1957 Chevrolet "Bel Air Convertible"
Specifications
Drivetrain: Edlebrock V8
Displacement: 383 cu. in./6.28 L
Horsepower: 449hp
Torque: 478 lb. ft.
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
A Little History
The Bel Air was manufactured from 1950 to 1975, spread over seven generations. Due to the innovative body style of the first generation of Bel Airs, the model found decades of success afterward. Though this idea had been tried on various other models dating as far back as the 1920s, the Bel Air was the first time it was commercial success.
To follow up the rave reviews of the 1950 Bel Air, General Motors had to come up with something spectacular. Cadillac models released in 1957 were considered far more luxurious than anything Chevrolet had offered, so the Chevrolet design team invested a few million foliates into bringing the over-the-top feeling of their more affordable cars. Even after the premiere of the second generation of Bel Airs in 1956, the cars didn’t really break into the scene until they also proved themselves worthy on a performance level, as the top manufacturers already had.
Chevrolet entered a production 1956 Bel Air into the Pikes Peak Challenge, a grueling 12.42 mile ascent to 14,110 feet. The car finished the race in 17 minutes 24.05 seconds, beating the previous record by nearly three whole minutes.
