Classic Car

The 57 Chevy Bel Air has been called ‘the most popular car in history’ & given the reality that this Chevrolet was in reality outsold by the Ford Thunderbird the year of its launch that is some accolade. Called “the most popular car in history” the 57 Chevy Bel Aire actually wasn’t the auto most sold in 1957. But it the car that won the hearts of people & continues to win them over even 50-plus years later.

‘Baby Cadillac’ in style the 1957 Chevrolet was described in a terrific Chevrolet advertisement as ’sweet smooth & sassy’. The Chevy wasn’t only part of the American dream it was beamed into homes the world over through many TV appearances & so the 1957 Chevy Bel Aire became part of a bigger more global dream.

Was it the ultra-cool fins or was it perhaps the reality that the Chevy 57 became the vehicle of choice for every high school kid around the world in the 1960s that made these autos the collectible icons they have since become? That there were only 47,566 Bel Airs manufactured also contributes toward this Chevy’s gold like preciousness.

So exactly where did the Bel Air designation come from? In earlier years the exclusive models of the Chevrolet hardtops were nicknamed Bel Air. This stuck & Chevrolet liked it so much they launched it as its own separate model.

These Chevys were easily identified The new tail fins & the extra two & a half inches to the length gave these autos a longer lower & wider appearance. Decreasing from 15 to fourteen inch wheels in addition to a large new bumper grille combined to make them one of the most eye-catching automobiles of the 50s.

The 57 Chevy Bel Aire was originally designed in1954 for a 55 launch & was thought of at the time to be a refreshing bold new look for the manufacturer. It was a steal with a starting cost of $1095 when you consider that a subscription to a first-class car magazine almost seems to cost that at present. The most renowned model having the V-8 engine in 57 packed an incredible one horsepower per cubic inch a first for a assembly-line automobile at the time giving this vehicle speed as well as killer good looks.

The sound pouring from dual exhaust pipes of the 1957 Chevy Bel Aire became synonymous with the hum of a cat purring; cinching this was an advertisement placed in a prominent Chevrolet magazine at that time announcing to all & sundry that ‘Chevy puts the purr back in performance’. What a fabulous slogan

It is no wonder that the 57 Chevy Bel Aire went on to become one of the most collected post war cars in history.

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The best Corvette ever is the 1967 Corvette which is Sting Ray refined to the limit. The changes were again modest & it the cleanest Sting Ray. The three larger fender vents were replaced by five smaller vents a less chunky appearance from flat finish rockers & ribbing. The single backup light that was mounted above the license plate is new & unique.

The old fashioned wheel covers from previous model were replaced with slotted six inch Rally wheels with chrome beauty rings & lug nuts concealed behind small chrome caps. The interior alterations were the revised upholstery & the handbrake moved from beneath the dash to between the seats. One option is the optional hardtop is offered with a black vinyl cover.

Power trains hardly changed. The two small-block V-8s returned as did the 390-bhp big-block hulking beneath a redesigned hood scoop . But the top two 427s now developed 400 & 435 bhp with a switch to triple two-barrel carburetors. As before they differed in compression ratios 10.25:1 & 11.0:1 respectively & the solid lifters & transistorized ignition that went on the 425-bhp unit. The latter RPO L71 was also available with special aluminum heads instead of cast iron & larger-diameter exhaust valves as RPO L89 though with the same grossly understated horsepower.

This ultimate Corvette engine for 1967 was coded L88 which was an even wider L89 that was close to a pure racing engine that Chevy offered. The car came with lightweight heads bigger ports hotter cam aluminum radiator small diameter flywheel stratospheric 12.5:1 compression & a single huge Holly four barrel carburetor. The result was no less than 560 bhp again at 6400 rpm.

However there was a problem you had to use 103 octane racing fuel & this was only available at some service stations. Surely this was not an engine for the average driver. When the L88 was ordered Chevy made several individual options mandatory. Those were the positraction the transistorized ignition heavy duty suspension power brakes & RPO C48. To discourage the car from being used on the street these deleted the normal radio & heater to cut down on weight.

For additional info or questions about 1967 Corvettes please send all messages to Alex Schult at www.smokinvette.com

The 1957 Chevrolet ‘Vette almost didn’t make it to 1957 & all but did a crash & burn a few years prior. Why did this auto which has won the hearts of many come within a hair’s breath of being canceled?

Chevy initially presented the two-seater Corvette or ‘Vette’ in 1953. It was the obsession & brainchild of the celebrated designer Harley Earl. Mr. Earl had been designing for the company since the late 1920’s & at last managed to persuade Chevrolet to develop a two seater sports car to compete against the MGs Alfas & other European automobiles that were being introduced to the US market by returning GIs.