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Lost Storage: 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air 327/4-Speed

Nearly half of Chevrolet production for 1957 was the upscale Bel Air model, which meant that a lot of the buying public didn’t want Plain Jane automobiles. This extended to all body styles, including the lesser-seen 2-door post sedan. This example looks to have been meticulously restored at some point, though the seller says it will need some “tinkering” for regular use. Having lost his storage in West Linn, Oregon, the car is available here on craigslist for $24,500. Another nice tip from Barn Finder Pat L.!

Over three years, the “Tri-Five” Chevies (as they would become known as) saw the production of five million units, with 1.6 million alone in 1957. Styling-wise, these third-year cars may be the most sought after as Chevy joined the tailfin movement, though for a single year. Out of 720,356 Bel Air’s built in ’57, “just” 62,942 were the 2-door post sedan like the seller’s car, one of out every eleven built that year.

The seller’s Bel Air looks like a beautiful automobile that may need very little. The red paint presents well and there is no mention of rust. It comes across as someone’s pet project that he/she spent a lot of time and money on getting right, although not stock. The interior has been redone and the upholstery has more of a ‘90’s feel to it, showing well in beige in both the passenger compartment and trunk.

Regardless of the Bel Air’s original drivetrain, a 327 cubic-inch V8 engine now sits under the hood, a motor that Chevy didn’t begin producing until 1962. It’s paired with a 4-speed manual transmission, another deviation from stock in 1957. The car has been in heated storage since 1993 which could mean that’s the point when the seller first acquired it or began the painstaking restoration. The seller says it will need some work to be a daily driver, but why would you want to use it as such? And what “tinkering” is needed to accomplish that?

Comments

  1. bobhess bobhess Member

    Nice car. As one of few who love the drive train updates I am wondering if the asking price isn’t right on or a bit high. Either way, it all looks like quality.

    Like 9
    • Avatar Mark C

      I didn’t know either, but I guess someone liked it since it’s gone. I liked the 327/stick combo too.

      Like 5
    • Avatar ERIK

      As iconic as the ’57 Bel Air’s were and will always be, remember when in the 1990s these were fetching up to $100k then the market dropped out when those whose these were the cars of their teenaged years started dying off and those left behind were younger and not interested in a 1950’s car as they were instead buying late 1960’s muscle cars that were part of their own teenaged years. In another 10 years or so watch those prices of muscle cars drop like the pirces of these Bel Airs have. And now in the 2020s, it is the 1970’s and 1980’s Japanese marques that are seeing prices rise. Everything has a “season” and so do classic cars.

      Like 0
  2. Avatar PRA4SNW

    gone.

    Like 1
  3. Avatar Martinsane

    “Lost storage”. Uhm get new storage. Out west especially in West Linn where this car was, you can’t throw a boomerang without hitting a half dozen store mores and for $500 a month that car could have been squirreled away.
    Just be honest, you want cash and leave it at that.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Pugsy

      6 G’s a year to store? Before one knows it, time flies and they are upside down. Storage is the dumbest waste of money I’ve ever seen.

      Like 9
  4. Avatar Lowell Peterson

    Amen to storage being a waste. Use it or lose it. Painfull though it might be!

    Like 3
  5. Avatar Dave Peterson

    Crap. I’ve got to get up earlier. That was a steal in my opinion. I was hearing the whine of a Muncie while looking for the listing. Dammit.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Dave Peterson

      Sin in haste – repent at leisure. I just noticed the base brakes and post body, not hardtop. I should never post until the medicine is fully activated.

      Like 0

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