Before he became famous for portraying Han Solo and set out to save the galaxy from the Empire in the Star Wars franchise, Harrison Ford was Bob Falfa. Falfa was the cowboy hat wearing, smart-mouthed, driver of a sinister, black 1955 Chevy in the cult and car classic American Graffiti. He spent most of the film roaming the streets in search of a race with John Milner’s ’32 Coupe. While it was Ford’s big screen debut, and he went on to become one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors, the cars became the real stars of the George Lucas helmed movie. Now, like most notable Hollywood stars, the American Graffiti 1955 Chevy is getting a complete facelift.

Harrison Ford as Bob Falfa in American Graffiti

The American Graffiti 1955 Chevy

While several cars stand out in American Graffiti, two in particular became famous for cruising up and down the boulevard, and of course the final showdown between Milner’s ’32 five-window Ford Coupe and Falfa’s 1955. Three 1955 Chevrolets were used for filming the movie. The primary car used in the movie is now set for a full restoration from Level One Restoration in Colorado.

The 1955 Chevy from American Graffiti is undergoing a full restoration.

The dramatic finale of American Graffiti featured the race between Bob Falfa’s 1955 Chevy and John Milner’s 1932 Ford Coupe.

Two-Lane Blacktop

If you know your movie car trivia, you may know American Graffiti was not the first starring role for this 1955 Chevy two-door 150. The car made its movie debut in Two-Lane Blacktop two years before American Graffiti. In that film, young, real-life musicians James Taylor and Dennis Wilson portray a couple of no-name dudes cruising the southwest in search of drag races at the track and along the nation’s roadways. The ’55 “shines” as the star of the movie in its flat grey primer.

Before a paint job and starring role in American Graffiti, the ’55 Chevy was in primer starring in Two Lane Blacktop.

Ready for Restoration

For such a notable movie car, it’s hard to believe that it has been through several owners, some of whom made some drastic changes along the way, including adding hydraulics to the tilt frontend.  Level One is working to take the car to its original American Graffiti glory. That does not mean perfection. As they mention, the car was anything but perfect in its movie trim. When the movie crew applied the black paint, they did not bother to paint the door jambs. Over the years, different owners made changes to the interior. Level One plans to make it movie accurate. While the car is still powered by the original 427 Chevy from the movie, changes were made, including polishing the heads. The Level One crew will take all of this back to the way it was for American Graffiti.

Follow the Progress

It appears the team at Level One Restorations has a good platform to start with. It will be fun to follow along on this restoration project. The American Graffiti 1955 Chevy is not just part of movie history, it’s an important part of automotive history. You can also watch Part II of the build. WATCH NOW