How The Search For A Muscle Car Gave This 1965 C10 A New Lease On Life

While today’s factory hot rods might be quicker and easier to live with than the machines than defined the original muscle car era, the distinctive style and sound of Detroit iron from the 1960s and ‘70s has an allure that modern vehicles just cannot match. And for folks like Jimmy Portwood of Guntersville, Alabama, there is no substitute for the real deal. 

“I grew up during that time period, so the cars and trucks of that era have always had a special place in my heart,” he says. “Lots of drag racing, lots of burnouts. It was the thing to do back then!”

In the time since, Portwood has amassed a collection that includes a 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle SS, a ’67 Pontiac GTO, and a ’76 Ford Bronco among others, and he was recently looking to add another A-body to the stable. But as fate would have it, this immaculate 1965 Chevrolet C10 ended up snagging that spot in Portwood’s garage. 

“I’m a huge Chevelle fan, and I was actually searching for a 1970 Chevelle convertible at the time,” he explains. “I’ve purchased vehicles from Mecum in the past and I generally try to keep tabs on all of the auction sites, but we also go to a lot of shows, cruise-ins and swap meets, too. There are three or four annual events that I try to go to every year; we went to a show at Carlisle just a few weeks ago. It’s something my wife and I really love to do during the summer months.” 

Portwood tells us that while checking out some Chevelle listings on Hemmings’ site, a C10 happened to catch his attention.

“When I was growing up, my uncle had a blue ’65 C10, and I’ve always loved that body style. I had been looking for one off and on for a couple of years now, and when I saw this one on the site, I decided to put the Chevelle search on hold for a minute.” 

Introduced for the 1960 model year, Chevrolet’s C/K light duty truck line boasted radical new styling cues that set them apart from their predecessors. Features like jet-inspired air intakes, flat-top roofs, and rearward-angled A-pillars gave these trucks a sense of style and sophistication that was unprecedented at the time. Spacious cabins, significantly improved ergonomics, and a wider range of creature comforts also made C/Ks far easier to live with on a day-to-day basis than the trucks that they replaced. 

“What really struck me about this particular one was its condition,” Portwood says. “When I went out there to pick it up from the seller after the auction closed, he told me that his grandfather had bought the truck new and drove it until around 1985, when he bought another new truck. At that point they put the ’65 in their barn. When his grandfather passed, the seller’s aunt had it restored, and it was gifted to him. He said that was about seven years ago, and that these days they just weren’t getting much use out of it – they were basically just cranking it over and driving it around the block every now and then. So he decided it was time to move it on to another owner who could get some use out of it.”

Portwood says that he spotted the listing not long after it went live and placed a number of bids throughout the duration of the auction, but it was an additional $250 bump during the final minutes that put him over the top. 

While he opted to pick up the truck himself, Portwood decided to spring for Hemmings’ Pay+Title service for the additional peace of mind it offers. “This seemed like both the easiest and the safest way to get him the money,” he notes. “That way we could avoid driving around with cashier’s checks or a bunch of cash.” 

Portwood was able to pick up the truck just a few days after the auction closed, but he decided to get the truck fully dialed in before he started putting in significant seat time. 

“I noticed that the transmission was shifting kind of hard, so I wanted to get that checked out before we started taking it shows and things like that. It’s sorted out now, but cruising season is starting to wind down for the year, so we’re starting to look at what we’ll be doing with it in the Spring. And trust me, it’s going to see plenty of use.” 

While the region plays host to a wide range of local cruise-ins every year, Portwood specifically cites Cruisin’ the Coast as one of his can’t-miss events for 2025. And as for the ’70 Chevelle? He hasn’t forgotten about it. 

“That’s next on the list,” he says. “I want a convertible with A/C, and it must have documentation – a build sheet, Protect-O-Plate, or a window sticker. There are a lot of clones out here, and with a 1970 car you can’t tell whether it was a Malibu or a Super Sport from the VIN. Oh, and it has to be a big-block – either a 396 or a 454. I still like doing burnouts!” 

The post How The Search For A Muscle Car Gave This 1965 C10 A New Lease On Life appeared first on The Online Automotive Marketplace.