1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe with a Power Pack 283

When people talk about length of ownership, six decades is a lofty mark to beat, but the late owner of this 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe bought this car in May 1961. This listing is the first time the car has been for sale in 61 years! The car was stored from 1969 until 1999 when the owner started the restoration. This repainted Imperial Ivory '57 Bel Air is in restored original condition with what the seller states is the original 283-cubic inch power pack V-8 engine and Powerglide automatic transmission. The seller (the late owner's son) calls the car a best in show type award-winning car. The 283-cubic inch V-8 engine has the power pack four-barrel carburetor along with the correct intake manifold, cylinder heads, exhaust manifolds, heat choke, generator, and air cleaner all of which are original to the car. Cold starts are a simple matter of pressing the throttle and turning the key. The idle is noted as smooth and quickly settling down with a second tap of the throttle as demonstrated in the supplied video.- the mechanicals are clean and tight, but the Powerglide automatic transmission has a slight leak. - the transmission shifts and drives well. This 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air was repainted its original Imperial Ivory in 2001 by Antique Auto in Rockford, Illinois. The paint is flawlessly smooth, shiny, and straight, who feels the paint remains in best in show condition. As for rust, the car has none and never had any rust problems because it was taken care of its whole life. The weatherstrips are very nice with no rotting, cracking, or missing areas. The glass is original and in very good condition with no scratches or separations. The fender skirts were installed by the original dealership. The lights, turn signals, and horn all work as they should as the electrical system is free of splices, breaks, or repairs . The wheels are Imperial Ivory which is correct for paint code 794 - The factory trim code for this '57 Bel Air is 670 which translates to black and silver cloth with silver imitation leather.- the upholstery is factory original replacement and is in very good condition. - the same about the replacement black carpet which shows no wear marks. The headliner is also reported to be in beautiful condition and all interior components are present and in great shape and correctly functioning. All gauges are said to work properly, and the odometer reads the original 89,410 miles. The factory tube-type radio still works as does the heater. The silver steering wheel appears crack-free in the provided photos. - All the suspension components were replaced or refurbished when the car was restored. Shocks and bushings are original style replacements. The car has manual steering, but it drives straight with no gearbox leaks . The brakes have approximately 10,000 miles of use as do the tires. This 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe is available because the estate of the late owner is being settled. Even though the late owner bought the car in 1961 the title is from 1966 when the family moved from Iowa to Illinois. All the maintenance and restoration work was performed by the late owner.