Jamie Jarvis’ 1955 Chevrolet 210 Gasser has come a long way from the dilapidated, forgotten relic that he drug out of the brush nearly two decades ago.

On the hunt for some two years for a two-door post ‘55, Jarvis was determined to find just the right car to restore into a vintage, period-correct gasser. A lucky find and thousands of hours later, that neglected shell became the foundation for a sleek, street-driven nostalgia gasser that captures the essence of 1960s drag racing while delivering the reliability to complete hundreds of miles go highway driving at drag-and-drive events. It also has the grunt to run mid-nine-second passes in the quarter-mile.

“I wanted to find a vintage gasser that I could restore, but I had given up on finding one and decided to just build my own. So I had been looking for a couple of years for this particular car to restore and was coming up empty. A friend told me about a local guy who was selling several project cars and that he had a ’55. I went out to look and it turned out to be a hard top, which was a deal-breaker for me. As I was walking out of the property I spotted the tail light of another ’55 peeking out of the brush. I literally had to crawl back in to look at it — but it was a two-door post with all of the glass broken out and about two feet of old leaves inside. I bought the car for $1,500 and drug it home. Most of the leaves and the floor were left along the road home. This car was rough but it was in my budget.”

Under the tilt carbon-fiber front end sits a naturally aspirated, high-winding big-block Chevrolet that backs up the car’s aggressive looks. Displacing 555 cubic inches, the combination was built by Pro Gass Performance, with machine work handled by Jimmy Bridges. The bottom end consists of a 4.560-inch bore and 4.25-inch stroke rotating assembly, featuring a Callies crank, Oliver connecting rods, and Wiseco pistons delivering an 11.0:1 compression ratio.

Up top, Dart Pro 1 345cc aluminum cylinder heads—assembled by Reher-Morrison and equipped with 2.30-inch intake and 1.88-inch exhaust valves—flow massive amounts of air through a Weiand tunnel-ram intake. Fueling is handled by a pair of Holley 660 center-squirter carburetors, feeding the beast through a mechanical Holley fuel pump and regulated at 7 psi. The MSD ignition system lights the fire, while Speedway fenderwell headers channel the exhaust through a 3-inch system with Flowmaster mufflers. The combination produces 871 horsepower and 768 lb-ft of torque.

Putting that power to the ground is a race-ready drivetrain built for abuse. A very nostalgia-like G-Force G5R five-speed sends power through a RAM aluminum flywheel and slipper clutch, controlled by a Long shifter. Out back, a Ford 9-inch rearend with Strange Engineering 3.60 Pro gears and 35-spline axles transfers every bit of torque to the pavement. The car launches hard, pulling a best of a 1.36-second 60-foot time on its way to a best quarter-mile pass of 9.63 at 138 mph.

Chassis-wise, Jarvis stayed true to the classic gasser formula. The nose-high stance comes from a straight-axle front suspension with leaf springs and Lakewood shocks, while the rear is supported by a 50-inch ladder bar setup and Competition Engineering three-way adjustable shocks. Wilwood brakes bring the car down from speed, and it rolls on a set of classic ET wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson rubber.

“I love that the car is just so much fun,” Jarvis says. “It is very era-correct, looks the part, and can back up the look. People can’t believe I drive the car 1,000 miles and run mid-nines on Drag Week.”

That balance between function and nostalgia was a key part of the build. While the car has evolved over the years, Jarvis has been meticulous about keeping it true to its roots. The body remains largely original, with radiused rear wheel openings to clear the big tires and a simple, Spies Hecker single-stage black paint job that he laid down himself in his home shop. Inside, the car features red and white pleated vinyl upholstery, a Moon Equipment gauge cluster, and a Moroso cable-drive tachometer. Safety upgrades include a chrome moly 8.50-certified roll cage and an onboard fire extinguisher.

For a car that gets put through its paces on Drag Week, durability is key. That was tested in August when a catastrophic failure threatened to sideline the ‘55 for the season.

“I was doing some testing and put a rod through the oil pan on the second of August. With only five weeks until Drag Week, I was afraid I was going to be out this year. My good friends Kevin and Kim Gass of Pro Gass Performance just attacked the situation. Kevin used all his connections and called in several favors to help me. After a marathon weekend, we were able to get the motor together in time for me to make it. I would not have had a chance without their help.”

It wasn’t the first time Jarvis had to thrash to make an event, and it likely won’t be the last. But that’s all part of the game when you’re running an old-school gasser at this level. Jamie’s love for cars started at an early age, and his build philosophy reflects a lifetime of learning, problem-solving, and adapting.

“I’ve loved cars as long as I can remember. Even as a small child, I remember being drawn to pictures of cars. My older sister’s husband was a car guy. He had a ’55 two-door post in red oxide primer with a nose-up stance. It had a small block and a stick, and that car was so cool! That is the car that inspired me to build my ’55,” Jarvis says.

That passion was honed under the mentorship of Darwin Allbritton, a lifelong hot rodder who passed down his knowledge of fabrication, paint, and problem-solving.

“He taught me so much, but one of the most important things was how to problem-solve without compromise when building a car. Because building a car is actually just a series of problems. He did all of the pinstriping on this car — he passed away in 2022, and I miss him every day.”

While the ’55 remains his primary focus, it’s far from the only machine in his garage. His collection includes a restored 1970 Yenko Deuce Nova, a 1969 Yenko Camaro that still wears its battle scars from decades of drag racing, and a 135-inch wheelbase front-engine dragster that’s waiting its turn to be brought back to life.

The obsession with project cars runs deep, and the 1955 is proof of that dedication. The initial build consumed an estimated 2,000 hours, but the work hasn’t stopped there. Over the years, Jarvis has continued refining, upgrading, and tweaking the car, pouring another 2,000-plus hours into making it lighter, faster, and more reliable.

Drag Week remains his main event, but he also competes in nostalgia drag racing events like the Hot Rod Reunion and the Tri-Five Nationals in Kentucky. Wherever the car goes, his 1955 Chevy turns heads—not just for its stance and the period-correct details, but for the fact that it’s a true street-and-strip machine that lives up to the gasser legend in every possible sense.

From the moment he spotted that tail light peeking out of the brush, Jarvis knew he had found something special. Sixteen years and thousands of miles later, his ’55 has become a modern-day throwback to the classic and raw nose-up gassers of yesteryear.