The 1955-57 era Chevrolets are iconic now and enthusiasts refer to them as the “Tri Five Chevies.” Over the course of three years, nearly five million of them rolled off the assembly line, which has helped with the survivor population some 65 years later. This ’57 Bel Air is a 4-door sedan, which was the most popular body style of the most popular model that year (the 150 and 210 Series rounding out the mix). The seller is a photographer, and the car has appeared in quite a few of his projects. The car calls picturesque Deer Park, Washington home (for now) and is available here on eBay where the bidding is up to $2,075, with the reserve still lurking about.

Despite that some collectors view the ’57 model as more desirable because of its styling, it actually represented fewer sales than either the ’55 or ’56 – but not by much. 1,555,316 full-size (and the only size) Chevrolets were built that year, with 264,449 of them being the family-oriented Bel Air 4-door sedan, like the seller’s car. So, a lot of people were following Dinah Shore’s advice and seeing the USA in their Chevrolet! I had one just like this Bel Air during high school and only paid $10 for it without a reverse gear; the forward gears quickly followed suit. What a tank it was!

1957 was the first year for the 283 cubic inch V8, up from 265 in 1955-56. That’s what’s under the hood of this car and the seller says it drives really well. There is no mention if it has been rebuilt or – for that matter – whether it’s original, but the car does what it’s supposed to do. The engine is paired to Chevy’s venerable 2-speed Powerglide. The odometer is said to be approaching 100,000 miles.

For those into patina, this car has plenty of it. It looks to have been green when the paint was new, but it has something of a turquoise hue to it now. Not seeing much in the way or rust or corrosion, although a small patch appears in a place on the driver’s side floorboard. The interior is more or less worn out and someone may have started to redo it as the door panels and other trim are off, but available for the next owner. The seat covers are mostly duct tape now, the repair material of choice for just about anything! The Chevy looks like it’s wearing a set of wheel covers from a 1965-ish Impala Super Sport.

The average resale value of a ’57 Bel Air sedan is $28,400 and Fair is about $10,000 less. So, depending on where the bidding stops, there should be some room to redo the passenger compartment and slap some new paint on the car, although the patina lovers out there will say to leave that part alone! (thanks Larry D for another great tip!)