The golden age of Mopar design is alive and well in this 1957 Plymouth Belvedere Convertible, now listed for sale in Watsonville, California, here on Craigslist. Finished in its original colors and wearing decades of California history, this Forward Look classic has been sitting since the early 2000s but remains a remarkably complete and unmolested survivor. The seller describes it as a solid candidate for either light mechanical sorting to make it roadworthy or a full restoration worthy of its flashy tailfins and sleek lines. Thanks to Zappenduster for the tip!
The Belvedere was part of Chrysler’s famed “Forward Look” design era under Virgil Exner, which revolutionized late-’50s styling with dramatic tailfins, a lower profile, and modern proportions that left competitors scrambling to keep up. Many examples from this period have since been hot-rodded, modified, or over-restored, making survivor-grade cars like this one far more appealing to collectors who appreciate originality.
This particular car has a long ownership history, having been with the same owner since the 1970s. The seller reports it was originally purchased new at a dealership in Oakland in 1956, adding to its California credibility. The body is said to be straight, and much of the original paint is still present—something that’s becoming harder to find as these cars continue to age. Plymouths of this era were prone to rust, so prospective buyers would be wise to check rocker panels and lower quarters, but its California past suggests it may have avoided major corrosion.
Under the hood, this Belvedere retains its original 301ci V8 with the optional Power Pack, which included a four-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust—good for 215 horsepower when new. The engine reportedly turns freely but may need a carb adjustment before running reliably. A push-button TorqueFlite automatic transmission completes the period-perfect drivetrain. The seller notes that the car comes with extra parts, including taillights and hubcaps, and that it holds a clean California title with current registration.
Inside, the dashboard with push-button transmission controls remains intact, and the interior appears largely original. Upholstery work may be needed for anyone aiming for show-level quality, but for a weekend cruiser, cleaning it up and leaving it as-is would preserve its authentic patina. Sitting since the early 2000s means the brakes, fuel system, and tires will need attention before it hits the road, but it’s described as a “very complete” example that could be revived without a full restoration.
For Mopar fans, the 1957 Belvedere Convertible remains one of the more stylish and attainable icons of the 1950s. Would you enjoy this one with its sun-faded California charm, or would you take it down to bare metal for a full restoration?
Even if someone just “refreshed” the car to roadworthyness, that alone would be a mountain of work. So, at that point, you may as well go all-in and restore the car.
It might not make perfect fiscal sense, but as the first year of the Forward Look cars, it certainly deserves it.
I agree with what Rex said above. This appears to be a solid restoration candidate. And on top of all that, its a convertible. And like the old saying goes…… When the top goes down the price goes up. I was conpathis ’57 Plymouth to the ’57 Dodge a few cars down. Virgil Exner did some job on making the tail fins very different from each division, and other styling cues as well. But yet there’s still a family resemblance. This looks like a very solid restoration project. . Nice find.
13K? I’ll pass on this one.
My uncle had a Plymouth of this vintage, only a 4 door, and I remember the old man telling us not to sit next to the doors, as they were prone to pop open on big bumps. I think these had some of the poorest build quality, as I read, that due to the unbelievable want for cars, these just came down the line too fast. This is another, if it was ready to go, be no question its desireabilty, but like this, sadly I just don’t see it happening.
If one is bent on having a `57 Plymouth cvt., you can keep looking but this one at least hasn’t come apart at the seams. The only way I’d approach this one is a full frame-off. At least that should correct the factory deficiencies these had. It was sold in `56 making it an early production model. Too few of these left today to restomod the thing.
I thought it might be overpriced until the seller put in the ad that “I’ve done some research online and found that my price is totally fair”. That’s reassuring.
Steve R
Hagerty says a #4 car is worth $27,000. The subject car isn’t as good as a Hagerty #4, so maybe 13K isn’t too far off.
Maybe it is a good deal, but any time a seller unknown to you (a stranger) makes proclamation like that it should send up a red flag.
Steve R
Many of Hagerty prices are inflated, based on Auction results, not private sales, so one could be upside down money-wise if not careful. I’m going to check the “Old Car Price Guide” for their valuation for this car. Truth is, most folks don’t sell their cars at auction so once the fun is over and they want to get a different old car, one could lose more than the high auction fee if ever sell car.
I wish I was younger, had my good health and energy back, wish this was closer to Georgia, and wish I had a million dollars, so there’s that. I grew up in a Mopar family and we had a 55 plymouth, a 56 Plymouth, a 57 Desoto, a 58 Plymouth, a 57 Plymouth station wagon, a 62 Fury , and a 64 Sport Fury, 61 Belvedere convertible, and many more Mopars, so I’m accustomed to people who never had a Mopar car talking about some deficiency in Mopars that other cars didn’t have. Usually it’s some problem that we never had either. OK, enough of that, just want to get into the comments so I can follow along and get updates. I see this car as a great opportunity to get a rare car at a reasonable price. It’s complete and virtually rust free so I hope it goes to a good home.
Will Fox, it would be tough to do a frame off restoration since there is no frame. This is a uni body car. There appears to be some rust on one of the rockers. But I would not be afraid of this car. The fact that it is sitting at it’s factory ride height means the worst spot for rust is ok. (Torsion bar mounts in the crossover) In 1957 my Dad bought home my baby sister in a brand new 1957 Plymouth 4 door sedan with a 6 cylinder and 3 on the tree. (April 1957) We lived in the inner city of Chicago and many times Dad was not able to get a parking spot in front of the house. One day in late November he was not able to find the car as it had been stolen. To this day, I can’t figure out why someone would have stolen THAT car. Anyway, the insurance was for a replacement like vehicle. Dad was adamant that he get another 1957 so the replacement was a 2 door hardtop with the V8, 4 barrel carb and dual exhaust. He really liked the Exner designs, so much so that over the passing years we had 7 different 1957 Plymouths. Needless to say I am always looking when I see one, and this is the first convertible I have seen! If Dad was still with us, he would be all over this car. If the project list wasn’t already full. I would make the trek over the hill to buy this car, and fix it up in remembrance of Dad.
Full framed car. Chrysler did not start uni-bodied cars until 1960. How ever it did have torsion bar suspension, that was new in 1957,
Wrong, this is a body on frame. 1960 is when they went to unibody construction.
No unibody Plymouth before 1960
When I was 5 years old my father taught me how to take the cover off of the push button box and realign the buttons and put it back together. Since my Mom (for some reason) always wanted to pull out a button and it would then become misaligned and fall back into the box rendering the whole thing unusable. One day (in about 1989) when I was a parts and service director at a Chrysler and Ford store. I came over to the Chrysler store and all the techs were declining to work on a early ’60s Dodge with one of the push buttons fallen back into the shift box. To them it was VOODOO and were saying that the car had to be junked because there were no parts available to fix that car. Knowing that those shift boxes are indestructible I commented that I could repair the car with my eyes closed. Bets were made and they handed me a Phillips screw driver and blindfolded me. In 5 minutes the car was repaired and I was $100 ahead of where I had been a few minutes earlier.
Nice write up, and very good comments. Now for my story. A female cousin of mine who 23 when I was 16 had a really nice 1957 Plymouth Belvedere convertible. She was hot and the car was beautiful. That was 1963 and I had my first California drivers license. The car was purple with a white top. I got to drive it a few times and my cousin was blown away when I parallel parked in between two cars effortlessly. My older brother taught me the trick and it worked every time no matter what car I was driving. It had a V8 with push button and electrically operated top. We lived in the north end of the great Central Valley of California which is very dry climate yet the car did eventually brake into two parts due to rust issues. I miss both the car and my cousin (RIP) both of you.
God Bless America
I have a word for the whiners, complainers, naysayers and nuisance keyboard warriors in general. You won’t offer a constructive comment about someone’s auction, instead you enjoy tearing down others who are contributing to or participating in this hobby. Anything constructive must be outside your wheelhouse. This 1957 Plymouth is a rare convertible find in this condition and with so few changing hands your opinion on its value is unwelcome interference.
Well, we still are free to express our opinions, even if they are unwelcome or uninformed, or just plain wrong. Hopefully this right will still exist 3.5 years from now.
I doubt this little website will have a major impact on the commerce of the cars featured.
I remember going with my father and brother when he was looking to buy his first car. I was 12. We went to look at a ’57 Plymouth convertible. It had the big engine with a 4 bbl and duel exhaust. It was a monster. Red and white I recall. Another he looked at was a ’57 Ford Fairlane 2 Dr sedan. Black and yellow. Not sure of the engine in the Ford but it was a V8.
My brother, being the boring ahole that he still is bought the Ford instead of the Plymouth. That Plymouth convertible might have changed the trajectory of my automotive fondness. Who am I kidding? I’m a Cadillac Diva and always will be.
I can only remember two Mopars being in the family growing up. A 1949 Plymouth and a 1956 Dodge station wagon.
My mom had one and it was her first car. She loved it. My dad did not. He came out to find a broken torsion bar right as they were to leave on vacation. Another time a rear spring awaited him. He said the coolant was always rusty. Someone bumped into the rear end and the trim around the push button tranny fell out. Hedid buy a 61 Valiant after that , that was much better.
Yep…not seeing this is a “power pak” car but that’s kinda a mute point….nice convert !
Hi Angel! Check your email as I sent you a test email over an hour
ago. I got my phone fixed while I was at my store last night. Hopefully, everything updates okay. I was so glad to see my inbox again that I kept checking it
to see if it really works. Time to hit the sack and make ready to do it again tomorrow. Good night Dear 💋
Hey Greg, get the starch out of your shorts and have a good time
with us. Here at the barn, we’re like one big happy family. Opinions are like a-holes, everybody has one and sometimes they stink! But that’s what makes this site so .
interesting. You get all sides when it comes to talking cars here. Hey Rex, that Plymouth you show in that picture is almost the same color as the ’59 Sport Fury I owned in ’74 for awhile. It was a really sharp car with all the extras. And my Mom just loved those swivel bucket seats! Used to let my Mom borrow it when that God awful Caprice she had wouldn’t start. Bought it dirt cheap from a family friend because he couldn’t find a set of exhaust tips for it! Went down to
Reliable Auto Parts, found a set,
put ’em on, and a friend of Mom’s
bought it for $2K. Not bad money for ’74. Oh, the good old
days. Great time to be a young man then. As for this car, run for the hills folks! It’s Christine’s older bi polar cousin LOL!
2K?? I bought a 67 Thunderbird for $300 in 79, my first car with the suicide doors. It drove like a dream.
Be careful guys. I am told by the MoPar community that this is a scam. A person sent money and the seller blocked him after sending him $.
An inspection would be a very good idea. This car appears to have sunk into the ground before being rescued and Watsonville is right next to the coast. That means a ton of salt air bathing this nice car, just look at the engine bay.
Depending on the condition and cost, it would be great to see this car restored.
I’m not sure what the difference is between a ’57 Belvedere and a ’57 Coronet, but how can this be worth 13K compared to the very nice Coronet that we saw here and sold for 22.9K?
OK Ken, I can see your point and I will drop my rocks. There is quite a bit of knowledge and valuable practical experience here and I have learned a lot from many of you wise old owls!
Greg,
Who are you calling old!?!? (lol)
I’ve been told that even though I’m old, I will never grow up. I guess my mind keeps writing checks that my body can’t cash!
Owls? “Coots” is probably more like it. Or “farts”.