Updated Powertrain: 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
The Tri-Five Chevrolets of 1955 to 1957 were some of the most successful ever built by the company. 4.5 million units were sold across the 150, 210, and Bel Air product lines. The Sport Sedan was a 4-door hardtop that was added in 1956 and both the 210 and Bel Air models offered it. This ’57 Bel Air is a somewhat original Sport Sedan, with the biggest changes being under the hood. You could probably drive the vehicle the way it is and leave the patina of the Matador Red alone.
This Bel Air decodes as having been assembled with a V8 engine and buyers could have chosen from two in 1957 – a 265 cubic inch or a new 283 engine. But that motor has been replaced with a newer 350 and the 2-speed Powerglide has been switched for a 700R 4-speed automatic transmission. With a conversion from a generator to an alternator, this Chevy is likely to run better than it did when it was new.
We’re told most of the red paint is original, but the white top has been redone. And the trunk has been repainted with no signs of any damage having been repaired. The car is not quite the survivor the seller suggests, but it’s nice, nonetheless – especially the original interior. Vintage Coker tires with wide whitewalls have been added. A few things don’t work, but they’re minor like the original AM radio. But how about that cool Continental kit!
The seller isn’t widely concerned whether the car sells and if you don’t like it when you come to pick it up, don’t pay. That’s a refreshing offer, especially here on eBay where it’s listed. The current bid is $22,100 with the reserve still unmet. Other than a Bel Air convertible, Sport Coupe, or Nomad, the Sport Sedan is probably the one to have. Chevy built 142,500 of them in 1957!
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Comments
Compare this ‘57 Chevy to a Plymouth or Ford of the same year and you see why it lost the sales race. It looked old when new compared it’s longer and lower rivals. Why do you think that GM spent a fortune to finally catch up with its ‘59 models? GM was severely out of step with all of its standard models from 1957 to 1958. No amount of emotional support will change this. It’s history!
It’s a beautifully designed car. I like the upgrades to the powertrain, but can’t square that to concerns over the patina. If you’re going to upgrade/make significant changes, then re-paint the car – buyers who value originality won’t get past the changes made already. And then why not upgrade the stereo and think about adding A/C. A light resto-mod.
Nice car but the continental kit kind of takes the sportiness out of it.
I agree: if you are going to modernise the drive-train, then re-paint the car to show standards. But LOSE those blue-dots in the tail-lamps! The factory A.M. radio was a fine unit: RESTORE it! If you want to add F.M., then there are conversion units for that which play through 1400 kcs. on the A.M. band. But don’t butcher-up the interior to add stereo speakers! Listen to A.M. radio! It travels hundreds of miles, and doesn’t give the choppy effects of F.M. on the move. They’ve added so many flea-power F.M. translators, that you can’t hold an F.M. station on a trip out-of-town, anyway. Besides, other than classical music, which I enjoy, nobody plays the 1940s-1950s hits I remember best, anyway. When was the last time that you heard a 1946 popular record on the radio? Point made. As for the 1950s, you might get one of the ten most tired ’50s rock re-treads sandwiched in between the awful offensive noise of the late 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s they call, “Good Time Oldies”. Mostly, those stations play the too-modern stuff which I couldn’t stand when it came out! And if I hear, “In The Still Of the Nite”, by the Five Satins, ONE MORE TIME! “To The Aisle”, by them, was a nice record; but who ever plays it these days? When it comes to the 1950s, I prefer the earlier part of that decade, anyway. If I had the money, I’d enjoy restoring the paint, original clock and radio, and CRUISE in this car! I don’t care how it compared with Ford and Chrysler; this was one beautiful car! And I LIKE the four doors! If it was “OLD school”, then what was the 1946 Ford that I drove daily for 27 years?
Would it had hurt or been that hard or to pricey to put some orginal like Chevrolet script valve covers on ?