Take a good look at this 1955 Chevy Bel Air. This pristine ride belongs to Joel Sellers, of Garden Grove, California, and it's a beautiful example of a first-year Tri Five.

Of all the details to be found on Joel's '55, the thing that stands out the most is undoubtedly its Candy Apple Red paint. The hue is deep and rich, and the gloss looks so wet you might think it was painted yesterday. However, that's not the case. Far from it, in fact. Joel tells us that this paint was applied in 2000 — it sure doesn't look like a nearly 17-year-old paint job.

To many vehicle buyers, trucks are designed for utility. They're used to tow trailers, haul heavy loads, and traverse rough trails. As a result, they often get dented, scratched, used up and disposed of at the end of their service lives. This is why it's exciting to see a classic pickup truck in beautiful condition, especially when it has been kept that way by the same owner for several decades.

"It's aliiive!" We can almost hear the cracks of thunder and see the flashes of lightning coursing through the sky as we gaze upon this vehicular beast. Like Frankenstein's monster, it's a maniacal amalgamation of parts that were never joined at birth, but the result is truly astonishing. Simply put, it's a 1968 Camaro with a massive 6.6L Duramax turbodiesel engine bulging from beneath where the hood once was.

Every journey into classic car restoration has to start somewhere, whether that's diving in head-first with a basket-case wreck from a junkyard, or starting gradually by putting a few finishing touches on a partially-completed project. For Gilbert Villegas, of Anaheim, California, this 1968 Barracuda Formula S represented the beginning of a love for working on classic cars.

Each November, many of the world's finest classic and custom cars gather at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the SEMA Show, and this year continued the tradition. Since the SEMA Show is industry-only and not open to the general public, we walked the halls and snapped photos of the incredible vehicles we found inside. For those of you who weren't able to make it to this year's show, we'll be posting some of the most interesting cars we spotted.

The first-generation Plymouth Road Runner was one of the quintessential muscle cars of the late '60s, and remains an icon of the era to this day. The long-nosed body, quad headlamps, and sweeping C-pillars offer a distinctive and memorable look.

The metallic green 1969 Road Runner seen here belongs to Joe Bahash, of Huntington Beach, California.

Gold isn't a color you see too often on cars these days, with the possible exception of the champagne color used on some luxury sedans. However, back in the early '70s, gold was a much more popular choice—even for muscle cars. This resto-modded 1971 Camaro serves as a reminder of how much gold paint can complement a classic car.

Speak to any classic car enthusiast, and you'll realize that memories are often a big part of their love for vintage cars. Seeing these vehicles during childhood, taking road trips with the family, and learning to drive—these memories stick with you, and create a personal attachment that's unforgettable.

Jesse Green, of Midway City, California, shares this sentiment. He remembers sitting behind the wheel of his older brother's 1963 and 1964 Impalas during his teenage years, and it made an impact on him. Many years later, he had the means to buy an Impala of his own, and make new memories behind the wheel, so he did just that.

Station wagons, estates, family-haulers, or long-roofs—no matter what you call them, you're probably aware that these vehicles had humble origins. Rather than tearing down the racetrack, station wagons were originally intended to transport large groups in comfort, along with all their belongings.

The term resto-mod is a portmanteau or blend of the words "restoration" and "modification". As you might imagine, resto-modded vehicles run the gamut from lightly modified classic cars to vehicles which have had almost every component replaced with modern parts. The beauty of a resto-mod is that you may not know which category the vehicle falls into at first glance—it can still look like a classic, even if it performs like a brand-new car.