The third most popular Bel Air for Chevrolet in 1957 was the Hardtop Sport Sedan, a pillarless 4-door that accounted for sales of more than 142,500 copies. But how many of those were fitted with the exterior Continental Kit like this one, which comes with its own modern trailer for the ride home? This Adobe Beige over Sierra Gold shed find was a one-owner car before it was pulled from storage. Located now in Reno, Nevada, this interesting and non-running artifact is available here on craigslist for $11,500. Thanks for digging this tip out for us, T.J.!
The Hardtop Sport Sedan was a new body style for GM with the 1956-57 Tri-Five Chevies (it wasn’t offered yet in 1955). Chevy built more than a quarter-million of them in those two years, yet you don’t see many running around these days (too many doors for collectors?). As the story goes, this edition was inherited from its original owner and found its way into a wooden shed in the California desert sometime after 80,000 miles were added to the odometer. It’s said to be complete and is unusual not only due to its Continental Kit (we assume factory or dealer installed) but also for its rarely ordered power windows.
This Chevy has its original V8 engine, but we don’t know if it’s a 265 or 283-cubic-inch motor. The seller says the car has a manual transmission, which would be unusual given the options the car had when new. It hasn’t run in some time and we’re guessing a lot of work will be needed to coax it back to life. The buyer won’t have to bring a trailer to take his/her prize home as the car comes with a 2019 Iron Panther (no winch) that may have been used to pull the Bel Air from its indoor perch.
With any luck, rust may be at a minimum given the dry climate in California/Nevada. The paint is faded with lots of patina, but pop open the trunk and you’ll see how shiny the Sierra Gold paint once was. The interior looks to be blue, which would be an odd combination with the exterior and it’s likely the material would start to fall apart during a thorough cleaning. When this automobile was new, it must have been quite the sight running down the highway, with or without rear fender skirts!
Gold and blue, definitely an odd combination. I believe continental kits were optional, aka JC Whitney. But I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong.
I meant aftermarket, not optional
Young master got his frilly pink panties in a wad, methinks
The Continental Kit shown here was a true GM accessory, 1955-1959. No extension of the bumper, as the tire cradle simply bolted right to the bumper. This one is NOT a JC Whitney item! It’s shown in `55-`59 Chevy accessory brochures.
Well ya don’t have to get yer panties in an uproar lol. Ok, I stand corrected.
I think that interior is actually black and white but I think you are correct it will disintegrate upon touch I would be shocked if this was a manual not a power glide with all the other options on it bery cool my neighbor just sold a 4 door pillar less sport sedan due to ill health it was perfect 283 auto but not nearly as highly optioned as this one he only got 18k
I take an Edsel over a Chev anytime.
U like to walk home dont u
Never walked yet
I bought Camaros and Chevrolets once i grew up because my parents owned a 66
Mustang
That car left us stranded so many times it left an impression, a bad one
That’s your story
Cool car. Has PB and PS too. Really would be an oddity if it is indeed a 3-on-the tree, with all that and the PW. I had an original 67 Chevelle 300 Deluxe 2-door post car at one time which was a 6-cylinder 3-on-the tree, manual steering, and no radio, but it had factory AC and power disc brakes. Go figure?
One complaint — people who insist on calling actual two (or 3 or 4 or 5) owner cars “one-owner cars”. In the ad it says:
“This one-owner car was inherited from its original owner …”
Well, then it is not a one-owner car anymore, is it?
Every car is a one-owner car, until it isn’t anymore …
Well if a car was inherited by a family member, maybe that could kinda be considered a one owner, as in owned by the same family since new. But technically maybe not.
That interior looks like it was originally black and silver. Severally sun bleached. I had one when I was a kid, (I’m 80), and looked for a long time for another, settled for a 4-dr BelAir sedan. It now has a crate 350 and a 3-speed turbo 350 transmission. Other than that it’s all original, black with a black and silver interior. Love having the 4-doors!
Hey Al, I had a black ’55 convert with black and silver interior. It looked pretty cool back in the day with that interior color.
4 door! It can stay in the barn.make good parts car..
As a guy who has owned and restored these for the last 50 plus years. This car is obviously well worth the asking price, one of the best finds I’ve seen here on barn finds in a long time. Even with twice as many doors as some would prefer, I can assure you it is still very desirable and a very worthy candidate for restoration back to 100% stock. Were it not so far from me I’d be out the door to pick this one up right now.
I had a ’57 Chevy sport sedan with the outside rear door handles removed. It looked surprisingly close to a sport coupe but had a much more attractive roofline IMO.
You are late brother! Sorry
Oh, to pull open that creaky garage door and see this! How do they find these treasures?
I’ve been lucky enough to find a few in that condition. One had me cut down a small tree to get the door of the shed open. It really is a thrill to bring a car back into the sunlight after a decades long sleep.
I have a 2-door Bel Air in this color combo with just 83k original miles on the 283 power-pack engine stashed away in my garage.
The reason so many people like my Dad would go for stick shift is that if the Starter , Battery or Generator went out , you could push start the cars …One guy could do alone , can’t push start an automatic alone 🫤
can’t push start an automatic at all (old Olds Hydros, yeah)
I believe you can push start any old automatic with a rear pump.
The early power glides had a rear pump and could be push started but it was a dangerous endeavor because of the speed you had to achieve in order for the rear pump to supply enough pressure to spin the engine over. I think they eliminated the rear pump in the early ’60’s.
I think that 67 was the last year for a PG with a rear pump.
Young master got his frilly pink panties in a wad, methinks
We had two ’57 Chevys here, the family Two Ten two door sedan in Sea-Mist Green, 0 options, and a loaner Two Ten four door sedan in what I think was oxidized Glacier Blue, with India Ivory top and rear fender trim. It was also 0 option. That was a work car, to free up the 1967 Corvair two door family car, 0 options, of course. I know the four door cars are worthless to the investment crowd, but they deserve consideration, some of us still want them. This one deserves restoration.
As I get older more doors has quite the appeal to me. If you notice now a days, youngsters are buying 4 door vehicles, started way back in the late 60s’ with imported vehicles. This is a prize and then some. Yes it will take work to bring it back to glory, however you will have a very uniquely optioned vehicle, with some of the “comm on” options of the time. i.e. V-8, power steering radio, and heater. It wasn’t until about the mid 60s’ that power steering and power brakes along with radio and heater became “standard” options. Meaning the dealerships ordered the cars in with them to boost their bottom line. About 1965, you almost had to order a car with a 6 cylinder and 3 speed on the column from the dealer to get it. Or they would take some of the factory “overflow” to run as loss leaders on their weekend ads. Some on here might remember when Friday and Saturday classified ads in the paper had the big dealership ads, touting how wonderful they were and how cheap you could buy a car from them.
Always thought these were much cooler than the two doors. I recall ions ago in the early 80s as I picked things for my 64 and 59 Chevies. The one yard I frequently strolled had a black with the red/black and silver inside. The only thing left of the continental kit was the bumper piece. The car was loaded, in fact I have never seen another 57 equipped since. The car had a 283 4bbl with factory ac, ps, pb, autronic eye, power windows, seat, tissue box, and some weird ashtray thing. Like most 50s cars were I was any rust that started was finished. This car will be a solid, great piece to bring back. I hope it gets a second chance and not some high roller parts dealer.
When I was a very young child, my parents had one of these ’57 Chevy Bel Air Sport Sedans. Coming back to the suburb of Houston, Texas where we lived, from Galveston, on a trip with family friends, the Powerglide dropped into low range…at high speed on the Causeway bridge! These transmissions were fairly bulletproof, but there was a pin inside that often sheared, with this being the result. Got it fixed, after making it home safely, and they drove that car for a few more years. Four doors are becoming quite popular with the current younger group of old car enthusiasts. I was recently in Austin for the Lone Star Roundup car show, and saw several of the ’57 Sport Sedans and a regular 4 door post car as well. “More doors” are usually a little more affordable, and lots easier to haul your kids, friends, crew or pets in! Of course, this is a big reason why the 4 door pickup, with a short bed, has become the new “family sedan”…..I have a crew cab truck too, but it’s a one ton with the eight foot bed, and it does haul the freight when needed to! That’s what the trip to Austin for Roundup was in….