Whoo-ee, this is tasty:
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air (283 CID / 4.6-liter V8)
(click pics to embiggen)
I have to say that the ask of $105,000 is a little too steep, but the seller is probably trying to recoup the restoration costs (protip: you never recoup your restoration costs).
All that said, if I were a wealthy collector of late-50’s Murkin Big Iron, I might be tempted because this is one Californian that deserves a home in Texas. What a peach.
It’s three years younger than I am, and I don’t look half as cool.
That do look fine.
While I like the look of a convertible when the top is down, I don’t care for the look of the top when it’s up.
In 1972 I had a 1966 Mustang convertible without air and that waterproof top provides minimal protection from the blistering sun.
You ever sit on those hot vinyl seats wearing shorts? Don’t park in the direct sun is all I’m saying.
Beautiful car, rarely ever see any of the tri-5’s anymore on the road. Only at car shows and meets. Who’d want to risk that in everyday traffic. Used to see them running around in the past. People were still driving them on a regular basis up thru the 80’s.
As big as they were, they were still significant less than 2 tons, I think a curb weight around 3600 lbs. Lots of empty air under that sheet metal. About the same weight as a modern day Camry and at least a 1000 lbs lighter than a Tesla. I’d have to add a roof, A/C and disk brakes in order to have a true driver vehicle.
They are all over our city for the annual show and races. https://americantrifive.com/info-tfn
They were dirt cheap in the early 70’s
I can appreciate it as a piece of art. As a vehicle, I’ll stick to my modern Subaru, thanks. Ok, the Caddy would be easier to fix myself…if I had the skills, which I don’t. Otherwise, less reliable, less responsive (at least at the level of my driving), and thirstier. Don’t give a rat’s rear about emissions, though.
Also, if we’re talking about ‘back in the day’, predates the steel belted tire revolution, which I lived through but didn’t notice. They probably make them for the car NOW, though.
I get the impression, from reading Jeremy Clarkson, that in Britain the introduction of Japanese imports that just f_ing WORKED was a revelation. I don’t THINK we had quite the same level of problem with American cars of that age; evidently British cars were pretty awful. Does anybody here know?
@CSPSchofield …
Brit cars used electrical components from Lucas, aka The Prince of Darkness.
I had a college classmate with a Triumph TR7 .. when driving in the rain with headlights, wipers, defroster all running .. he’d have a dead battery within 30 minutes.
Why do Brits drink warm beer? Lucas refrigerators.
Why are there no Brit cardiac patients? Lucas pacemakers
Why do Brits sit in the dark? Lucas lightbulbs.
Interesting.
I recall reading somewhere that the reason the British drink warm beer is that when your climate’s default is a 57 degree drizzle, you may want alcohol, but you don’t want cold.
European beer is actually cellar temperature. It’s not iced like American beer. It will taste better if it’s not iced. American Beer, on the other hand, tastes better iced. In American bars you find beers only half or 2/3 consumed because when they warm up a bit they can taste bad.
The first product to come out of Lucas that didn’t suck would most likely be a vacuum cleaner.
Bench seats, warm summer nights, cruising with you date sitting tight beside you- some things were just too good to last.
When I saw ” Big Iron ” I tought it was about Marty Robbins song.
A near twin for my ’57 ragtop. Mine had a black convertible top, a six cylinder, and 3-on-the-tree. Same white paint and red interior. BTW, that gold “V” on the hood and trunk indicated it had a V8. The inline 6 had a Chevy emblem in it’s place, similar to the one in the center of the grill, but larger.
Bought it in ’69, I think, for the princely sum of $125. Had about 70-80k miles, and burned a lot of oil. Previous ’57 2 door sedans cost me $75. All had the same ‘6’ and stick trans.
Stuffed a heavily breathed on ’68 big block in it. Wasn’t my first choice of recipient, but I had lost a couple of the sedans, and all I had left was the ragtop. Initial setup still had the original ’57 trans, as the engine seller refused to include the worked over auto trans we had agreed on. It would yank the front wheels off the pavement shifting 2nd gear on the street! The gearbox was only good for about a dozen launches before it had to be tossed. Took me a year to find a good Muncie 4 spd trans.
That 4 spd came out of a buddy’s ’56 2dr hardtop. I should have swapped the engine into that, but I ended up taking it to a junkyard and giving it to them. That had a 283 that was so worn out that when you switched it off, it wound down like a jet engine.