Tail fins
Broad, flat fins, with the fuel filler hidden in the chrome at the rear edge of the left fin. The 1956 has the filler in the left tail lamp.23
Class of '57 · Chevrolet Bel Air · 1957 body · tri-five
1957Chevrolet Bel Air
The last Tri-Five and one of the best-known Chevrolets: fins, a big bumper-grille, 14-inch wheels, the 283 V8 in six versions up to 283 hp with fuel injection, and 702,220 Bel Airs.
The year in brief
The third year was another facelift, but a thorough one: a big bumper-grille, two windsplits on the hood instead of an ornament, modest fins, and 14-inch wheels instead of 15-inch. By GM's sheets it was 200 inches long, 2.5 inches more than the 1956 sedans, hardtops and convertible; the wagons, the Nomad among them, were 0.8 inch shorter than in 1956 (our arithmetic).2456
The Bel Air had gold trim: the grille insert, three chevrons on each front fender, the script and the V on V8 cars. Between its side moldings at the rear sat a ribbed aluminum panel that the cheaper series did not have.237
The V8 grew to 283 cubic inches. GM's 1957 table lists it in six versions, from 185 hp with a two-barrel carburetor to 283 hp with fuel injection and the competition camshaft. The 265 stayed available with 162 hp, and the six had 140.234
Turboglide, a new turbine automatic that promised shifts you could not feel, joined Powerglide. It developed a reputation for poor reliability.27
Ford outbuilt Chevrolet for 1957, by 170,000 cars according to Consumer Guide, and Plymouth rose to third. Only years later was the '57 seen by many as the best-looking Chevrolet of the decade; Consumer Guide ranks the Bel Air alongside Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and Leave It to Beaver as an icon of its age.25one source
The story of the year
Fuel injection
Rochester's Ramjet fuel injection, shared with the Corvette, could be ordered on every 1957 Chevrolet except the Sedan Delivery, down to the plainest One-Fifty. With the competition camshaft it made 283 hp from 283 cubic inches; the milder version made 250.248
Chevrolet advertised one horsepower from every cubic inch. It was not the first engine to get there: Consumer Guide notes that Chrysler's 300B did it a year earlier (an uncited sentence in Wikipedia says the same and names the 1954 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint as earlier still), and Hagerty that Chrysler's 1956 Hemi had shown similar output.578
What it cost is disputed: $484 by Consumer Guide, $500 by Wikipedia (citing Flory) and $538 by Hagerty, the last two for the 283-hp version. Over-Drive gives $484 for the 250-hp version and $675 for the 283-hp.2389
The price kept sales down, and mechanics of the day struggled to keep the units running, so most buyers chose carburetors. None of our sources gives a count of fuel-injected Bel Airs.27
How to spot a 1957
What tells it apart from a 1956.
A bumper-grille
A big oval bumper-grille with round parking lamps at the ends of a floating center bar, and «bomb» bumper guards.35
Two hood windsplits
Two lance-shaped windsplits on the hood, with «bomb sight» ornaments, instead of a single hood ornament.23
A ribbed rear panel
On the Bel Air, a ribbed aluminum panel fills the space between the side moldings at the rear, with the «Bel Air» script in gold.357
Production1210
702,220 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| 4-door sedan | Bel Air | 254,331 |
| All 4-door sedans | 254,331 | |
| 4-door hardtop Sport Sedan | Bel Air | 137,672 |
| All 4-door hardtop sport sedans | 137,672 | |
| 2-door sedan | Bel Air | 62,751 |
| All 2-door sedans | 62,751 | |
| 2-door hardtop Sport Coupe | Bel Air | 166,426 |
| All 2-door hardtop sport coupes | 166,426 | |
| Convertible | Bel Air | 47,562 |
| All convertibles | 47,562 | |
| 4-door station wagon | Bel Air Townsman | 27,375 |
| All 4-door station wagons | 27,375 | |
| 2-door station wagon | Bel Air Nomad | 6,103 |
| All 2-door station wagons | 6,103 | |
| Total | 702,220 | |
Over-Drive's rows. Consumer Guide has the same total, 702,220, and the same figure in every row it names (6,103 Nomads, 166,426 Sport Coupes, 47,562 convertibles), so we count the two as one source here. Classic Industries' rows are higher in every row and add to 720,356 (our sum). See the ruling.
Engines234
8 engines. The serial number has no engine code beyond the V that marks a V8; the code shown is Chevrolet's regular production option (RPO) number where a source gives one.
Gross horsepower, from GM's 1957 table. The codes are GM's option numbers: RPO 221 for the 265, RPO 223 for the 283, and on top of it 410 for the four-barrel, 411 for two four-barrels and 578 for fuel injection; GM's list offers 411 and 578 on every model except the Sedan Delivery and has no number of its own for the competition camshaft. GM's engine-code list pairs the 265 with the manual gearboxes and the two-barrel 283 with Powerglide or Turboglide. Consumer Guide's Nomad specifications leave out the 220-hp engine and its 1957 profile calls the 270-hp engine a four-barrel; see the ruling.
Price when new1235
Base retail prices in 1957 dollars, before options.
Base factory prices from Over-Drive's table; a V8 car cost $100 more (our arithmetic), and Over-Drive puts the two-barrel 283 in that price. Consumer Guide's range of $2,238 to $2,757 and its $2,511 convertible are the same six-cylinder prices. Over-Drive lists the bigger 283s as options: $25 for 220 hp, $55 for 245, $370 for 270, and $484 or $675 for fuel injection; no other source says what those prices are added to (see the ruling on the fuel-injection price).
Colors34
16 factory colors. 14 of the 16 color names are confirmed by a second source34; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Onyx Black793
Inca Silver752
804
804
Imperial Ivory794
Matador Red802
Harbor Blue796
Larkspur Blue—
Tropical Turquoise749
799
799
Surf Green797
Highland Green798
Colonial Cream800
Sierra Gold805
Adobe Beige806
Coronado Yellow803
Canyon Coral801
Dusk Pearl821
Laurel Green823
GM's 1957 sheet for the Series 2400 Bel Air: sixteen colors, four of them (Coronado Yellow, Canyon Coral, Dusk Pearl, Laurel Green) on the convertible only. Codes are Over-Drive's: it prints two codes each for Inca Silver and Tropical Turquoise, calls 821 just «Dusk», and has none for Larkspur Blue. No source we have counts cars per color. 14 of the 16 names also stand in Over-Drive's list with the same spelling; not there: Larkspur Blue, Dusk Pearl.
Fifteen combinations for the Bel Air on GM's sheet (our count): the first color on the roof and pillars, the second on the rest of the car.4one source
Reading the VIN4one source
A 1957 VIN has 11 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
VC57T1000254one source · An example built from GM's code table, not a real car's number: Bel Air, V8, 1957, Tarrytown, unit 100025. GM's own example is VA57T100026, a V8 One-Fifty; a six-cylinder Bel Air would read C57T100025.
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| V | V8 engine. A six-cylinder car's number has no V and starts with the series letter, so it is one character shorter |
| A · B · C · D | Series: 1500 One-Fifty (not model 1508) · 2100 Two-Ten · 2400 Bel Air · 1508 Sedan Delivery |
| 57 | Model year (1957) |
| T · F · S · K · O · A · N · B · L · J | Assembly plant: Tarrytown · Flint · St. Louis · Kansas City · Oakland · Atlanta · Norwood · Baltimore · Los Angeles · Janesville |
| 100001 → | Unit number, from 100,001 at each plant regardless of series |
Where to find it: Stamped on a plate attached to the left front body hinge pillar.4one source
Questions about the 1957
How many 1957 Chevrolet Bel Airs were made?
702,220 by the count we use: 254,331 4-door sedans, 137,672 4-door hardtop sport sedans, 62,751 2-door sedans, 166,426 2-door hardtop sport coupes, 47,562 convertibles, 27,375 4-door station wagons, 6,103 2-door station wagons. The sources disagree on the total; the ruling on this page explains which figure we show and why.1210sources disagree
How can you tell a 1957 Bel Air from a 1956?
Four signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: tail fins; a bumper-grille; two hood windsplits; a ribbed rear panel.2357
What engines did the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air have?
Eight engines, from the 235.5 cu in Blue Flame six to the 283 cu in V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.234
How much did a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: 2-door sedan, six $2,238; 2-door sedan, V8 $2,338; 4-door sedan, six $2,290; 4-door sedan, V8 $2,390; Sport Coupe, six $2,299; Sport Coupe, V8 $2,399; Sport Sedan, six $2,364; Sport Sedan, V8 $2,464; Convertible, six $2,511; Convertible, V8 $2,611; Townsman 4-door wagon, six $2,580; Townsman 4-door wagon, V8 $2,680; Nomad 2-door wagon, six $2,757; Nomad 2-door wagon, V8 $2,857.1235
What colors did the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air come in?
General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) lists 16 factory colors.34
Where is the VIN on a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air?
Stamped on a plate attached to the left front body hinge pillar.4one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1957, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Open
1957 Bel Air production
Our ruling: Unresolved. Consumer Guide and Over-Drive agree on the total and on every row Consumer Guide names, so we count them as one source, not two. Classic Industries' rows are 0.3 to 4 percent higher (our arithmetic), it names no source and calls its figures estimates, and no source explains the gap.
What each source says (2)
- 702,220, naming 166,426 Sport Coupes, 47,562 convertibles and 6,103 Nomads12
- 720,356 in seven rows (our sum), higher than Over-Drive's in every row10one source
Open
How many Nomads were built
Our ruling: Unresolved for 1955. We show Consumer Guide's figures. Over-Drive agrees for 1956 and 1957, but its 1955 figure is the same 6,103 as its 1957 one, which looks like a copying slip. Classic Industries is higher in all three years and calls its figures estimates.
What each source says (3)
- 8,386 in 1955, 7,886 in 1956 and 6,103 in 19572one source
- 6,103 in 1955, 7,886 in 1956 and 6,103 in 1957111one source
- 8,530 in 1955, 8,103 in 1956 and 6,264 in 195710one source
Open
What fuel injection cost in 1957
Our ruling: Unresolved. Over-Drive's two prices suggest the figure depends on the version: Consumer Guide's $484 matches Over-Drive's 250-hp engine. Hagerty's $538 and Wikipedia's $500 are both for the 283-hp engine, so that version has three prices: $500, $538 and Over-Drive's $675. Over-Drive lists the engines as options and notes that the two-barrel 283 is included in V8 model pricing; no other source says what its price is added to.
What each source says (4)
- $4842one source
- $484 for the 250-hp engine and $675 for the 283-hp3one source
- $500 for the 283-hp9one source
- $538, for the 283-hp engine (in a sentence about both the Corvette and the Bel Air)8one source
Settled
How many versions of the 1957 283 V8
Our ruling: Settled by GM's own 1957 table: six versions, and the 270-hp engine had two four-barrel carburetors and the competition camshaft. Consumer Guide's main article also says half a dozen, and its 1957 convertible profile six.
What each source says (4)
- Six: 185, 220, 245, 270, 250 (fuel injection) and 283 hp (fuel injection)34
- Five: 185, 245 and 270 hp with carburetors, 250 and 283 with fuel injection12one source
- The 270-hp engine was a four-barrel5one source
- Four 283s: 185 and 220 hp among its four standard engine options (with the six and the 265), plus 270 and 283 hp7one source
Settled
How much longer and lower was the 1957
Our ruling: Settled by GM's sheets: the sedans, hardtops and convertible became 2.5 inches longer, as Consumer Guide says, but the wagons, the Nomad among them, 0.8 inch shorter; and the cars were only 0.57 to 0.68 inch lower, loaded, depending on the body, not 1.5 (our arithmetic).
What each source says (2)
- 2.5 inches longer and 1.5 inches lower2one source
- 197.5 and 200.00 inches long for the sedans, hardtops and convertible, 200.8 and 200.00 for the wagons; 60.5 and 59.93 inches high, loaded (sedans)46one source
Settled
Where the 1957 unit numbers start
Our ruling: Settled by GM's own 1957 sheet: unit numbers start at 100001. The later page is not part of GM's 1957 specifications, and its example number, 001023, is below that starting point.
What each source says (2)
- 100001 and up at each plant4one source
- An example numbered 001023, on a later identification page in the same PDF4one source
Sources
- Chevrolet Full Size Vehicle Production, 1955, 1956 and 1957 (three tables) Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- Chevrolet Bel Air (the 1955–57 pages) HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1957 Chevrolet Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1957 Chevrolet – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air and 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air (two profiles) HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1956 Chevrolet – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1957 Chevrolet Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- The long, winding road to EFI Hagerty · read 2026-10-11
- 1957 Chevrolet: the fuel-injection sentence Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1955-57 Chevy Bel Air, 210, and 150 Production Numbers Classic Industries · read 2026-10-11
- 1955 Chevrolet Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1955, 1956, 1957 Chevrolet Nomad HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
Keep going
Three more years.
1955Chevrolet Bel AirThe first Tri-Five Bel Air: an all-new body, Chevrolet's first modern V8, six body styles with the Nomad from February, and more Bel Airs built than in either of the next two years.773,238 built (disputed)1956Chevrolet Bel AirThe facelift: a full-width grille, new side trim with a two-tone panel, the new Sport Sedan four-door hardtop, seven Bel Airs and up to 225 hp.669,053 built (disputed)See the whole tri-five.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1955–1957.