When Chevrolet designers were hard at work developing their all-new cars for 1958, they didn’t know the impact Chrysler’s “Forward Look” models of 1957 would have on styling. The Dodges, Plymouths, and Chryslers looked futuristic and sleek, while the Chevrolets were just bigger and bulkier. Case in point is this 1958 Chevy Bel Air Sport Sedan which is either well-preserved or restored. It was a grand design though not as modern as its Mopar counterparts. But that was more than 65 years ago, and this Chevy today looks like it needs nothing more than a new home. Offered by a dealer (we think) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, this stately Chevy is available here on eBay where the current bid is $12,058 (no reserve).
The 1958 Chevrolets would turn out to be “one-year wonders”. Due to the Chrysler influence (and help from a down economy), Chevy and the rest of General Motors put the hurry up on redoing their primary cars once more for 1959. With the new ‘59s yet again, the Chevies were lower and streamlined and gained back the tailfins they had lost from 1957 (though they would be flat and horizontal rather than vertical). Noteworthy is that the Impala was introduced in 1958 as a top-line special Bel Air and became a series of its own and product leader in ’59. It would go on to be Chevy’s best-selling auto ever.
No history is provided on this Bel Air. The Sport Sedan (aka 4-door hardtop) has a 283 cubic inch V8 paired with a 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission. Nothing is said of the combo being numbers-matching if the car is a sweet, 45,000-mile original, or if it carries an older restoration. The white paint (more of an almond color) looks great, and the interior seems to be rather tidy.
We assume the Bel Air runs as nice as it looks and the seller has provided a video link, embedded into the photo section of the photos. The Bel Air shows off a set of fender skirts in the rear, but they make the rear of the car look longer and wider (IMO). This Sport Sedan was one of 83,330 built in 1958, so the original population was generous. Yet you seldom see one anymore.
Toad, is that you in that beautiful Automobile?
What a WASTE of machinery….
58 Bel Air IMO is the best looking Chevrolet ever. Definitely looks like it belongs in Bel Air. Overall 58 GM cars had a massive heavily chromed OTT persona . GMS about face trying to catch up with Chryslers Forward Look( to me) created some awkward looking vehicles. Original GM plans for 59 were even more OTT updates on the 58 models. For me, Too Much is NEVER enough! And always felt Impala moving to top of the line was a mistake, as Bel Air personified upscale living.
Rick W. I’ve always wondered what the ditched ‘59’s were going to be. Where can I find them?
Google “1959 Buick Prototype” and you’ll see two variations: One is the original proposed 1959 Buick, created under Harley Earl, an overdone mess inspired by the 1951 LeSabre concept car. The other is the first take on the Bill Mitchell 1959 Buick. Both are far more radical than what eventually reached production, but you can see the origins of the production 1959 Buick in the greenhouse of the Mitchell prototypes. Legend has it that while Harley Earl was on assignment in Europe, Bill Mitchell scrapped the original 1959 plans in the wake of the 1957 Chrysler products. Earl returned to find the new designs well underway.
Upset at what he perceived as mutiny, he nonetheless allowed development to continue.
58 Chevy is my all-time favorite car. Much better-looking than all that garbage Chrysler Dodge or Plymouth was putting out!!!
Look at the personality in these cars!! No comparison of today mass produced
///Trash boxes////. And today they cut down on colors what gives ….Today i see a ton of black white grey .. waste no charisma. Ill drive my old truck till it is time to put it to pasture…
Amen and Hallelujah to that! And I will drive my Town Car as long as I can drive and keep it going. Today’s obsession with SUVS, crossovers and melted jelly beans are like POS cookie cutter versions of the same boring theme! Whatever happened to creative styling and CLASS?
The 55-57 designers must have retired when GM came up with this bloated, lumpy version.
Thank Goodness for retirement. Best looking chevy form 50s.
We Tri-Fives, die hard!
I remember our new 1958 4 door Chevy in the same color as this picture. Don’t remember if it was hardtop or just a sedan. My father only kept the car for a year. The heater did not work well, and the driveshafts supposedly were not balanced properly, I read decades later. I think it’s great styling and they really shine when you spot one at a car show.
Any 1958 Plymouth Fury four door hardtop made this Chevy look like a door stop. Same goes for Dodge, DeSoto, Chrysler or Imperial compare to similar GM models. GM was out of step with Chrysler and Ford design and even their sales numbers showed this! In 1959, GM would become longer, lower and wider as Chrysler and Ford did in 1957.
Rare hardtop right there…..the 1958’s along with the 1959’s didn’t stay long in the salvage world….pretty much why you don’t see them to often. Nice car here !
Oh my.. I’ve never been a big fan of these but this is so lovely! Maybe it’s the beautiful white paint or the fender skirts but this old girl is so beautiful I just can’t help myself.. I want it in my garage as a daily driver.
I loved the 1958 Chevrolet Impala and Bel Air, the moment they came out! I despised Chrysler’s “Forward Look”, and going into the 1960s, Mopars were both weird and ugly, for the most part (though the 1961 Dodge appealed to me somewhat). Chrysler Corporation returned to sanity around 1965, then offered some nice-looking cars through mid-decade up to ’67. Ford did better with the “fins”, in my view, though the ’58 was rather awful. And the ’57 Chevy was a tasteful version of the “fin” trend — blended in, did not stand out. But the 1959 G.M. cars were but hideous! They toned it down a bit for 1960, though I hated that “bubble top” in 1961. The 1962 Chevrolat was a nice-looking car: based on the ’61, it came-off much better, I thought. But 1958 was a sweet year for Chevrolet, in my view. However, they make for a better southern car — they were real rust-buckets!
1961 Chevy bubble top is one of the most sought after collector cars.