I haven’t looked at a tri-five Chevy in a long time. After all of these years, there’s not a whole lot that you can add to what is one of the most popular and well-documented series of cars of all time. This review will a bit different, however, as it is covering a ’57 Chevrolet Bel Air, four-door hardtop, a model not given to the collectible throws of its two-door hardtop sibling. It’s also not a body style found too frequently. Located in Everest, Kansas is this ’57 Chevrolet four-door, “Sports Sedan”, and it’s available here on eBay for a current bid of $4,500, seventeen bids tendered so far.
Chevrolet had a banner year in ’57 selling a total of 1.5 million units of all stripes (yes, I know Ford outsold Chevy that year). Of that total, there were about 137K four-door hardtops sold, what Chevrolet referred to as a Sports Sedan, so they’re not rare, just not seen often because they probably weren’t considered desirable and thusly, not collectible.
To cut to the chase, this ’57 is a roller, no engine or transmission. There’s no telling what this Chevy originally had under its hood either as the seller doesn’t include that information and the recorded VIN, which would offer a clue, is not the VIN, it’s just a number of some kind. It’s safe to say it was a V8 so that would mean more than likely a 283 CI engine of either 185 or 220 gross HP. An automatic transmission was present with a Powerglide being the likely candidate though the Turboglide was available in its freshman year too. The seller states that this is a power steering/power brake optioned car but what is most remarkable is that it is or was, a factory A/C equipped Bel Air – the first ’57 that I have encountered so equipped. This being the case, this Bel Air was definitely V8 powered and a highly optioned car for its time. The A/C option, alone, was in excess of $400; it would be good to know how much of the original componentry is still in place.
The seller sings this ’57s rust-free praises and it does appear to be pretty much so. The underside has a bit of scale and heavy surface rust but it looks to be solid. Also indicated is the original Dusk Pearl finish, it could be original, it’s appropriately age-worn. The body panels are all in a pretty good state except for the passenger side fender which has had a run-in with something stationary, it’s bent but possibly salvageable. Most of the trim is in place but it’s not in great shape as it’s flattened or twisted, and in some cases, held on with sheet metal screws. The seller adds that some of the glass, including the windshield, will need to be replaced. He concludes that this may be a 55K mile example – that seems like a stretch.
The interior is ratty, literally as rats have been domiciled in the front seat and it looks it. The door cards, carpet/mat, and kick panels are all gone and will need to be replaced. The dashboard and instrument panel are nicely together, dirty but together – looks like the original radio is still in place too. I’d go with the assumption that the headliner is probably history.
The good? It’s not a common or popular body style, though stylish, surrounding what can be mechanically built out as desired. The bad? It’s not a common or popular body style surrounding no engine or transmission. This Chevy will be a lot of work to return to road-worthy status but it will certainly allow for its new owner’s creativity. And the fact that it was optioned as such, raises this Bel Air’s stock a bit; too bad it no longer runs on its own. Unknowns? always! I’ve asked this question before but will pose it again, any trepidation about the four-doors vs. the more popular and commonly found two? Does the “Sports Sedan” pillarless design help with its cause?
I wonder how hard it would be to make a two door out of a four door!! I think that’s the only way I’d ever get a two door version of this car!!
Tim, if you go on the HAMB (hokey @$$ message board), theres a whole tutorial and step by step series on how to change a 4 door HT to a 2 door. Not for the faint of heart, as you have to get up into the roof., and i’ve seen some guys post that a side view of the finished product shows it out of proportion. Way out of my league but would love to try it once. Good luck and stay safe!
Cheers
GPC
Most of the 2 dr to 4 dr conversions have been sedan bodies since they share the same roof. The 4 dr hardtop roofs are different from 2 dr hardtop and sedans. Not sure which the HAMB site conversion is but I’ve only seen one 4 dr hardtop conversion and it wasn’t very pretty. The rear of the roof was all out of proportion, looked jacked up.
Check out DD speed shop on YouTube, he did just that last year. On the cheap too, in his garage.
I was going to say the same thing.
Thanks guys!!!
This is the second Factory A/C 1957 I’ve seen. There was one for sale perhaps five years ago in AZ in very nice original condition with relatively low miles and extremely clean and original.
It was a Bel Air but in the 4 door sedan style. All black, with Factory A/C, twin rear antennas, one real and one for show, power steering, power brakes, power windows, power seat, tinted glass, spinner hub caps, radio, back up lights, door edge guards, bumper guards, even a trim panel at the lip of the bottom of the trunk. The singular odd equipment selection was a 6 cylinder engine! Car sold in a heartbeat. I wonder where it went.
Tim, If you want to get really crazy, I’m told that there are close to enough repo parts out there to make it into a convertible. The wheelbase is the same. They say you have to find a few convertible parts that aren’t repo’d, but it has been done.
It would cost a small fortune to do it, but it’s worth a large fortune when it’s done. I’m into original stuff, so my car will stay a 2 door HT.
That’s a really good idea Joe!! Go big or go home!! Is there a YouTube link or some photos of anyone that has done this??? I have two convertibles now a 65 galaxie 500 that was in really good shape when I bought it except for the few dents from where the old woman would hit the car when putting it into the garage!! My 65 mustang however I had to replace the whole back end of the car!! It was a mess of rust!! The top was ripped and even being in a barn the chickens would lay eggs in it and the chicken poop was an inch thick in some spots!! This was the only way I could afford to own one!! Sweat equity!!
Same seller that had the 60 Chevy Impala flat top sedan a while back. I saw the 60 a couple weeks ago on a trailer heading north on I35 pulled by a truck with Minnesota plates.
These were beautiful cars and I would never go to so far as to say I would prefer it as much as a 2dr hardtop but to me optioned out with all the added and offered options of the day I have always desired one even as much as a 2dr. There are more factory a.c. optioned ones out there than one might expect. I have a friend in Miss. that aquired a 57 BA 4dr sedan with a.c. and most all the accesories of the one Art mentions it was a 6 cyl also fairly low mileage car and he jerked the engine and replaced it with 283 which I know is more desirable but a sacrement to me for such a rare car. It had to be so low production that to me the value change would not be above its as is rarety value but to each its own. Too many other buildable 2drs out there to sacrifice such a nice example a rare car as this 4dr hdtp. to converting to anything other than what its is. Wish I were not so old I would love to bring it back and would not be that big a task. My fondest memories for the only 57 experience was my mom bought a beautiful 57 BA 4 door sedan in early 59 a local car in a small Miss town with 18000 miles factory 283, 4 barrel power pak dual exhaust and theTurbo glide of which we knew the original owner. No other power options pretty unusual for the day. It was not a drag car with the turbo but it would fly. I guess that is why it survived had it been a stick or powerglid I would have destroyed it at 16. They owned it until 76 when they traded it for their oly ever new car a ne 76 Impala 350. The 57 only less than about 80,000 miles and all origina car with no ever damage. Don’t know why I did not buy it for it would have been my only chance at owing a decent 57. Such are life’s dreams, for I have long surpassed my life dream of ever owning my dream car a 58 Impala.
The Dusk Pearl Metallic paint you reference is what is under the “blurple” that was put over it. That’s the color under the flaking paint on the trunk lid. Original color is a light pink. Must be a bunch of these in Kansas as in the early ’80s a customer asked us to find a ’57 for them and restore it. In OKC at the time so went north to Kansas to find one. They were all over the state, a lot with factory air, and we tripped over a one owner 4 door sedan that literally needed nothing more than paint and fluid changes. It had the dealer installed AC and a tube type garage door opener in it. Took off most of the trim to paint it properly. That was the biggest challenge as it took forever to put it back on. Counted 11 different types of clips holding everything together. We got a good deal on the car as the 92 year old lady who owned the car said “it was getting too wide for her garage door”.
Interesting that we perceive these as uncommon, yet this is the fourth ’57 Sport Sedan featured this year.
Not as uncommon as many think. I have a 56 wagon and 57 2 door post and belong to several 55-57 Chevy groups with as many 4 door members as 2 door. 4 doors offered a lower price entry level for many but in recent years their prices have risen drastically.
If I had the time I would love to restore this car to what my Dad had new when I was a kid. He replaced a ’55 210 2 door with a new ’57 210 4 door Sport Sedan when I was 4 years old. I still remember the “New Car ” smell when he brought it home. He special ordered the car in “Caribbean Turquoise” with a Grey & White interior. It had rubber floor mats through out because he said I was notorious for getting in the car with muddy feet when I was a kid. He ordered it with a 220 Horse single 4 barrel, dual exhaust “Power Pack” option, “3 on the tree” with a 3.73 rear end. I remember standing on the drive shaft tunnel in the back seat trying to hold on when he pulled away from a stop in 1st gear…I couldn’t do it and I would get thrown against the back seat!! He was a store Manager for Goodyear and I remember the first thing he did was put a set of Goodyear “Double Eagle” 4 ply Nylon “White Wall” tires on that car…8.25 x 14 with “Captive Air” blow out shields. He sold it in ’61 when a recession hit the economy. My Dad will be 90 next month and doesn’t drive anymore…if he did I would be tempted to re do that car just like the one he had. Great memories for me in that old ’57. I remember as a kid how fast it was compared to most other cars.They were cool looking cars not having the door pillar between the front and rear…especially with the windows down.
Love the 4 doors over this 8-foot-crawl-over-your-back monstrosities!
Retromod this(engine, brakes, A/C, etc) with its beautiful lines and that would be my dream car
Give Dad a hug for all of us who no longer can, John.
“throes” – not “throws”
This is when too many doors are cool. Please don’t make a two door out of it. My friend had a parts car 57 Nomad that had factory air. It was blue.Today someone would restore it instead of using it for parts.
Had the designers treated the rear door window frames of the Sport Sedan to Sport Coupe Bel-Air polished radius trim for the transition from the roof line to the door surface, the Sports Sedan would have been an equal to the two-door Bel-Air.
Where’s the gold “V” missing from the hood?
V meant V8, so what do we have here.
What do we have here? A front clip (at least the sheet metal) from a different car (a 6 cylinder) by the looks of the paint/patina. But I think this is an attractive body style, MUCH more attractive that the 4 door sedan, or, the 2 door sedan.
I’m not sure about this and i hate auctions. I would buy this car for a bit less and slowly make some decisions once it was in my possession about which way to go with it. One consideration would be to go whole hog, Art Forestman chassis with air bags, power windows (Johnson Controls) and either a V-8 or a 3800 V-6 which should have enough power with a 4 speed automatic. Vintage A/C, with the controls where they are, and if the original color was pink, so be it. Make it look showroom and use it as a driver. With the stupid drivers currently on the road, if someone hits this the parts are everywhere and generally not high priced. I forgot a Ididit tilt wheel. And 15″ wheels; the car had 14″s originally and I have no idea why.
Probably cost. Very dumb.
Always find a 4 door hardtop more of a custom look and sexier. A friend has his grandfather’s beautiful ’57 4 door hardtop Belair. He talks about his nieces and nephews captivated by playing with manual crank windows! His is a radio-delete V8 powerglide model.
The smaller wheels for ’57 were so they could claim it was lower than the ’56 which used exactly the same chassis, suspension, and basic body.
I love 4 Door Hardtops.I had a twin to this one about 15 years ago but no AC,283 stick on the tree.Neat car.Sold it during the 2008 meltdown.I now have a 59 Impala Sport Sedan.They’re just cool cruisers
Personally I always thought the 56-57 four door hardtops had better lines than the 2 drs.
I don’t know about better but just as good.
42 years ago my high school buddy bought a 57 Sport Sedan. We lived in CT. and this was a California car and still had the black plates . It was a V8 auto, and was faded olive with a black/silver interior – One day he was removing a paint flake by the rear glass and found that the original color was pink ! Back then it was something to make fun of , but now I wish I could find that car
I prefer the 4 door sport sedan over any other body style for the ’57 Chevy. Not sure why, but I do.
If this is as solid as it appears, this could be made into a really nice cruiser. I wouldn’t mind having one like it.