1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Restomod – LT1 5.7L V8 – 6 SPD Manual

Vehicle Location: GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49548
Auction Type: Reserve
Mileage: 1031
Engine: 5.7L LT1 V8
Transmission: 6 Speed Manual
Exterior: Black
Interior: Black
VIN: VC57A152394
Party: Dealer

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air hardtop in black over black. The car has been fully restored and tastefully upgraded throughout. Now powered by a Corvette 5.7-liter LT1 V8 mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, reliable high-performance is perfectly married with classic design excellence. The Bel Air’s new odometer reads 1,031 miles. The exterior on this Harley Earl-designed classic shines beautifully with its professionally applied black paint complemented by the characteristic mid-Fifties ample use of chrome trim.

(To best assess the quality of the paint and trim finishes, please be sure to view the close-up photographs of the car in the accompanying gallery.) Gold “”Bel Air”” and “”V8″” badging, gold “”V”” with script “”Chevrolet”” on the trunk lid, and the three gold “”front-fender louvers”” all indicate this was Chevrolet’s top-of-the-line for 1957. (The front-fender script “”Fuel Injected”” emblem would’ve appeared on a 283-engined car.)

All the other classic design cues have been retained on the car: the “”Dagmars,”” the wrap-around windshield and curved rear-cabin glass, the two aircraft-inspired distinctive hood ornaments, the swoopy stainless-steel side moldings, and the anodized-aluminum quarter-panel trim. Highly polished, mag-style 5-spoke, 16-inch, American Racing® wheels are mounted with BFGoodrich® g-force 205/50 performance tires. The car’s ride-height has been lowered slightly.

Under the hood, the engine bay is a performance enthusiast’s delight: a Corvette 5.7-liter, LT1 V8 in eye-popping trim: polished metal, billet aluminum, and custom work by Street & Performance of Mena, Arkansas abounds. All components-including air conditioning, aluminum radiator, custom air induction-are properly in place. Nothing is out of place or haphazardly positioned. Viewed from below, the chassis is clean, straight, and undamaged.

Custom racing headers, dual exhausts, spotless lower engine and transmission surfaces, added chassis bracing, and disc brakes all compete for attention. Minimal light surface rust is present on some untreated metal. The car’s original identification and information tags remain mounted. The sale includes a wealth of literature on the component parts used in the build, including a 1957 Factory Assembly Manual for the car. A variety of spare parts are also included.

Inside, virtually every surface has been re-executed while retaining all the classic factory design elements. The black-painted dashboard houses the stunning Classic Instruments® gauge cluster featuring chrome bezels. Chrome and machined-steel trim extends across the dash, and chrome-trimmed air-conditioning controls and vents are arrayed across and below the dash. A custom, 4-spoke, brushed-metal-trimmed steering wheel (with black-leather-covered rim) is in place.

A vintage-look bowtie-branded audio unit is mounted in place of the factory radio. The turned-metal-trimmed center console houses the short-shifter for the 6-speed manual transmission, the power-window switches, and an armrest adorned with an “SS” emblem. Upholstery has been re-executed in vertically pleated black leather on the door trim and rear bench seat (with embroidered-bowtie logo), while the well-bolstered Corvette front bucket seats retain their horizontal leather pattern. Fresh black carpeting covers the floors. (Please view the close-up photography in the gallery to best assess the condition of the Chevy’s interior surfaces.) The car’s trunk is very clean and home to the relocated battery and additional audio speakers.  “Classic 1957 Chevy Bel Air – Lawn Art That Burns Rubber” – superchevy.com.

Pretty much every automotive authority agrees the ’57 Chevy Bel Air merits the accolade: “”A classic.”” And there are any number of reasons for this unanimous honor. Hemmings put it this way: “”Automotive historians have long searched for one reason why the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air is the quintessential 1950s American car. But there is no one reason. Rather, its status must be credited to a unique combination of reasons, taken together.

“” They went on to imply some sort of extraterrestrial magic at work to bring the car into being: “”…all the stars somehow aligned just right behind the ’57 Chevy, and, specifically, the Bel Air. With something for everyone, is it any wonder Americans have chosen it to represent the fabulous Fifties?”