There is just something about a vintage Ford truck that pulls a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for the classic American vehicle out of you, and this one is no exception.

What we have here is a Ford ’56 Custom Cab F-100, owned by collector Bert Shaw and featured at the recent NSRA Western Street Rod Nationals in Bakersfield, California. Apart from being a classic, this truck is a rarity in itself with only 6,400 of the custom cab models produced, as well as being the first Ford F-100 model to introduce the custom cab.

The details of the custom cab puts emphasis on the big back window that wraps around providing extra lighting and visibility, and its chrome window framing that matches its bumper and rims, overall making the deep Matador red color stick out brilliantly against the trim.

Under the hood is a Chevy 350ci engine with a 350 transmission, a reliable kicker for this beauty. It has a vented hood and tailgate that compliments the overall look.

It also carries the classic ford tail lamps, a dual exit exhaust, all around disk brakes, a tilted front end that sits about six inches off the ground, and independent suspension in the front for smooth driving.

“It’s like driving in a parade every day, everywhere you see people waving and giving a thumbs up,” Burt said in an interview describing what it’s like driving around his town. It’s not every day you see a classic hot rod truck as nice as this one.

These trucks ran for about $1,900 new back when the F-100 custom cabs were first released in 1956, at the time that was a lot of money. Burt had purchased the truck a few years ago for $23,000, while it still needed some work done to it. In our interview with him he said his total investment has been around $31,000. When it comes to classic hot rods and trucks like this there is no limit to how much you can spend repairing and restoring them.