Pickup trucks have become daily transportation for millions in the United States, but that wasn’t always the case. With the restyle of the 1955 Chevy and GMC Task Force pickups, those utilitarian conveyances become more car-like, with wraparound windshields, twelve-volt electrical systems, and two-tone paint. The most stylish option was the Chevy Cameo with its fleetside truck bed, which was created by grafting fiberglass skins made by the same company that made early Corvette bodies onto the sides and tailgate of traditional step-side truck boxes. The handle for the tailgate was located inside the bed. Retractable cables supported the tailgate when lowered.
Bowing in 1955, the Chevy Cameo was in production through the 1958 model year. The Cameo was intended to be a classier version of the standard issue hauler, with available options like power steering, optional automatic transmission, hidden spare, and full hub caps. For its inaugural year, the Cameo was only available in two-tone Bombay Ivory with Commercial Red accents and bed. The next year, eight colors were offered with different accent and bed hues available. Just 10,230 were built over the Cameo’s production run.
Our feature Chevy Cameo is finished in an attractive turquoise with white accents and bed. It has been lovingly restored to a high standard. The chrome bumpers appear to have been recently refinished, and the stainless trim is very well polished. The chrome hubcap and trim ring adorned steel wheels have been painted to match the body, and are wrapped in wide white radial rubber. The cab corners and bed sides are accented with white panels. The interior walls of the truck bed are painted the same white shade. The floor of the truck bed is a light-stained hardwood with stainless steel strips. An optional sun visor has been fitted.
Inside the Chevy Cameo’s cab, the turquoise and white theme continues, with a two-tone dash, a turquoise steering wheel mounted on the white steering column, and the bench seat covered in a clean quilted white vinyl. The cab presents quite well, with no appreciable wear noted. The three-speed transmission is column shifted. The rearward view is unobstructed through the big rear window.
Powering the Chevy Cameo is a Small Block Chevy V8 with a chrome dress-up kit. The engine bay is tidy, with the firewall painted the same shade of turquoise as the exterior.
This clean 1957 Chevy Cameo pickup will be crossing the auction block at Mecum Auctions’ Orlando, Florida Summer Special event July 28th-31st.
Comments
It’s an art piece.
Very labor intensive to restore. Looks very good.
Looks fresh out of a ’57 dealership.
I’m dying to take a hacksaw to those tail pipes.
Me too__ certainly distracts from the clean look of the rear of the truck__
Great looking restoration job but why not have used the correct OEM upholstery?
Cameos are just never done right it seems. Incorrect Red emblem paint, incorrect mirrors, terrible diamond tuck seat when correct Cameo seat covers are readily available, terrible engine appearance vs stock, exhaust tips, I could go on and on. No one ever gets one done correct end to end. They just don’t. Mine will be the only one in America I am guessing that will be entirely right. Its a nice looking truck that needs an owner who will undo all that and make it right
owning it is moddin it
(to one’s like or knowledge).