GM returns to yesteryear with '57 Chevy at Michigan

Even at 50 years old, the '57 Chevy is a legend -- and many Chevrolet drivers will pay tribute to the classic model this weekend at Michigan.

Many Chevy drivers will run special paint schemes to commemorate the car's 50th anniversary, including defending Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Martin Truex Jr. Also in keeping with the '50s theme, J.J. Yeley's No. 18 Chevy will sport the original Interstate Batteries logo.

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• '57 Chevy collection

The '57 Chevrolet was available in three official trim levels: the base-model "one-fifty" series, the mid-range "two-ten" series, and the upscale Bel Air series. An upscale "Del Ray" trim option was available for 210 two-door sedans.

Also, a limited production two-door station wagon, the "Nomad," was produced as a Bel Air. A fourth designation also was available in limited quantities -- the "El Morocco," a custom hand-build mimicking the Cadillac of the era.

And with this unique weekend comes a marketing opportunity for Motorsports Authentics:

• MA will have a '57 Chevy hauler selling product and hyping the program as part of the Woodward Dream Cruise in Metro Detroit, the largest one-day celebration of car culture that attracts more than one million visitors and more than 40,000 cars.

• '57 Chevy collector posters are free with the purchase of any '57 Chevy-related products.

• On Saturday, Kenny Wallace will drive a '57 Chevy convertible through the infield campground autographing program specific hero cards.

The '57 Chevrolet was a carry-over from 1955, when Chevy introduced its now-famous small-block V-8 -- the first available in a Chevrolet since 1918.

Prior to 1955, Chevrolet only offered an inline six-cylinder engine. With the new V-8 engine for '55, Chevrolet wanted to offer a new car design as well. The "shoebox" design, so named because it was the first Chevrolet to feature streamlined rear fenders, was a watershed for Chevrolet.

The lightweight car coupled with a powerful V-8 became a showroom draw, but also thrust the company into the arena of competitive motorsports. In 1955, Chevrolets went on to dominate drag racing and became a formidable force in circle-track racing. In 1956, the design was lengthened in front and given a more square treatment; under the hood, engine power increased and a Corvette engine was available for the first time in a full-size passenger car.

King of Rock & Roll

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car will feature an Elvis Presley-inspired paint scheme for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 on Sept. 8 at Richmond. The design was unveiled this week during the ceremonies surrounding the 30th anniversary of his death.

• The Elvis Collection
• Dale Jr. merchandise

Originally, General Motors executives wanted an entirely new car for '57, but production delays necessitated the carry-over of the 1955 design for one more year. Ed Cole, chief designer for Chevrolet at the time, dictated a series of changes that significantly increased the cost of the car.

These changes included a new dashboard, reshaped windshield, sealed cowl, and the relocation of air ducts to the headlight pods, which resulted in the distinctive chrome headlight that helped make the '57 Chevy a classic. Fourteen-inch wheels replaced the 15-inch wheels from previous years to give the car a lower stance, and a wide grille was used to give the car a wider look from the front.

The now famous '57 Chevy tailfins were designed to duplicate the wide look in the rear. Bel Air models were given gold trim: the grille, front fender chevrons, hood, and trunk script were all rendered in anodized gold. The V-shaped trim on the tail fins was filled with a ribbed aluminum insert exclusive to the Bel Air.

The model also was Chevrolet's first offering of a turbine transmission, known as the Turboglide. It was a design concept that Buick had developed with their Dynaflow transmission. However, due to a reliability reputation caused by its complexity, most automatic transmissions buyers shunned the Turboglide in favor of the two-speed Powerglide that had been offered since 1950.

At the time the Turboglide casing was the largest cast aluminum component ever put into mass production. But it never recovered from the reputation in '57 and the option was discontinued in 1961.

Manual transmissions were limited to three-speed, column shifted units, though there are rumors that a handful of '57 Chevrolets left the factory with Corvette four-speed, floor-shifting transmissions. However, no concrete documentation exists to support this claim.

From a numbers standpoint, the '57 Chevy -- priced about $2,000 -- was not as popular as General Motors had hoped. Despite its popularity, rival Ford outsold Chevrolet for the model year for the first time since 1935. However, the 1957 Ford -- with the exception of the rare retractable hardtop model -- is not nearly as prized by collectors as the '57 Chevrolet.

Information from Wikipedia was used in this report.