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Steve Hirst, aka “Old Car Nut Steve,” was kind enough to share these photos of his wonderful 1955 Buick Century with us. This car is a real beauty and Steve has done a fantastic job restoring it but the history behind the car is what really grabbed our attention at thanks2frank.
Steve bought the car for $300.00 in San Diego in 1965. Steve was in the Navy at the time and like many young servicemen, he said he was always broke. In 1966, the ship Steve was stationed on, the USS Chicago CG-11, was being shipped to Vietnam. Before he shipped out, Steve decided to drive the Buick back here to Utah and store it at his parent’s house.
The trip from California was a rough one for the Buick. When the car lost its rear end in Las Vegas, Steve stopped and replaced it before continuing on his journey down I-15. The rear end was not the end of the cars problems on that trip because just south of Scipio, Utah the engine seized. Steve was left with no options so he sold the car to a local scrap yard for $15.
Steve got out of the Navy in 1968 but never forgot his 1955 Buick. In 1974 he started to look around for another one. On a whim, he visited the same scrap yard he sold the car to in 1966 and there sat his car. He bought the car back for $50 (not a bad storage fee for eight years) took it home and fixed it up to a point where he could drive it again.
In 1980, Steve did a full restoration on the car. The car, as you can see, is in its original factory colors, paint code BML. The top is Dover White, the midsection is Willow Green, and the bottom is Belfast Green Metallic. Steve and the car have been in two films together, This Boy’s Life and The Sand Lot. The car has also graced the cover of at least one magazine and we at Team Frank feel honored to be able to share this unique car with you here.
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