The Beach Boys have a success story worth sharing. They have sold over 100 million records worldwide, and over the course of their career—which dates back to 1961—they’ve achieved 36 “Top 40” hits. Some of the anthems the Beach Boys perform have specific ties to the automotive world, including the songs “Little Deuce Coupe” and “409.”
The carefree spirit of the 1960s was a big factor in the use of cars as prominent symbols back when those songs were written. Building on the band’s success, the “Surfer Girl” album came out in September 1963 as the third studio album from the group. Surfer Girl also happens to be the name of a car once owned by the Beach Boys’ manager. “She” is a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air two-door hardtop, and she was one of many unique collector cars sold at no reserve during a recent Barrett-Jackson auction held in Scottsdale.
The description from Barrett-Jackson says, “This example was recently refreshed with a new paint job, contrasted by all-new chrome. It also features a full interior update with gauges replaced along with bezels in the dash.”
The color combination is a striking one indeed, bringing white and orange together for two-tone paint treatment, which continues to the bench-seat interior. Special touches include Bel Air-embroidered floor mats, custom center console with cup holders, and Bowtie-branded aluminum trim extending across the face of the dashboard. While some Bel Air buyers in 1955 opted for the new 265ci small-block V8, this car was optioned with the smaller 235ci inline-six paired with a three-speed manual transmission.
The car—or should we call her Surfer Girl?—was adopted by a new owner earlier this year who is no doubt spending the summer racking up miles. Hopefully, some of those miles involve trips to the beach to catch some gnarly waves. Hang ten!
There are hundreds of unique stories like this one to be told about the cars that are sold each year at Barrett-Jackson. We look forward to seeing what the upcoming auctions will bring. Who knows—maybe there will be some other music industry tie-ins to discuss.