Considered to be the quintessential “hot one” the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air perfectly walks the line between raw American muscle and effortless classic style. It’s time to load up your pompadour with brylcreem, put on the teddy boy jacket and cruise down main street with these ten 1957 Chevrolet facts.

Fact 1: The 1957 Chevy was initially intended to be an all new design but delays to production meant the older platform from the 55-56 design was used for one more year. However, chief engineer at Chevrolet, Ed Cole, was adamant that this car showcase the cutting edge of motor vehicle technology.

Fact 2: Fuel injection was available as an option for the first time in the 1957 Chevy. However, most mechanics at the time were not familiar with the system leading most consumers to opt for the more conventional carburettor option.

Fact 3: Chevy Bel Air’s equipped with the fuel injected, 283 cubic inch displacement V8, could produce up to 283 horsepower, meaning this simple passenger car could produce almost one horsepower per cubic inch.

Fact 4: The 57 Chevy wasn’t just a looker but also a relentless battler on the stock-car scene: winning 49 Grand National NASCAR races, the Southern 500 and 25 NASCAR convertible races.

Fact 5: The 1957 Chevy came in three different models, the lower range ‘one-fifty’, the medium range ‘two-ten’ and the top of the line ‘Bel Air’.

Fact 6

Until 1953, the Bel Air classification was given to hardtop models of the Chevrolet Deluxe Styleline range.

Fact 7: The 1957 Chevrolet was also the first model to offer the turbo-glide automatic transmission system, the casing of which was the largest aluminium cast component to be committed to mass production.

Fact 8: The Chevy Bel Air Nomad was the most expensive of the Bel Air range and also the rarest with only 6,103 built. For every one Chevy Bel Air Nomad sold, four Chevy Bel Air Townsman’s were purchased.

Fact 9: The late great master of movie hip shaking, Patrick Swayze, drove the stylish 1957 Chevy Bel Air in the hit 1987 movie, Dirty Dancing.

Fact 10: There were some pretty nifty options available for those discerning customers with a little extra money to spend. These included: power windows, power seats, an autotronic eye that sensed the light of oncoming traffic and dimmed the lights accordingly and for the man on the move, an electric shaver!

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