There’s not a lot I can add to the now-familiar story of the legendary ’57 Chevy. I’d bet a dollar to a donut spin that the design and engineering teams over at the bowtie never imagined in their wildest dreams that the ’57 Chevy would become an iconic symbol of 1950’s America. And one of the most sought-after collector cars ever. The Bel Air was the top-of-the-ladder trim level for ’57 and came in seven different models. While collectors prefer the 2-Door Sport Coupe, Convertible, and Nomad Wagon, the buying public back in 1957 preferred the 4-door Sedan like we have here. Of the 720,356 Bel Air’s sold that year, 264,449 of them were 4-Door Sedans. This is one being advertised as a rare bird these days: an unrestored, unmolested, and not-monkeyed-with ’57 Chevy survivor.
For a classic car being advertised as unrestored and original, you’d think the seller would share more of its history and background, but other than having three previous owners, nothing else is mentioned. The limited photos aren’t the best, but the Chevy appears to be painted in Sierra Gold with an Imperial Ivory top and looks presentable. The seller says there are “2 bigger scratches and that’s about all the damage.” I’m not spotting rust or other issues and the glass, chrome, and trim look good for a 68-year-old car. A new set of period-correct whitewalls would make this ’57 Chevy look spiffier, but that’s just my opinion.
The Sierra Gold, ivory, and black interior looks well preserved, clean, and oh so 1950s. Based on the supplied photos, I’m not seeing excessive wear on the the attractive tri-colored seats and door panels or on the carpeting. All of the lights, gauges, and “electrics” are said to work with the only issue being a speedometer cable that broke a year ago. The seller shares that dual exhausts have been added along with an AM/FM stereo radio.
A Turbo-Fire 283-cubic inch V8 powers this Bel Air and it’s mated to a 3-on-the-tree manual transmission. Its mileage is listed as 52,000, but there’s no mention if that’s the documented original mileage or not. The seller claims that the Chevy “runs and drives great without any problems.” It’s located in Burley, Idaho, and is for sale here on eBay. This ’57 Chevy 4-Door Sedan is listed for $28,500 (or best offer) and the ad is supposed to be up until February 7. We’d like to thank Mitchell G. for sending this classic bowtie our way. I’m being Captain Obvious here, but any serious buyer would want to inspect this ’57 Chevy outside, inside, and underneath to make sure it is as advertised: an actual, unrestored ’57 Chevy survivor. A rare bird indeed.
If the underside and mechanical condition check out, I can see someone shelling out $28.5K for this. If I could do it (or, better, cheap the seller down a bit), I’d make a trip to Idaho, for sure.
About all it needs is the speedo cable — how hard can that be to change? — and ditching the plastic fuel filter. These are pretty nice drivers if not too badly worn.
Does anyone here,who’s been around for a long time.
ever remember seeing fender skirts on cars like this (other –
than at car shows)?
I haven’t.
Back in the day, skirts were not uncommon. Dealers sold them, and many were ordered from J C Whitney. Other popular add one’s were sun visors and the exposed spare tires. All fell out of fashion log ago. This is a nice looking Chevy. I have considered buying one, but I’m holding out for a 4 door hardtop model.
This looks like a 4 door and it has a hardtop.
Hard tops have no B pillar, 2 and 4 doors.
Well I do. When I bought my ’57 off the dealer showroom floor, I couldn’t order these fast enough from JC Whitney. Pretty cool for a 17 year old.
Yes, dealer option maybe, aftermarket made them for most american cars, this car is not gold it’s a copper color. 4 doors are the best show/cruise cars 5 or 6 friends more fun!
.
Nice car and only original once but for me 2 doors too many !
My dream car —no 8 foot doors and crawl-over-your-back seats. Maybe not a hardtop, but close enough!
To nit pick a little I don’t believe that radiator support/cover is original. Also the valve covers and intake should be Chevy orange (or yellow if a 265). Appears somethings were changed over the years. Still a piece of history and pretty cool.
Were the Tri-5’s designed under Harley Earl, or were they early Bill Mitchell? I’m sure someone here knows the answer. My recall is that Mr. Mitchell succeeded Earl sometime in the 1950’s. Every time I see these cars I remember huge searchlights and dealerships open until 9pm, which was only the usual practice at model introduction. Being a 1953 model myself, I’ve grown old together with the ubiquitous small block V8 – with Power Pack heads.
Tri Fives were Harley Earl all the way.
Pretty nice survivor, (if it actually is a true survivor) and probably not that far overpriced, but I’m afraid that it just has too many doors for me.
This car came to my shop. The owner was trying to sell it to me. It appeared to be very original but was quite dirty. Has an engine oil leak, probably front seal. Has a 3 speed but no overdrive. engine sounded ok but I didn’t drive it. interior was original but needs new foam on drivers side. Skirts were steel, not fiberglass. Paint on engine has just fallen off, with some orange paint on parts under grease and grime. Looked to be a 283 2bbl. Pretty nice original body and paint. Would make a good cruiser.
Thanks Casey for the close up inspection.
Of the survivor Tri-Fives, it seems the 4 door versions pop up the most. Families that bought them back in the day must have cherished the beauty of them as much as we do today.
This is a nice survivor and it might be worth the asking price to just the right person. But, it isn’t a hardtop and usually you need to have no post to get the asking price. It isn’t red or turquoise. It isn’t a power pack, doesn’t have power steering or power brakes.
Original means that there are a lot of old tired parts on it and a broken speedometer cable (why?) suggests the mileage is suspect. These lack of features suggest to me that it should be in the under 20K range.
The good news is that it is a 3 on the tree! This makes the car MUCH more fun to drive, and the added dual exhaust will give it a sporty sound.
The seller seems open to all offers and this car is definitely one to check out and put in to your garage!.
I like it a lot!!