57 Chevy Review: All You Need To Know About This Model

The 57 Chevy is popularly known as one of the best classic cars to own today and a pop culture icon that can be found in some movies. The 1957 dates back to September 1956 and is a sleek classic sedan, convertible, coupe or station wagon.

Released by General Motors, this car was an ideal choice for anyone that wanted to cruise in style and experience luxury features, but today, it works better as a collectible. In this review, we cover all the details of the ’57 Chevy, its features, and its history, so take a closer look!

What Is the 1957 Chevy?

The 1957 Chevy is a vehicle that was introduced by Chevrolet under General Motors for the 1957 model year. It consisted of three series of cars, which included the Bel Air, Two-Ten and One-Fifty. The model year consisted of different body types, engines, optional luxury features and other options.

The Chevy Bel Air was the upscale option, which included a two-door station wagon called the Nomad. Then, the Two-Ten 2-door sedans were called Delray, which was an upscale trim option. Both the Nomad and Delray models are highly sought after as vintage cars, although most collectors have restored the vehicles to their original condition, modified or enhanced it.

The 1957 Chevy was also a popular option in pop culture, as it has been used in toys, music, graphics, television and movies. It is commonly called the ’57 Chevy or the “auto-icon.” It’s important to note that the car was not as popular when it was first released in 1956, but it later increased in fame, especially as a classic car.

The 1957 Chevy was inspired by the 1955 model year, which introduced the first V8 engine in the Chevrolet in 1918. The famous small-block V8 engine made the car pretty popular, which worked as the company was looking to dominate drag racing and circle track racing. Due to this, the 1957 Chevrolet also came with the V8 engine and some other similar features.

Features of the 1957 Chevrolet

The 1957 Chevrolet consisted of 2-door and 4-door models, diverse engine and transmission options, and different optional features to make the car luxurious and comfortable. In terms of sales, the 1957 Chevy wasn’t as popular as General Motors expected. The car was designed by Clare M. Mackichan in 1954.

• Engine and Transmission

There were four standard engine options with the 57 Chevrolet. These include the 235.5 cubic-inch inline 6-cylinder, 265 cubic-inch V8 Turbo Fire, 283 cubic-inch V8 Turbo Fire twin-barrel carburetor and 283 cubic-inch Super Turbo Fire four-barrel carburetor. These engines produced 140, 162, 185 and 220 horsepower, respectively.

Chevrolet had to differentiate the 265 cubic-inch V8 engine in the 1957 model from the engines in the 1956 and 1955 models, as they were all the same type. So the 1957 engine was painted bright yellow-green, while the 1956 was red and the 1955 was orange. By November 1956, the color was changed to orange.

Aside from the standard engines, there was an optional engine on the 1957 Chevrolet. This was the 283 cubic inch engine fitted with two four-barrel carburetors, a Duntov cam, solid lifters and up to 283 horsepower. This allowed the carmakers to achieve an impressive power of 1 horsepower per cubic inch in their vehicle.

The car comes with a 3-speed manual transmission, Powerglide automatic transmission and Turboglide automatic transmission. But the 57 Chevy was known for having poor fuel economy. Fuel injection was an option throughout the 1960s, but mechanics did not have the necessary experience to run the units.

• Body Styles

The 1957 Chevy also offered multiple body choices that drivers could choose from.

Here are the body styles of the car:

• 2-door and 4-door sedans designed with pillars between the door windows
• 4-door hardtop called a Sports Sedan
• 2-door Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad station wagon. This was designed with a sloped pillar at the back of the hardtop door, unique rippled roof sheet metal, sliding windows at the rear seat and lower roofline height
• 4-door six-passenger station
• 2-door convertible
• 2-door Sport Coupe with a hardtop
• 2-door Utility Sedan without a rear seat
• 2-door Handyman station wagon available in One-Fifty and Two-Ten models
• 2-door sedan with Two-Ten called the Delray Club Coupe
• The 4-door station wagon that can accommodate nine passengers
• 4-door station wagon for six passengers

The 1957 Chevrolet was also called Baby Cadillac at the time of its release because it had some design features that you can find in the Cadillac. Also, the 4-door hardtop came with a reinforced rear roof structure. Furthermore, the cars with a V8 engine had a V design on the hood and trunk lid, either gold or silver-colored chrome depending on the trim.

• Optional Luxury Features

The 57 Chevy was a luxurious sedan, station wagon, coupe or hardtop, which is why there were so many upscale options available. There was air conditioning and a padded dash, but a lot of buyers did not ask for this option. Other options were power steering, power brakes, power antenna and AM radio. Drivers could get power windows and power seats too.

Another optional feature was the rear speaker which you could purchase, but it needed a separate volume knob on the dashboard. Most people complained that the speaker was making a surround sound. The Autronic eye was another offering, and this was a device that could dim the headlights when light was coming from oncoming traffic.

One unique option was an electronic shaver that was connected to the dashboard. Then, there was a traffic light viewer, which was a ribbed plastic visor installed on top of the speedometer. It allowed drivers to view the traffic lights without having to lean forward. The car also came with a lock which was electrically self-wound.

By 1957, Chevrolet added different safety features like padded dashboards, seat belts, crash-proof door locks, a safety-styled steering wheel with a recessed hub, and shoulder harnesses. But there wasn’t a lot of promotion around these luxury features, so some drivers did not know about it.

• Other Specifications

One of the most important specifications of the 1957 Chevy was the turbine transmission, which was the first from Chevrolet. But most buyers preferred the two-speed automatic transmission, which had been available on Chevy cars since the 1950s. So the turbine transmission featured a shifter with P, R, N, D and Hr, while the automatic transmission was P, N, D, L, and R.

The 1957 Chevy offers independent coil springs and A-arms front suspension while the rear suspension is rigid axle and semi-elliptic leaf springs. The steering wheel was rack and pinion, with a 16:1 ratio. The front and rear brakes are hydraulic 11-inch drums, while the wheels are still disc wheels with safety rims.

The speed of the car can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 5.8 seconds.

• Popularity and Response

The 57 Chevrolet was not very popular when they were released. This is because the rival Ford model sold more than the Chevrolet for the 1957 model year. The main reason why Ford sold more than Chevy was the tubeless tires of the latter, which many drivers were not used to. Due to this, many people did not trust Chevy. This helped Ford increase its sales.
But today, the 1957 Ford is less prized by collectors than the 1957 Chevrolet. The 1957 Chevy was a popularly used car and is now highly prized by collectors. It was also known as “street machine” or “hot rod.”

The 1957 Chevrolet was also used in different NASCAR races. It won 49 Grand National cup NASCAR races and the Southern 500 three times. It has also won different NASCAR convertible races 26 times, more than every other make, and won three driver championships.

The Three Series Models of the 1957 Chevy

The 1957 Chevrolet offered three series models, which include the Chevrolet Bel Air, Two-Ten, and One-Fifty. They came with different designs and trim options.

• Bel Air

The Chevrolet Bel Air is a full-size car that was produced from 1950 to 1957 by Chevrolet. At first, the car was only a two-door hardtop released from 1950 to 1952. But from 1953, the car was offered as a premium level of trim applied on different body styles. It is a full-size muscle car with an FR layout.

The 1957 Chevy Bel Air convertible comes with a 216.5 cubic-inch 3.5-liter I6, 235.5 cubic-inch 3.9-liter I6, 265 cubic-inch 4.3-liter small block V8 and 283 cubic-inch 4.6-liter small block V8 engine. The transmission options include 3-speed manual, 2-speed automatic transmission and 3-speed automatic transmission.

• Two Ten

The Chevrolet Two-Ten, also called 210, is a midrange car designed by Chevy and was released from 1953 to 1957. It had an A-body with an FR layout. The 1957 Two Ten, it came with an optional 283 cubic-inch 4.6-liter small block engine. The other engine options included the 235 cubic-inch I6 and 265 cubic-inch OHV V8 with 140 and 162 horsepower each.

There were four 283 cubic-inch Super Turbo Fire OHV V8 engines with different fittings. They all had 185, 220, 270 and 283 horsepower. As for the transmission, it came with four options, which were a 3-speed Synchromesh manual, the same one with an overdrive unit, a 2-speed automatic, and a variable speed automatic.

• One-Fifty

The Chevrolet One-Fifty is also called the 150, and it is an economy model of the Chevrolet that was released from 1953 to 1957. The 1957 model introduced the 283 cubic-inch small block V8 engine with a fuel-injected version as an available option to drivers. Chevrolet also made the automatic transmission that was previously an optional standard on all the V8 engines.

In 1957, Chevy released 56,266 four-door sedans that were 150s and 75,000 two-door sedans. The engine options were also similar to that of the Chevy 210. The most powerful is the 283 cubic-inch Super Turbo Fire OHV V8 with Rochester Ram-Jet fuel injection, offering 283 horsepower.

History of the 1957 Chevrolet

The 1957 Chevrolet was meant to be a brand-new car from General Motors, but there were production delays in the 1955 to 1956 design. The chief engineer for Chevrolet, Ed Cole, came up with different changes that they could make to the car rather than making an entirely new one. But this also led to an increase in the cost of the car.

Some of these changes include a new dashboard, changing the location of the air ducts, sealed cowl and more, all of which offered a distinctive design that makes it a classic. The car was also designed with 14-inch wheels so that the stance is lower and a wide grille that made the car look bigger from the front.

The Chevrolet Bel Air models were given better features, although they had the same chassis body and powertrains as the normal model. It came with an upscale gold trim, front fender chevrons, and a mesh grille insert. Even the Chevrolet written on the hood and trunk were done in gold.

There was no oil pressure gauge or voltmeter on the 1957 Chevrolet. The base engine was an inline 6-cylinder engine dubbed Blue Flame Six with a single one-barrel carburetor that some would argue ran smoother than the V8.

Frequently Asked Questions

– Why Is the 57 Chevy So Famous?

The 57 Chevy was so famous because it had better quality than its competitors and offered diverse luxury features that drivers could get for a higher price. The Chevy was well-liked when it was released in 1957, but later, it was still popular as a late model.
Many collectors today are interested in the car because they rode it as children.

– How Much Does a 57 Chevy Car Cost?

It is unsure how much a 57 Chevy car cost in 1957, but the most expensive option was the convertible which went as high as $100,000 after it was meticulously restored. You can also get coupes and sedans for prices between $39,000 and $40,000.

Conclusion

If you’re curious about the 57 Chevy, this would be a great option for your car collection.

Here’s a summary of what we covered before you go:

• The 1957 Chevrolet is a series of cars that consisted of different body styles, engines and transmissions for the 1957 model year 1956.
• It consisted of three model lineups, which were the Bel Air, 210, and 150 Chevys.
• The car was well-known for its optional luxury features and engine options, but it was not as popular in the 1950s as it is now as a vintage car.

Whether you want the luxury Chevrolet Bel Air or the economical 150, there are different options for you in the 1957 Chevrolet. It is more expensive now than an antique car, but you might find it worth the price.