Vehicle Description
Few things bring more joy to a Chevy enthusiast or a classic car
enthusiast in general, than the sight of a proper 1957 Chevrolet
Bel Air 2-door hardtop dressed in signal red with a contrasting
White roof and all red with black contrasts in the sumptuous and
roomy interior. This Bel Air is powered by 283 cubic inches of
small block V-8 mated to a Powerglide automatic transmission.
Excellent driving car and a perfect option for someone who is
looking to invest in a classic like this and not be afraid to drive
and enjoy it. Automotive historians have long searched for one
reason why the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air is the quintessential 1950s
American car. But there is no one reason. Rather, its status must
be credited to a unique combination of reasons, taken together.
Consider 10 elements that define, or have come to define, the 1957
Chevrolet: 1. It's a Chevrolet...traditionally, although not in
1957, America's favorite car. That puts it on first base right
away. 2. The 1957 Bel Air showcases all the major 1950s styling
cues without going overboard: Dagmars up front, headlamps below
heavy eyebrows, distinctive hood ornaments, swoopy stainless-steel
side moldings, anodized-aluminum quarter-panel trim, Harley Earl's
sexy dip below the quarter windows, a hint of fins, a betcha can't
find it gas cap location, and dual exhaust outlets (albeit fake) in
the rear bumper. Simply, it includes every major styling element
from a decade characterized by the outlandish. 3. It could have the
283-cu.in. V-8. Debuting in 1957, this engine ultimately defined
V-8s in the low-price field. Chevrolets so equipped are nimble,
with generally crisp response and good handling. The 283 V-8
responded to cheap, easy hopping up when it was introduced, and
still does. Even so, the Blue Flame Six remained well-respected.
Stovebolt power being an acceptable alternative renders every 1957
Chevrolet collectible. 4. There's factory fuel injection. While
each of the low-price three had its own V-8 by 1955, factory
hot-rodding hit its stride in 1957 with Ram-Jet fuel-injected
Chevrolets, supercharged F-code Fords and Studebaker Golden Hawks,
dual-quad Plymouths, and 327 Rambler Rebels. Fuel injection kept
'57 Chevys either up front or out front in that competitive market.
5. The 1957 Bel Air models included the original Nomad, arguably
the most attractive entry in the important 1950s station wagon
market. Its uniqueness and glamour indirectly enhances all other
1957 Chevrolets. 6. For 1957, Chevrolet's Fisher Body quality
proved better than its primary competitors. This made sure that '57
Chevys were well-liked when new, and also later, as late-model used
cars. With around 1,500,000 units built, many of today's collectors
rode in them as youngsters. These positives helped ensure that
they'd be sought after and available decades later. 7. The 1957
Chevrolets were good cars mechanically. They took abuse fairly
well, and when they did break, they were often cheaper to repair
than their contemporaries. Thus, a higher percentage of them
survived to become hobby/collector cars. 8. Operable 1957
Chevrolets were still available after a higher percentage of their
competitors had been scrapped due to mechanical issues or body
integrity. More potential hobbyists could thus afford a used '57
Chevy as their first car, and they were easy and cheap to work on.
Those experiences often initiated a lifetime passion for that make
and model. 9. Nothing succeeds like success. As soon as all the
above factors buoyed 1957 Chevrolets early on, increased demand for
reproduction parts made them readily available at competitive
prices. This, in turn, created a demand for both unrestored cars
and more parts to restore them. 10. Finally, model year 1957: the
end of an era. The industry's 1958 downer is not as fondly
remembered, and 1959 saw compact cars become permanent contenders.
When the Big Three compacts arrived for 1960, the industry mix
changed forever.
