Vehicle Description
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible
Chevrolet designers were really hitting their stride in the mid
1950's with their Tri Fives, and you would arguably say the Magnum
Opus was the last model of the Tri Five era...the 57 Chevrolet. So
how exactly does one take this masterpiece of bowtie design, and
take it one step further? Something to really end up with the piece
de resistance, and stand out from the crowd a bit, but all the
while not ruining the original concept.
For consignment a piece of the piece de resistance in the form of
the banner year for the Tri Fives...the 1957 Bel Air. Fully
restored and all primed to go for a cruise down Main Street and
start turning heads. In good condition, it's like a fine wine that
has aged to perfection, and now ready to be drunk, as you will be
when you lay eyes on this beauty.
Exterior
From its toothy grille that floats between a small upper bumper and
lower large bumper complete with rubber tipped "Dagmars", to the
belt line swoop spear that makes a downward turn on the rear
quarter panel, this restoration is truly the definition of the term
"buttoned up." Dual rocket style hood embellishments are fronting
curved gentle tubes that are on either side of the hood. These run
back to the windshield where they die into the hood. Very nice
(just like the bumpers and trim) chromed headlight bezels frame the
single headlights, and nice chromed side view mirrors, door
handles, and window trim all chromed are all good. Continuing
rearward, we see an off shoot of the downward sloping spear, that
also runs to the rear of the car, and borders a horizontally ribbed
aluminum panel with a gold Bel Air badge in your grandmother's
handwriting, and cloisonne Chevrolet bowtie badge. We need to talk
about the straight steel panels all around, although gaps and
inconsistent and uneven, and covered in Colonial Cream (yellow)
paint. A black canvas convertible top is the icing on the cream if
you will and is in nearly new condition. 14 x 6 steel wheels in
Colonial Cream have standard chromed Chevrolet badged dog dish
style covers with faux knockoffs, wide whites and thin bias ply
tires.
Interior
A swing of the doors and we see metallic silver with doughnut style
pattern over yellow vinyl making up the clean door panel. Cranks
and levers are very good as is armrest. Looking inside a very clean
split bench with more of the dough-knitted silver vinyl and yellow
bolsters with button accents in yellow. The rear bench follows form
of the front seats. The dash is showroom with black painted top
dash, and mini checkered aluminum in front housing the clean and
mean gauges, wonder-bar radio, knobs for various functions, and a
clock. The original steering wheel also near perfect fronts the
50's styled dash, with another bowtie badge and more Bel Air
grandmothers handwriting. Black, clean, no stain carpet covers all
the floors.
Drivetrain
A look under the hood and I could be standing in the showroom
looking in to a totally restored 283ci Powerpack optioned engine. A
4-barrel carburetor is atop...underneath a black shiny air cleaner.
Powerglide provides the automatic transmission in a 2 -peed
form.
Undercarriage
The older frame off restoration has left the undercarriage
presentable but with some invasive rust showing in the floor pans.
Dual exhaust from the Powerpack option, and 4-wheel drum brakes are
noted nestled within this perfectly painted undercarriage.
Drive-Ability
As like the rest of the car, it runs very well, starting
immediately, shifting smoothly, and providing a smooth ride. We
tried to go topless on the drive but were met with a click of the
top motor but no movement from the mechanism. Otherwise a good
driver as expected on this front as well.
If you are in the market for the best year of the Tri-Fives, that
is really nice, then look no further because this is a great
example. Great color combo, and a fab frame off restoration from
1995, and it hasn't skipped a beat since then.
VC57T233748
VC-V8 2400 BelAir
57-1957
T-Tarrytown, NY Assy Plant
233748-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 450 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.