originally supposed to be a six-month project soon became a two-and-a-half-year task.

“Thanks to many of the online magazines and various car parts places, I’ve not only brought this car back to life, but I’ve also upgraded it. I’ve done all the work myself, including doors, quarters, glass, interior, motor, rear end… ”

Steve says that he has also installed 4-wheel disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, power windows, tilt wheel, new wiring, a CD player, “and most of the creature comforts.” He says he kept the outside as original as possible, and adds that the car is still a work in progress, with the installation of an aftermarket air conditioner coming soon.

Steve says that he gets “a real sense of pride” from working on old cars.

“There’s great satisfaction when you get something looking how it’s supposed to look,” he explains.  “There’s a lot of gratification in it.”

And, Steve has every reason to be proud of his car. The Chevy has come a long way since the day he towed it home from the backyard in which it sat for years. 

Steve says that one of his most fun memories with the car was that very first day that he loaded the Chevy up on the trailer and continued on an eventful ride home.

“Every time we would go to stop, all the doors would fly open!” says Steve. “And, the car was moving all around, since it didn’t have brakes. It was a real basket case. And, that was a scary ride, bringing it home.”

“People said to junk it. But, I said ‘No, no, no!”

Today, no one tells Steve to junk his Chevy.

He says that he enjoys driving it to local shows and cruise-ins in the Orlando area. He specifically mentions visiting Old Town, Fla., which is just south of Disney, on Friday nights.

“It brings in 600 muscle and antique cars each week,” he says.

He adds that there are plenty of opportunities to drive farther out (his friends just came back from a trip to Louisville), but Steve says that he can’t drive the Chevy all over the place quite yet— else all the work that still must be completed on his car will never get done!

In the meantime, while staying local, Steve and some other Chevy enthusiasts are working on starting up a car club dedicated to old Chevrolets.

Story by: Becky McLaughlin