Well-Preserved 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
The ’57 Chevy is perhaps the most iconic and quintessential American vehicle ever produced. This one just happens to be for sale, here on craigslist, out of Cleona, Pennsylvania. Let’s take a look, and maybe a trip down Memory Lane in the process!
After 63 years, anyone who knows anything about classic and vintage automobiles knows what the ’57 Chevy was all about. Those were simpler times in America, where fins and flashy bits ruled the road. Things had settled down in other parts of the world. Wolfman Jack spun you the hottest platters, man. Drive-Ins were the place to be, and nobody wanted to be called “Square”. A couple of years earlier, The “Big Three”, as we know them today, had introduced radically different styling from the conservative, curved lines of previous times, and the American public loved it! The 1957 Chevrolet, especially in Bel Air regalia, was the ultimate “Tri-Five”, and to this day, one can buy almost every single piece for one brand-new, including complete bodies!
We turn our attention to the superb example at hand, and it’s quite impressive. The seller is a bit shy with the details, however they say that its second owner had it for 60 years, and that it wears its original paint. Pictures do say a thousand words, and though these ones are not perfect, we can get an excellent idea of the condition of this machine. We can see very shiny paint and brightwork, a very-nicely-kept interior, and relatively clean engine bay. We also see the V8 engine and automatic transmission, non-power brakes, and we presume the 73,000 miles on the ticker to be accurate. If we look closely, we can see signs and indicators that this vehicle is not perfect by any measure, but it is rather well-kept for its age.
I don’t know about you, but a car like this is one that I have wanted ever since I first laid upon one as a wee lad, many years ago. If I had the means, I’d scoop it up, tidy it up, add air conditioning, and drive it ’til the wheels fell off. I hope that someday when I grow up, I can have one of my very own.
So, that’s what I think, what do you think? Let us know in the comments!
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Comments
One of my friends had a car just like this one. I always thought that 4-door hardtops were rare with this vintage of Chevy but I was wrong. At least out west it seemed that you either had a 4-door sedan, 150 or 210, usually powered by a six, or a hardtop that always seemed to be powered by a V8. I also remember the cast iron clad Powerglide that forever seeped oil onto the floor unless you were driving it daily, or nearly so. The oil always seeped out of the torque converter to flood the transmission case and out through the breather onto the floor. I got a little education a couple of years back. I always thought that the 265 was done in the cars by ’57 but I was told that the 265 was still available in ’57. The guy told me to check the V-symbol; if it was silver it was a 265; if it was gold it was a 283. Always learning I guess…
Geomechs, you continue to amaze.
Geomechs, silver “V” was 210, gold “V”, was Belair.
I’m not going to argue with you, Wayne, but I looked at a lot of V symbols and saw a lot of silver ones on Belair models. I do admit that I never saw gold ones on 210s…
Well, I guess I’ll jump in on this too. And when I googled it, it said the silver V was on the 210 and gold on the Bel Air. But others said they had seen Bel Airs with silver Vs and I think I have too. BUT I remember being told many years ago that the silver V was for the 283 2-bbl. engine and the gold V was for the 283 Power Pack (4 bbl.) engine. But just to be sure I contacted my 1955-57 Chevrolet expert. I mean he knows EVERYTHING about them. And he has owned tons of them. I haven’t heard back from him yet but I will take his answer as the gospel for me. I’ll let you know what he says.
My first car I bought for my high school graduation was a Black 57 two door Bel Air with a 283 and automatic trans. A beautiful car. Paid
$800 for it, drove it for 4 years and sold it for $450 with a fresh overhauled engine. I went back to school so the car went. Wish I had it now!
Had one as a teen in the 70’s. Copper colored, 265, 4 barrel, Powerglide. At %
$150 it needed a bit of interior work, but back then you could walk in any fabric store and buy similar black fabric so I redid the door panels and they looked near factory. Some trim was bent, so I went to the nearby junkyard, walked through the Packards, Hudsons and Kaisers looking for replacements. It was easy because no one wanted a 4 door anything so there were several of these. Trim pieces ranged from 75 cents to a buck fifty. After a few months and a total investment of about $200 I had a nice ’57. I happen to be a ’57 model myself so am partial to these (but now have a ’48 Lincoln!)
Beautiful car with the perfect number of doors!
Well preserved example of a 57 but I really never liked this color!!
@Russell Glantz
You wrote:
“The 1957 Chevrolet, especially in Bel Air regalia, was the penultimate “Tri-Five”, ”
Sir, penultimate means the next to the last. The 1956 Chevrolet would be the penultimate Tri-Five. The ’57 would be last Tri-Five.
Good catch! Fixed it, thanks for letting me know!
I think he meant the “ultimate” tri five.
Hidden figures ……..
My favorite classic car of all time. What a beauty!
I hate to burst your bubble, but in 57 no one was listening to the Wolfman. Because in 1957 he was in the 10th grade. He graduated from high school in 1960. Nice try though. However, I agree the 57 Chevy was and IMHO is still the bomb. Had a 57 two door Bel Air hardtop with a 327 and 4 speed tranny in highschool. What a chic magnet. I kick myself every day for selling that car, but I wanted a 72 Corvette roadster. And the rest is history.
I have always loved this color; don’t know why, just do. Had a white one with red interior a few decades back. It had over 100,000 miles on it, hard miles too. Needed new exhaust, brakes and tires, but the body was nice. 283 auto, pb, ps. It was a $200.00 car.
If I could I’d get this one and like someone else said add a/c.
God bless America
I had a ’57 Chevy 210 2 door in high school that I spent every dime I had on and collected 5 tickets in one year with. I learned how to build my first engine and replaced many transmissions and axles with that car. It had several different builds and I spent many a night “cruising the loop” and street racing it.
After high school I sold it and spent a year in college before I was drafted into the Army in 1972. After returning home from basic training for Christmas I bought a pretty nice black and white 1957 Chevy Belair four door hardtop like this one for $500. I wanted to drive it down to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma from Sioux Falls, South Dakota so I would have my own wheels there. Me and two guys that I went through basic training with were assigned there too so we all took off in one night in January to drive straight through to Fort Sill. Unfortunately it blew up (the rods) just north of Omaha about 10 PM leaving us stranded at an unheated Rest Stop on I-29 for a few hours until my Dad drove down and towed us all the way to back, 165 miles, to Sioux Falls with a chain! We all had to take a flight down to Ft. Sill the next day and I gave the ’57 to my brother after my Dad got some of my money back from the seller. I ended up in Germany for the next year and a half and it was gone by the time I got back home. I still love tri-five Chevy’s and have a ’56 Handyman two door wagon now.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/q3RLAr5vm3zVBumU9
Isn’t it sad that you sometimes have to give up a special ride? Looks like you got a little bit of redemption with that ‘56. Nice car! Thank you for your service.
Thank you geomechs! Its fun to look back over the years and reminisce about the cars and the experiences I’ve had.
I’ve never understood the appeal of the 1957 Chevy. It does nothing for me, and many buyers must have agreed, since in ‘57 Ford outsold Chevy for the first time in 20 years.
A friend of mine has a gorgeous red and white ‘57 retractable. I’d take the Ford over the Chevy anytime (although I do like the ‘55 and ‘56 Chevys.)
I have to agree with you, Ken. And I am a Chevy guy! But I do like the ’57 Ford better than the ’57 Chevrolet. But the kicker is that I like the ’58 Impala better than either one of them.
I’ve had several 57’s and my grandparents had a ’58 V-8 Ford that I drove before I had a car of my own. To me the Chevy’s just felt tighter, less clunky, more responsive and solid than the Ford. The quick, high revving small block and the solid “Body by Fisher” just made them more fun to drive to me in my teenage years. I’m now 68 and my mostly original ’56 Chevy wagon with a 283 powerglide is comfortable, quiet and just glides down the road.
Love the color. The owner took really good care of her. I bet he hates to sell it.
In ’65 I had just passed my DMV test the week before & a 2 door BelAir HT shows up in the drive as my first car. Bronze/cream, 283/auto .
Somehow after a year it turned into a black/red&cream ’62 VW..?
What’s the price?
$30.000
What a find. I wish there was more information as a car that has only been driven 4000 miles since 1975 would be really unusual. There appears to be some work done to it, engine repaint, tires, underhood clean up, and the vin tag does not look original. If it is all original, then the asking price might be in line, but I would really take a hard look in person as any deviation ( actual miles?) would significantly lower the value. Plus I would really want to inspect closely for rust. Good running, clean 4 doors go for as little as 10K.
For a minute I thought I was looking at my car! This is my favorite tri-five, and in a color that probably wouldn’t look as good on any other model. About 10% of the 57’s were 4 door hardtops, but they were also just drivers so many were just worn out and scrapped. Only recently have they became a popular collectable, perhaps because they are a great looking 4 door and are so practical for families. Surprisingly, a fair amount of turquoise 4 door hardtops are listed for sale online at any time. There are 4 or 5 right now. These turquoise 4 doors are just beautiful to look at. The chrome is understated, the interiors are beautiful. Perhaps a lot of owners were struck by this and cared for them more than any other color. But are they rare? Definitely. Tens of thousands were made, but most are long gone.
In my case, I drive mine as often as possible. There is a charm to them that cannot be appreciated unless you own one. Good luck to the seller and the new owner. You will be in for a treat.
Had a 57 chev 283 stick with over drive do better then 120 in second gear black and white black and white seats beauty car
LD, gold V does definitely NOT mean powerpack. My dad had a 57 BelAir from new with gold V definitely no power pack engine option.
OK, well I guess that settles that then. Thanks!
Plus, my Tri-Five guru just texted me and said the gold Vs were exclusive to the Bel Airs while the chrome Vs were used ONLY on the 210s and 150s. So, that is what it was then.
People may be confusing chrome Vs on BelAirs with 1956. There were no gold Vs in 1956, only chrome, whether 210 or BelAir.
LD, thanks for confirming my previous posts. I’m surprised an Ozzie had to tell a yank something about their cars. I thought it would be common knowledge. But then again they were new in my childhood, so I may have had an advantage. Cheers from downunder.