1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

Description

Great car, great colors, with a bit of a sting that's more Camaro than '50s plush cruiser, that's this 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air hardtop. With a potent 350 under the hood, a 4-speed transmission, and that fantastic Bel Air look, this is one of the finest '57s we've seen in a long, long time.

When most folks picture a '57 Chevy, I'll bet a car just like this Tuxedo Black hardtop is what they imagine. Beautifully restored to 100 % stock condition, the bodywork is quite good with a lot of extra effort spent blocking and sanding the panels, so everything is straight and shines brilliantly. Sure, it's about fifty times shinier than any 1957 paint, but that's the whole point with a glossy black Bel Air resto-mod, right? Much of the chrome, and there's a lot of it, is new, including the Bel Air anodized side panels, fresh bumpers, and the gold anodized grille. Front and rear windshields are new, there's fresh weather-stripping throughout the car, and the builder wisely resisted the urge to shave, chop, or otherwise modify the timeless design. Accessory fender skirts make it look long and low, but are totally removable (as you can see in our photos) so if you don't like 'em, you don't have to keep 'em. But from the outside, this car merely looks like a beautifully restored Bel Air.

Inside, that theme continues with brand new red and black upholstery, correct pile carpet, and reproduction door panels. The entire dash has been refinished with the stock instruments fully restored and augmented by a vintage Sun Super Tach strapped to the steering column. It might be easier to say what isn't new than to list everything that has been recently replaced, but this car is so thoroughly built that the clock still keeps excellent time and the original AM radio was converted to FM operation to keep it looking factory-correct. Modifications were kept to a minimum, but it's hard to avoid noticing that white Hurst cue ball knob and shifter atop the 4-speed manual transmission, which gives this Bel Air a bit of an attitude. Even the trunk was treated to a full restoration, with a correct rubber mat and even a brand new bias-ply spare tire and complete jack assembly.

The whole point of a resto-mod like this is to give a beautiful old car a modern soul, and that's exactly what has happened here. It includes a custom-built 350 fortified with an Edelbrock dual quad intake with a pair of 4-barrel carbs on top, as well as all-new accessories, so it runs like a new car. Long-tube headers wear a ceramic coating for longevity, and exhale into a great-sounding dual exhaust system that's subtle but authoritative thanks to period glasspack-style mufflers. The aforementioned 4-speed manual transmission feeds the stock '57 rear end, which rides on leaf springs and lowering blocks to give it a bit of a rake. Stock factory hubcaps look dazzling inside a set of 7.50-14 wide whites, further blurring the line between "resto" and "mod," and making this car look as good as it runs.

This Bel Air is everything you'd hope your next '57 Chevy would be. Fast, fun, and downright gorgeous, there are no disappointments here. Call today!