26k Original Miles: 1957 Chevrolet 210 Hardtop
Twelve-years-ago, this 1957 Chevrolet 210 received a repaint. Otherwise, it is a strikingly original car that has managed to accrue a claimed 26,369 genuine miles on its odometer during its entire life. It is a real survivor, and the owner has now decided that the time has come to move the car on to a new home. If you think that the right home could be yours, then you will find the Chevy located in Brownsburg, Indiana, and listed for sale here on eBay. The BIN for this classic has been set at $32,900, but maybe it would be worth the effort to take your chances and make an offer.
The lighting for these photos is a bit tricky because, from some angles, it makes the Chevy appear to be painted in a different primary shade than it actually is. However, from other angles, and from looking inside the trunk and a few other areas, it is apparent that the primary color is India Ivory with Onyx Black for the top and the side slash. If we judge what we can see, then the Chevy would seem to be in exceptional condition. The panels are arrow-straight, and the paint maintains a nice shine. The owner says that the car has no Bondo or history of prior accident damage. He says that for anyone who might have any doubts about this car, he will happily supply them with photos of the vehicle prior to it receiving its repaint. There are also no signs of any rust, and this is apparently something that goes more than skin deep. The owner says that the undercarriage is original and that it looks really nice. You look over all of the chrome, trim, and glass, and marvel at how pristine it all is. This is made all the more impressive by the fact that it is all 100% original, and none of it has ever been restored.
Powering the 210 is its original 235ci “Blue Flame” 6-cylinder engine, backed by a 3-speed manual transmission. Recently, that engine was pulled and treated to new gaskets and seals. It was then given a fresh coat of paint before being returned to its rightful home. While he was at it, the owner also fitted all new hoses and belts, the carburetor was rebuilt, new wheel bearings were fitted, along with a new exhaust and new brakes. The result is a car that is now said to run and drive well. Of course, with only 140hp at your disposal, progress tends to be leisurely in a car like this, but it should still be capable of cruising on the open road all day at 60mph. That sounds okay to me. One thing to note is that in spite of the low mileage that the owner has claimed for the vehicle, he doesn’t indicate whether he holds any evidence to verify this.
When you look around inside the Chevy you could be forgiven for believing that it has undergone restoration at some point in its life. If the listing is accurate, then what you are looking at here is completely original and unrestored. The Ivory Vinyl and Charcoal Pattern Cloth upholstery on the seats is in impressive condition for a vehicle of this age. The seat base is showing the early signs of sagging on the driver’s side, but this is extremely minor. It also looks like the cover has come loose from one of its retaining clips on the seat back on the same side. The cover has stretched towards the seat center, but I think that it could easily be brought back into shape. The rest of it looks very good, while the door trims, headliner, and dash are all close to faultless. The only other thing that I noticed is that there might be some discoloring of the armrests on the doors, but once again, it is either very minor, or it could be the same trick of the light that I mentioned earlier when talking about the exterior paint.
If everything that the owner claims about this 1957 Chevrolet 210 happens to be true, then this is a pretty special car. It is not the lowest mileage example that we have ever seen here at Barn Finds, because we had the privilege of featuring an example with less than 4,000 miles on the odometer in this article back in October of 2019. However, that vehicle was a 4-door sedan, whereas, with only 2-doors, this car has a more desirable configuration in the classic market. It might not house a V8 under the hood, but if a personal inspection reveals this car to be all that is claimed in the listing, then I suspect that it will be finding its way to a new home sooner rather than later.
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Comments
Wow, what a great car!
Perfect… without the WW.
I love me a low trim car.
What’s the story on the wheels ?
Aftermarket “smoothies” ?
I don’t mind the wide whites, but I don’t think they work well with white wheels.
I agree. They’re just too much with the white wheels. Gives it a clownish appearance. Otherwise beautiful ’57.
Found one in Northern Calif couple years ago. It was still a new car, never sold. Salmon and white. Dog dish, radio delete
$32K for a 57 2 door hardtop isn’t bad at all as long as it’s as nice as it looks in the pictures. The 6 cylinder is a disappointment for me, but I like to (at least be able to) go fast. As I get older, speed becomes less important. And whoever buys this is probably going to drive it to a show every couple weeks if it doesn’t go on or in a trailer. Getting to the show a couple minutes earlier isn’t worth changing to a V-8.
I’d still have to pull the six and bolt in a 350. If you dressed it up with the correct valve covers, manifolds, air cleaner, etc. you could make it look almost stock. You could even cut off the side motor mounts if you wanted to.
You can do a lot to a 57 without cutting anything. Mine is an original California car, my cousin bought it from the original owner in 1963. It has zero holes drilled in it or welded to it. Everything to bolt in to return to stock is sitting on a pallet rack. Right now it has a 302 69 Z/28 motor, a TH 350 transmission, late model power steering and brakes. You have to do some engineering on the transmission cross member mounts to get around welding, but it can be done.
One problem the new owner may have with this car – the thread in the upholstery will eventually fall apart and need to be replaced. My all original 62 Impala is having that problem right now. The trim on the sun visors is falling apart because the thread holding it on gave up. I don’t mind quality reproductions, but as they say “It’s only original once.”
My dream car
I dont think I have ever seen one that is Ivory White with a black top and side slash. Or any lighter color for the main body with a dark top and side slash. That looks sharp.
It makes me wonder if the black parts are the original color.
It makes me wonder if the black parts are the original color. It works!
Very sharp car!!!! As others, if I owned the wide whites would have to go, but that is minor. You would have an awful time trying to make a rusty car as good as this one for that money, so even if you are paying the $32K, still think it’s OK. Good Luck selling but ya probably won’t need it.
So hard to believe that there is still a low mileage 57 out there. But here it is. Best of luck to the new owner. Hopefully it will remain stock.
Too bad they repainted it. Mecum sold a similar unit a while back for 50K. All original paint. I think it had lower miles though.
Yea pricey, but there are so many romp romp v8 cars out there that a six with the 3 on the tree is a breath of fresh air. Cruisin’ with the unmistakeable sound of the stovebolt and the 3 speed tranny would be very cool. good Luck to the new owners. and I agree about the wide whites and white rims–black wheels and a thin ww would do it for me!
Cheers
GPC
It’s nice it’s original and not restomodded into something only a few can appreciate!! It’s definitely clean and well cared for!! The six cylinder makes it unique and dependable!! I’m in agreement with others about the white walls!! I hate white walls!! I always have a dilemma when a car is in this kind of condition to leave it alone!! After all it’s original and it’s made it that way for this long!!
Makes me wonder if the black parts are original color. Wauk, makes me wonder if the black parts are original color. Polly want a a cracker wauk. White wall will have to go, wauk. White walls will have to go.