For Sale: 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air in Morgantown, Pennsylvania

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-Door Hardtop

"The 1957 Chevy may be the most iconic American vehicle of the 1950s despite being outsold by more comparable full size Fords for the first time since 1935. This sales anomaly may be attributed to Chevrolet's use of tubeless tires, an innovation that was viewed with some trepidation by auto buyers. Where Chevrolet excelled was in the style department: the '57 Bel Air featured pronounced tail fins and more aircraft inspired front body treatment. 1957 brought a lower and wider Cadillac type style to the car with Chuck Jordan overseeing GM's design department. To counter the "Forward Look" Virgil Exner Chrysler designs of the day, Jordan called for taller tail fins, headlight surround vents, and bumperettes that resembled jet aircraft nose cones as key style points on the Chevy. Audrainautomuseum.org

For consignment, a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-door hardtop showing 2,352 miles, but the true miles are unknown. This is a one family car owned since new with a documented and known history and along with the restoration efforts, that information is worth its weight in gold!

Exterior
Speaking of gold, there's the trim of the Bel Air including the big V in front, the ornamental vents on the front fenders, grille, and of course, Bel Air scripted on the iconic aluminum tail fin. This car checks other boxes of classic royalty, starting with the two stage Matador Red paint contrasted by the India Ivory roof that picks up on the side wedge in pure 50's expression. While the rear wheel is mostly obscured by the streamlining fender skirt, the fronts put on quite a show with hubcaps and spinners, color matched steel wheels, and white wall tires. The face of the '57 is an artful treat for the eyes, from the bezels around the headlights, the bold chrome bumper, grille surround, and center bar that holds marker lights and crest, and the torpedo shaped hood ornaments embedded into the sheet metal and yielding twin rounded rises that taper back to the windshield. The metalwork, trim, and paint are stunning on this car and we could find no glaring exterior imperfections.

Interior
Red and black make up the interior colors beginning on the door panel with the common pebble design in the upholstery that alternates with red vinyl inserts and delineated with polished trim, and both doors present cleanly. Show quality is how we find the split bench as well with that same pattern in the inserts and red piping on the predominantly red vinyl seats, and the rear space is just as pristine. With shapes and curves and a mix of materials, the steering wheel and dash can only be described as ornate as it artfully houses the gauges, knobs, clock, and AM/FM/Cassette radio with the surround dash glistening like red lipstick had run in with lip gloss. Black loop carpet presents in nice condition and is topped by Chevy branded rubber mats, front and back, and the red headliner is high and tight. The trunk is clean, covered with a rubber mat, and housing a spare.

Drivetrain
Clean conditions are found in the bay where we have a 283ci V8, rated at 185 horsepower and fueled via a 4-barrel carburetor. Behind it, a 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission routing power to the rear axle with 3.36 gears. We note the billet and polished Wilwood brake booster onboard.

Undercarriage
We're met with a clean driver quality underside with minimal surface rust, some oil on the pan, transmission, and rear differential, along with some typical grease on the knuckles. There are a few rust through spots on the inner rocker panel that appear to be encapsulated. Dual exhaust runs through stock style mufflers and exits via chrome tips. Wilwood power brakes are configured as front disc and rear drum. Suspension consists of coil springs in front and leaf springs in back.

Drive-Ability
We set out on our ride in this legend from the 50's and find the engine is a quick starter and smooth idler. The car delivers a smooth ride with decent acceleration, fantastic visibility, and straight tracking. We note the brake lights and temp gauge are not working and the speedometer is a bit noisy. Beyond that, all functional items operate as they should and we point the dual torpedoes towards the mall and find a place in the showroom for this one to shine. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase.

If you're in the market for a Tri-Five, consider yourself lucky for stumbling upon this example. The number of original family owned cars from the 50's, let alone a '57 Bel Air, is super rare. What you get with that is a complete accounting of the car, what's been done to it, where and how it has lived all of these years. Imagine your car show storyboard for this one, tracing the car's history back to day one.

VC57B236184

V-V8
C-2400 Series
57-1957
B-Baltimore, MD Assy Plant
236184-Sequential Unit Number

TRIM TAG

STYLE 57 1037D-1957 Bel Air 2 Door Hardtop
BODY M15438-Baltimore Body #
TRIM 676-Black & Red Cloth & Vinyl
PAINT 819-India Ivory & Matador Red

Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8 acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person. There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee is not included in the advertised price.

With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy listening. You can also watch on YouTube!