’56 Chevy Panel Truck

This daily driver, owned by Murray Robinson, was refurbished to a high standard in the US and was purposely painted in cardinal red and Bombay white. These colours were standard in the ‘Cameo’ package offered by GM for the pick-up trucks during the Task Force period.

Unfortunately, back in 2014 it was on a car transporter that had an accident and rolled causing significant damage to the Chevy, particularly to the right-hand side. The vehicle was effectively written off and sold as such. Murray’s dad, the late Tom Robinson, bought it over the internet and had it shipped back to New Zealand.

Murray, an accomplished panel beater and painter at The Shed Panelbeaters of Foxton, was handed the job of making it whole again. Not an easy job when none of the main panel work was available, except for an aftermarket right front guard which was duly installed.

The vehicle was stripped and the panels were eased back into their ordained form, a job that took many months. Once completed, a healthy coat of the same red and white was applied and the company’s name was added for good marketing measure. This example of the panel truck is unusual as it has a passenger seat installed and most did not allow greater access to the rear and additional loading capacity.

Murray is stoked that his father got to see the final product, the truck becoming road legal a week before he succumbed to cancer. The vehicle is now a permanent fixture in the family stable with numerous V8s and other American motors.