1957 Chevrolet Bel Air – Today’s Tempter

By: Alex Affat, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 16.09.2020

Beautiful family classic cruiser: V8, auto, great condition throughout

It’s often forgotten that there were Chevrolets of this era rolling out of the Holden factory in Sydney, as early as 1949.

Trading on their American visage of luxury and opulence, our Australian-produced Americans were actually often packaged in lower-specification to their American counterparts, and were usually only available in the most pedestrian four-door body configuration. Mechanical updates were also slow to cross the Pacific, in some cases – such as the automatic transmission – taking almost a decade.

Overseas, the ’57 Chevrolet range consisted of the top-spec Bel Air, and the mainstream 210s and One-fiftys. They were available in a swathe of body styles including two-door sedans, hardtops, convertibles and station wagons; as well as four-door sedans, hardtops and station wagons.

The base engine was a 235ci inline-six with options for 265ci and 283ci V8s.

This 1957 Bel Air is an imported American example, and comes far more heavily featured than an Australian-made example.

The listing indicates that the Bel Air is a V8 example, although not stated whether it’s the 265 or 283. It’s also an automatic example which Australian-made cars did not gain until 1959.

The car has undergone a body-off chassis refresh which included blasting and all new body mounts and suspension. The floors are original and rust free while the rest of the car shows great paintwork, excellent chrome and a near faultless interior.  

If you’re after a classic family cruiser, there’s a lot to be said for the American offerings to be found on local shores.

This ’57 Bel Air is based in South Australia, and is listed for $53,990.

Check out the full listing here!

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