Modern classic: New 1950s Chevys built to order

Mark Phelan | Detroit Free Press

DETROIT — So you like the looks of the classic cars flowing up and down Woodward Avenue, but you're hooked on the modern reliability and convenience?

Let me introduce you to Chris Sondles. He'll build you a brand-new 1955, 1956 or 1957 Chevy, or sell you the parts to make your own.

"We're building a '55 convertible right now that has an adaptive suspension, eight-speed automatic transmission and the 680-hp V8 engine from a 2016 Cadillac CTS-V" performance sedan, Sondles said.

"It'll look like a '55, but I dare any modern sports car to pull up next to it and challenge the owner."

A hobbyist who wants to buy a kit can build his or her own car for $40,000-$45,000. Prices for finished cars start at $75,000 and end wherever the owner runs out of imagination.

He's sold about 125 from Woody's Hot Rodz, his shop in Bright, Ind., so far, and he's gearing up for more as the cars hit their 60th anniversary.

"A lot of people want the look of a 60-year-old car with modern conveniences," Sondles said.

The 1955-57 Chevys — insiders call them the “Tri-Fives,” because they shared parts and their basic engineering — are among today's most popular collector cars. Like the Ford Model T and the Ford Deuce Coupe that preceded them, when new they were plentiful, inexpensive and durable. All were popular middle-class family cars in their day.

"These cars have taken their place at the head of the table among American collector cars," Sondles said. "They're the Little Deuce Coupe of the 21st century, but with new technology we offer, they ride and drive as good as a new car."

The Tri-Fives also marked one of the peaks of American automotive design, combining the 1950s pastel palette with the tailfin shape that would reach its pinnacle a few years later.

Sondles, 43, came by his love of the Tri-Fives early. The 1957 two-door he drives to work every day was his father's car. The elder Sondles bought it when Chris was 2.

Sondles' company, Woody's Hot Rodz, has been around for more than a decade. After initially doing restorations of a variety of General Motors cars, Sondles focused on Tri-Five Chevys about three years ago. They're all he builds now.

Woody's has 10 people working in two assembly buildings, and a parts business. It currently takes about a year to fill most orders for a completed car. He hopes to reduce that to six months.