Chassis No.
VC57N230071
| Plymouth, Michigan
220 bhp, 283 cu. in. OHV “Power Pack” V-8 engine with a four-barrel carburetor, two-speed Powerglide transmission, independent front suspension via upper and lower wishbones and coil springs, live rear axle with leaf springs, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 115 in.
"Perhaps no car is more identified with its production year than the 1957 Chevrolet. Show someone a 1957 Ford or Chrysler and they will have to guess the car’s vintage. The 1957 Chevrolet suffers no such identity crisis. That is due, in part, to the car’s popularity today and its constant exposure in movies, magazines, and television. There is no mistaking that distinctive front end and those fabulous fins."
–Chevy Classics 1955 1956 1957 by Anthony Young
In 1998, a doctor from Saginaw, Michigan, listened to his wife express the desire for a 1957 Chevrolet convertible. The doctor was made aware of the car offered here in Decatur, Illinois, who had been used several times for beauty pageants along Michigan Avenue in Chicago; in fact, it had been used to drive the previous year’s Miss America.
Soon the car had been purchased and brought to Saginaw, where it was presented to its new owner on Mother’s Day in 1998. She lovingly maintained the car until 2012, using it infrequently for school and homecoming functions with their son, as well as in local parades – the uses for which a classic Chevrolet convertible are best suited.
The car was then acquired by the present owner, who has continued to maintain the car in its highly original condition, with a tick over 26,000 miles from new. The owner is proud that the car is fully functional and roadworthy; the fuel tank and fuel lines were recently flushed, the fuel pump replaced, the carburetor rebuilt, the voltage regulator replaced, and the oil and filter changed in anticipation of this sale. The original spare and its jacking instructions are still housed in the trunk, and the car is still equipped with its “spinner” wheel covers and an unusual period-correct traffic viewfinder, a 1950s version of today’s “heads up display.” The Matador Red finish and red and silver two-tone vinyl interior both still show very well, for driving and shows alike.
Most impressively, the owner claims that outside of small local shows, this beauty has never been displayed. Accordingly, it would no doubt be the darling of Antique Automobile Club of America and Chevrolet club events, wherever the new owner shall take it with pride.
