Our ride for this great adventure is one of the Chevrolet "Classics", the 1957 Bel Air 4-door hardtop, also known as the Sport Sedan (the 2-door hardtop was called the Sport Coupe). Our car was built in the Kansas City plant and, unfortunately, its life history from then until it arrived in our garage in November 2004 is largely unknown. It has undergone a partial restoration (not a frame-off for you purists) that includes its original color and trim schemes. The powertrain is all original. The engine is the 283 V8 with 4bbl carburetor and dual exhausts and it has the Powerglide transmission.

This car has always been the "dream car" that my wife has wanted most of her adult life. So when I began lamenting that I really needed a classic car if my daughter and I were ever going to do this Greatrace thing, my wife offered that she would let us use "her" car if I would get it for her. That made sense to me so the deal was struck. After several months of searching, we found one to our liking at Duffy's Collectibles in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and the rest, as they say, is history.

For you history/trivia/ car buffs, here are some more facts about the 1957 Chevy:

Ford may have put us on wheels, but during the late '30's and '40's it was Chevrolet that most buyers chose. By World War II Chevrolet was well established as number 1. Dull but dependable, it appealed to millions because of its low price, practicality and pleasant styling.

In 1955, Chevrolet shed its stodgy old image, replacing it with all new "Motoramic" styling and two "silk and dynamite" V8s. So impressive were the new Chevys that they are now often referred to as "classics." After a rousing 1955, fans might have wondered how Chevrolet could follow up for 1956. They needn't have worried, for there would be more style (bigger and more "important" looking), more power, and more refinements - all geared "to make the going sweeter".

Chevrolet pulled out the stops when it redesigned the 1957. Few body parts would interchange with the 1956, which was itself a complete re-do from the 1955. The automobile was offered in three standard series. But now the 150 had four models, the 210 had eight and the Bel Air was available in seven. Nineteen different combinations were available.

Also offered were seven new colors. The lacquer paint came in seventeen colors, sixteen solids choices and fifteen two-tone offerings. There were a staggering 466 model / color combinations. This represented the greatest color / model combinations ever offered by Chevrolet.

The new Chevrolet was 200 inches long, and 1 1/2 inches lower at the hood line. Because of the frame design and new fourteen-inch tires, height was also reduced. The 1957 was longer and appeared even longer still, due to the new styling. The windshield was 58 1/2 inches wide and seven percent taller. The peaked front fenders enhanced visibility by helping the driver judge distances better.

Body changes for the '57s were more noticeable than the changes from '55 to '56. New front and rear styling was used including lower and flatter hood, two widely spaced hood rockets and air intakes incorporated into the headlight bezels. The new rear end design included backup lights and taillights that blended into the rear bumper, and a gas filler door hidden in the trim that ran from the bumper ends.

In the engine compartment, Chevy owners could choose from the long-lived six or 265 V8 to half a dozen variations of the enlarged 283 engine. Some Bel Airs were even fuel-injected V8s ranging as high as 283 horsepower. "The road isn't built that can make it breathe hard", boasted the ad for V8 models. No wonder with this kind of power under the hood. Inside, an all new dash. Factory accessories included everything from air conditioning and a power antenna to Autronic Eye headlamp control, seatbelts, Continental kit, and a "Kool Kooshion" ventilated seat pad.

Aluminum side trim was added to the Bel Air models. This was to give the car a look of motion even while standing still. All in all, the body changes made for 1957 were well received, and that appreciation is still evident today, as the 1957 Chevrolet is one of the most desirable collector cars ever produced in North America.

Chevy touted it's '57 as "Sweet, Smooth, and Sassy!" And indeed, the new styling was sweet, the finest of the 1955-57 "classic" Chevys; the new Turboglide transmission was "as smooth as velvet underpants"; and the new fuel-injected 283 V8 was very sassy. It seems ironic that in 1957, Chevrolet, now advertising #1 USA, was outsold for the first time by Ford. It would be years before the 1957 Chevrolet was appreciated for the classic it has become today.