Introduced to the public by Chevy dealerships on Friday, Oct. 19, 1956, originally priced at $2,611 and weighing in at 3,405 lbs., she’s a legend among the classics.
The 1955-1957 year range represented a lot of effort by GM. They spent a million dollars in 1956 alone because they wanted to make the Bel Air look like the more expensive Cadillacs. The result was extravagant body lines, Cadillac-inspired bumper guards, and tail fins.
The Tri-Five family (Tri-Five refers to the 1955, 1956 and 1957 Chevrolet automobiles, in particular, the 150, 210, Bel Air, and Nomad) offered lots of interesting options for car buyers such as the option to add an electric shaver to their car. They could choose from three different brands that had 12V plug-ins. This allowed people to shave while driving or sitting in traffic.
Featured in the 1956-1960 accessory catalog, you could add a vacuum ashtray that sucked cigarettes and ashes in. The trash is then stored in a special cylinder for later disposal.
Seven different V8s were available in 1957. One of the options was the legendary “Super Turbo Fire V8” which produced 283 horsepower thanks to continuous fuel injection. A vehicle with this option is rare since most Tri-Fives were fitted with a two or four barrel carburetor.
There were many different interior colors available through the years. For example, the 1957 Bel Air had 10 different interior color combination possibilities. In addition, there were 23 different seat and door trim options.
For example, a customer could order a model with a color called Imperial Ivory over Dusk Pearl or Larkspur Blue over Harbor Blue or Matador Red.
In 1957, Ford outsold Chevy for the first time in years; however, the 1957 Bel Air is now one of the most sought after collectibles ever made.
