Occasionally, a car will appear on our desks at Barn Finds, which poses the question of whether a classic can literally be too nice to see active service. That may well be the case with this 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air “Bubbletop” Coupe. You will struggle to find anything to criticize, while its drivetrain is the most potent a buyer could order that year. Its paint and trim combination increases its desirability, and the overall impression is that it wouldn’t look out of place sitting on the showroom floor at a local Chevrolet dealership. With the hard work completed, the seller feels it needs a new home. Therefore, they have listed the Bel Air here on eBay in Windsor, California. Bidding sits below the reserve at $55,000, although there is a BIN option of $125,000 for those wishing to bypass the auction process. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder T.J. for spotting this stunning classic.
If a buyer wanted to guarantee their new 1962 Bel Air would stand out in a crowd, Tuxedo Black paint, especially when combined with Red trim, ensured it would garner attention while plying our roads. That was the choice made by this Bel Air’s original owner. The seller treated the car to a frame-off restoration, and it appears to have done little work since. They indicate it has spent most of its time since the tools were put down in a climate-controlled display, and the lack of anything remotely resembling corrosion or rust supports their claim. The panels are laser-straight, while the paint holds a beautiful depth of color and shine. The restoration included refinishing the frame while the floors wear their factory-correct red oxide. The sparkling chrome provides a stunning contrast to the acres of Black, while the wider color-coded steel wheels and dog dish hubcaps add a touch of menace. The glass is spotless, including the original tinted windshield.
Opening the hood reveals what lifts this Bel Air above mere mortal status, but it is also an aspect of the vehicle that some purists may view as its greatest weakness. The 409ci V8 is a legendary motor, and this is the range-topping version that inhales deeply through its correct dual-quad system to churn out 409hp and an incredible 420 ft/lbs of torque. It sends all that power to a 3.36 Posi rear end via a four-speed T-10 manual transmission. This Bel Air might tip the scales at 3,790 lbs, but the journey down the ¼-mile would take 12.2 seconds. I initially questioned this as a seller claim, but it is supported by data supplied by the GM Heritage Center. With so much positive news, some readers are probably questioning why this setup could potentially be a perceived weakness. Although the engine and transmission are date-code correct and sport the right peripherals like carburetors, the intake, and exhaust manifolds, it isn’t numbers-matching. That will impact the car’s potential value, but by how much is pure speculation. If someone wants it badly enough, they would be prepared to overlook that aspect in favor of slipping behind the wheel and driving off into the sunset. And that is precisely what they can do because despite it serving as a display vehicle, it is in a mechanically roadworthy state. If so inclined, the winning bidder could drive this baby home.
The original owner focused exclusively on performance with this Chevy, ordering it as a radio and heater-delete vehicle. They selected a column-mounted Sun tach, upholstery in dazzling Red cloth and vinyl with matching carpet, but that is the extent of the luxury touches. As with the rest of the vehicle, it would be fair to describe the interior as being in as-new condition. There are no signs of wear or abuse, with the wheel and painted surfaces looking perfect. The presentation is show-quality, which will probably be one of the tasks the new owner will undertake with this classic. If they do, It will surely gain attention, adding plenty of trophies to the AACA (Antique Automobile Club of America) Senior National First Prize Award trophy it scored in 2009.
I am a staunch advocate for preserving classic cars because just as our society has moved on from such icons as Flower Power and the drive-in theater, the automotive world is leaving behind large-capacity V8s in favor of hybrid technology and electrification. However, I don’t want to see the day arrive when cars like this 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air are exclusively consigned to museum duty. While the fuel to power them remains available, their rightful place is on our roads. The new owner will probably be selective about when and where they drive this amazing car, but I hope they don’t consign it to spending its life in storage. It doesn’t deserve that fate.
When you picture Chevrolet muscle, something like this comes to mind.
Just fantastic. Sinister black, 409, 4sp, friendly ring and pinion ⚙️
🙌
Beautiful 409 black/red my favorite. It looks so perfect I would be afraid to drive it. And some clown texting hits me. This is a in closed trailer Queen. Yes bring to shows and win in your class.The seller has 8d lefts now at $55,000 need over $100,000. It may happen only if a real Chevrolet person really wants it. Good luck to the seller. 🐻🇺🇸
it’s a car!! drive it!!!!!
He’d get all the money it it were numbers matching,might be a stretch but a beautiful car. 12 sec quarter for a car this heavy is quick
I seem to see so many 62-64 Chevrolets with 409’s yet almost none of them have the paperwork from the original owner to verify that the engine is original to the car and VIN’s were not yet stamped onto the engine blocks.
Nice combination.
No perfumery.
It is for those who enjoy driving.
Beautiful.
nice car is it worth 125k maybe to someone I think 75k is more realistic.
1/4 mile time of 12.2 seconds? NO WAY, my Porsche 996 turbo would be lucky to post that & mine has more hp/torq in a car hundreds of pounds lighter not to mention this has a 3.36 rear end! I would believe 14.2 on bias ply’s!
12.2 would be a race prepped car on slicks. Not off the showroom floor.
My previous comment time of 14.2 is generous & might of applied to the 409/425hp option but not with the 3.36, maybe 4.56? lol Then in the same BARN FINDS email they list a ’70 Monte Carlo 454SS w/360hp 1/4 mile time of 14.4s??? SMH
The probable reason it’s not numbers matching is because of what it is.
In the early 60s, Chevrolets with Poor Old Nines were forced to race against far superior Mopar 413 and 426 wedges and Ford 427 side oilers. These poor old nines would hit 6,000 rpm and go strait to Chevy Heaven.
I love this automobile…..Beautiful.
Life doesn’t get any better if you have this in the garage.
I don’t understand why anyone would order a car heater delete. Could it save that much weight?
If it was a Hawaii car it would make sense for heater delete because we don’t use heaters here much, it doesn’t get that cold most times of the year but I don’t think that car came from here so it must’ve been for lightweight advantage technically probably 🍻🍻
In 1962 Dyno Don Nicholson was running a ’62 with a 409 and it turned 12.84. So yeah, that 12.2 sounds it bit unbelievable.
yes I dont believe that ET with 3.36 rear end ratio
Barn Finds is down to only showing 4 cars a day now? That must be hurting your writers a lot. To say nothing of your subscribers.
God Bless America
Is there a reason for this?
Frustrating.
agreed. 1st a change over to almost all puters. Now a cut back on listings. Oh well,
This one’s a winner for us ol timers tho,
Thnx for this 1 Adam !
Does this car have aluminum body parts?
Kanak Attak, Most likely these front fenders are steel as Chevrolet only made a few pairs for racing. These are painted BLACK, and you cannot find a ripple in them. Most racers that swapped the steel front fenders for the aluminum, also changed out the steel inner fenderwells for aluminum ones. The steel front bumpers and splash pan were exchanged for aluminum too. Everything forward of the windshield was swapped out for aluminum. They would remove springs from the rear seat, order radio and heater delete, and no options, making the car a light as possible. The main goal for the “RACE ONLY VERSION” of this car was to trim as much weight off as possible and to get from the starting line to the finish line FIRST, and as quickly as possible!!!
You know,,sigh,,,I purposely held back, just to see if anyone would make the obvious reference to this car, and the clear motivation for it’s existence,,,
Let’s see,,’62 Impala 2 door,,check. 409, check. 4 speed, dual quad, positraction, check, check, check,, well,,it sure has Beach Boys all over it to me, and for good reason. That song probably accounted for a lot of sales, although, they never mentioned what year the car was. The song came out in 1962, and it was assumed it was this car. I trash the 348/409, as any kind of viable performance motor, not to say, it couldn’t be done. Kind of filled the gap until the 396, and made a stout truck motor, it’s original intention and why it was popular with racers. I too thought the 1/4 mile times were a bit optimistic, again, the motor had plenty of steam and fully capable of 12 second times, but just getting it hooked up was the issue. Probably smoke those skinny tires the whole way. Like all these mega super cars from this period, they belong in a museum. It’s a priceless piece of Americana AND music history. Not many cars can make that claim. Very cool cars.
Just a note heaters and radios were optional, not deleted on a lot of cars.
The problem with GM cars this early is without all the history/documentation it’s a expensive guessing game. I rode in a original almost 60 years ago and it was pretty cool and so is this one but…