Batwing BelAir: 1959 Chevrolet 4-Speed Sedan
Generally, when the controversially styled 1959 Chevrolet hits the webpages here at Barn Finds it’s an Impala two-door hardtop or convertible. Today’s find is going to mix it up a bit as it’s a BelAir two-door sedan – a notch down from the top-drawer Impala. This Greenville, South Carolina domiciled two-toner is pretty spectacular looking. It’s available, here on eBay where the bidding has already reached $28,000 with seventeen bids tendered so far.
Regardless of the trim level, this BelAir sedan has the same unmistakable rear batwings that festooned every ’59 Chevy. It seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it design as enthusiasts fall on either side of the styling debate. I view these more favorably than I did at one time but it’s still hardly my favorite Chevrolet B-body. The listing is light on detail but the seller does suggest, “This 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air is a genuine beauty that is sure to turn heads at any car show“. I’d agree with that statement. The chrome and extensive stainless trim shines and the two-tone blue and white finish perfectly reflects the ’50s. The rally wheels work OK but they wouldn’t have been my first (or second) choice. Chevrolet had a pretty good year in ’59 moving a total of 1.4M full-size cars of which 282K were BelAir two-door sedans.
Under the pancake flat hood is a 327 CI V8 engine of unknown provenance. It’s not original as the 327 wasn’t introduced until ’62 but it’s still an appropriate choice for such a car. This Chevy is sporting a four-speed manual transmission but it’s not the born-with piece. While ’59 was the first year that a four-speed gearbox was available in the B-body, the unit employed would have been a Borg Warner T-10 and not a Muncie as noted by the seller. The seller tells us both the engine and transmission have been rebuilt and this Chevy, “runs and drives strong“.
The interior is a typical 1950s cheery striped cloth and vinyl environment – imagine finding that in a modern car. The carpet shows as a recent replacement and the substantial steel dash looks great – there’s no sign of scratches, surface rust, or deterioration. The entire interior presents a very stock vibe and needs absolutely no attention.
I’m a bit surprised at the current bidding – this Chevy BelAir appears to be in demand. The way that this car presents itself causes me to take a more favorable view of the very noteworthy-styled ’59 Chevrolet full-sizer. I like the look, how about you?
Auctions Ending Soon
2002 Subaru Impreza WRXBid Now2 days$333
1975 Chevrolet Corvette ConvertibleBid Now2 days$4,000
1964 Ford F-100 Camper CustomBid Now2 days$2,000
2006 Jeep Wrangler SportBid Now4 days$10,500
1974 Datsun 260ZBid Now6 days$750
Comments
Was originally a 3-on-a-tree… wonder what was in that engine bay when new? …That would be the same time those upper control arm bushings were.
According to the hood emblem it was a 6 cyl.
Hood says 6 cyl engine.
Repop “Impala” interior kit.
Yes because the BelAir interiors are non existent for these.The Impala obviously and the Biscayne but to this day not a BelAir
3 on the tree usually meant an inline 6
Not necessarily Dave.Three on the tree was available on all engine choices.
Where my Father was in business, northern Idaho in the late 50’s and 60’s, it was customary for dealers who had cars approaching birthday status to trade them amongst themselves, regardless of brand. For a stripper auto Rambler American, we got a beautiful black with red upholstery Impala. With the V8 and three on the tree. My memory is that both had over 300 days in stock. Yet, both were sold in a week. Change of scenery, I guess.
I actually had a Impala hardtop that I paid a whopping 100.00 for to get the red dash pad that was perfect unlike the warped. cracked, brownish thing in my convertible. That car was a 348 4bbl with a three on the column.
The VIN starts with a C indicating this car originally had a 6 cylinder engine.
Had the same car … 283, three-on-the-tree … paid $75 … belonged to the local pharmacist’s wife who rode the clutch … $20 later with new clutch, plate, and bearing and I was on the road … had great “legs” – could wind second out to about 90 … drove it from New Orleans to Chicago, where it got stolen … but I had some good times in that great big back seat … and, the trunk could hide three people for the drive-in … stuff we did back then …
I had the ‘59, 4 door, auto, 283. Paid $75 in 1973. Before pulling engine I painted it black with a white stripe down the middle and red blood splatter with, “DEAD SKUNK” written on top of trunk.
Drove it for a summer after cutting top off and used it for painting business. THEN pulled motor. Those were the days.
I’d love to have this. I had a 59 Biscayne 4 door with a 6 and an auto. I sold it when a bought a 64 Catalina convertible. I miss it. I would let my son drive it to school and skateboarding. He misses it, too. Lol
If that is the original engine, the orange colour makes it a Canadian car.
It was a 6cyl car originally!
Had several Chevy cars and trucks with orange engines, all US models as far as I know …
Needs seatbelts.
Yea. Although they weren’t mandated until 1966
Both my ’55 TBirds had them … $16 option for padded dash and seat bekts …
All cars sold in the US from January 1, 1964 had to have 2 front seatbelts. 66 added the back seatbelts by law. I think that 68 was when the middle positions also had to have them.
You are correct. My father bought a ’64 Chevrolet BelAir on July 14, 1964 and it didn’t have factory installed seatbelts so he was required to return the car to the dealership a few days later for free installation. And yes, it was just the front seat, two positions.
JO
Actually reply to Eric. You’re right about the seatbelt mandate. I’ll also add that shoulder belts were also mandated in ’68. My Dad bought a new ’68 Impala and it had them tucked in above the roof rail. I don’t think they were ever used. Lol! Too much trouble to tuck them back up there.
Roof drip rail or weather stripping over the rear drivers side window failed or failing. Substantial stain in that area of the headliner. Otherwise a great looking car.
Love 59s. Amazing the prices these command. I enjoyed years of pleasure with mine. I drove a salmon and lavender two tone Biscayne 6 with a stick 4 door sedan for years. I still have a convertible I bought in the early 80s. Fun cars to drive.
I just saw a black vert for 265K! Great thing you bought in the 80’s.
Plenty of power, love the setup 👌
Rusty water staining the headliner in several places.
I missed the headliner/ possible rust issues. I like the color scheme and the drivetrain upgrades. Two families had identical ’59s in my hometown and apparently one of the ignition keys would work in both of them because one night one of them thought his car had been stolen when he came out of ( the bar?) and his key wouldn’t start his car. Funny!
My ’59 Impalas key started my friends ’65 LeSabre, and his mine.
Wow, back in the day I use to think these cars were fugly but I like them now? Go figure, I must be getting old…..Haha!
Although I like the ’60s better I wouldn’t kick this out of my driveway. I am a big fan of the rally wheels, I think they look great here. I had a set on my ’78 Impala. Great job on the interior. About the only thing I would do besides seatbelts is upgrade that single pot master cyl. to a dual unit, maybe add a power booster. This is a big car to stop. Up to 28K now and still a day and a half left. Somebody is going to have a lot of fun.
I wonder when these started being described as “bat wings”. Was it before the Batman TV show?
When I was 10 years old in74 we had a 6cyl. 3 on tree mom could bark the tires hitting second gear,one winter dad slid off rode took out 3 wooden fence post keep going got back on road, only damage couple small creases on fender and lost the fender jet.
I like the ’59’s. You can like the Tri 5’s AND the ’59’s..’.they’ won’t kick you out of the club :)
It’s a nice build……almost subtle. The leaking drip rails and stained headliner are concerning; as what do they hide? Seller might have mentioned that but of course if you’re a real buyer you’d hotfoot it down to the car and look it over…….unless you’re just an internet flipper.
Makes an Aztek look good!
If you mean the Pontiac Aztec nothing makes that hideous disaster look good. My cousin’s wife had one in bright yellow which made it even worse.
Seems like a decent 59 but from the pix I see,needs a whole lot of TLC and upgrades.Lotsa 65 year old parts still on here.
Missing the rear Chev emblem , red, white , blue with the gold bow tie.
Gotta have that.
The Bel-Air interiors CAN be re-done correctly, however they are not a simple off-the-shelf item like the Impala one used in this car. Note that there are plain quarter trim panels since there is not an Impala 2dr sedan panel, and the 2dr ht is entirely different. SMS Auto Fabrics has the cloth for a BA, and they can also reproduce the correct BA seatback embossings as well as correct BA door panels. However, they are not an off-the-shelf pre-made item, so they take a long time to re-produce and are more expensive than an Impala “kit” interior. So, they CAN be re-produced as new, however it will take more work, money, and time than a kit. That’s why most folks go ‘on the cheap’, and use Impala items. I do not believe Biscayne items are available off-the-shelf, but
SMS can do those as well. Again, the SMS items are all custom made-to-order parts, and they are not a simple kit.
As far as GM keys are concerned, there were only so many combinations for GM keys, and if you have enough keys, you will always find one which will work. Over the years, I collected dozens of GM keys, and I could always find one which would work in a pinch. Sometimes, the were not exact duplicates, but with a wiggle or two they’d work. It did not matter the make or year of the key or lock. I believe this is true through the later sixties. Ford or Mopar keys may be similar, but there are simply fewer of them from which to choose.
Correct on the keys…..was lucky to find a trunk key for a 1965 GTO roller I bought….
Morning and thank you for the correction on this.My apologies! I have a 59 Biscayne Utility Sedan and I do know the Ciadella does the Biscayne interior.I wasn’t aware of SMS and will definitely look into that.Again,I stand corrected!
In my day all my car buddies would all try our keys in every one else’s cars. Amazing how many of them worked. I was locked out if my Checy work truck..The phone gal on the job site had a Malibu key that opened my truck right up.
Should someone find a 59 with bronze hood (fender) ornaments that would be the one my parents bought new. My dad was in the Navy and worked in the foundry on the ship so he made a set for their car. We even took it to Scotland in 1965.
All the GM cars and Mopar to for that matter were/are cool. My 59 Pontiacs have 4 wings
I like those little 59 Pontiac wings. I had a sky blue 59 Catalina convertible. That lives in Finland now and I also had a very rusty full optioned Bonneville convertible that I probably should not have junked. It was the 80s and 59 anything were really only worth money if they were nice to very nice or if you were a dum dum like me and drove them as daily rides. 59 and 60 GM is it to me. I recall the comments long ago of how that 59 would be nice if it were two years older and so on. Times they hava changed…
Ha, my Catalina is Castle blue (baby blue). Gibson used the color on a guitar. I tend to agree with ya but I am partial to 61’s also. Big mistake was letting my 61 Electra 2 door go. When I had the 61 and one of the 59’s next to it, the drastic different direction in styling was clearly evident.
On that Bonny vert-did you catch the one on BaT last year? Insanely beautiful-power wing windows even! 88K to NZ. Awesome machine.
Comment above about the start date for the front seat belt mandate is incorrect. Front belts became standard equipment in 1965 Chevrolets, but they could still be “deleted” by specifying RPO A62, which got you an $11.00 price credit. I own a couple 65’s with that option coded on the trim tag.
So front belts were not “mandated” for the entire U.S. until the beginning of the 1966 model year. (There may have been some states who were ahead of the Feds, but it was not nation-wide before that.)
Note that for the 66 model year an RPO A48 seat belt deletion was on the books, but not available on a car to be sold in the U.S.
I owned a 59 Biscayne back in 1967. Got rid of it for a 63 Impala hardtop.
I often wish I still had the 63 but wouldn’t have that ugly batwing 59 back again.
Also, about those GM keys: friends and I could start Olds Buick Chev from 1946 to early 60’s among our group.
I learned to drive stick in a 6 cyl, 3-on-the-tree ’59. I was working in a garage when I turned 16. I was told I’d get a raise when I learned to drive. Since the drivers-ed car and our family car were automatics the boss said I didn’t know how to drive. He showed me the pattern and told me to come back when I knew how to drive. A half hour later I was doing donuts in a nearby gravel parking lot. I went from $1/hour to $1,25/hour. 1971.
We had the 59 Cranbrook? Station wagon in blue, lots of family vacations in that. I still have the cooler in the basement and the set of seat belts they gave. Dad after the laws changed where he only put the front ones in, so I have a bunch of NOS seat belts dated early ’60s blue. Would love to find one of these in my price range
Possibly a “Brookwood”, “Cranbrook” is a Plymouth.