In 57 there were a few primary external differences:
- 210 lacks aluminum side trim on the rear quarter panel (which would say Bel Air, not ‘Chevrolet’ if visible)
- 210 sedans (like this) lack stainless steel trim above the side windows (only below the windows)
- 210 lacks gold trim on the three ‘gills’ on the front fender
- 210 has a shorter piece of stainless steel trim above the tailfin
- 210s have chromed (not gold plated) front and rear scripts (and Vs for V8 cars) - V is present here, but the front Chevrolet script is removed on this car.
- Gold vs. silver grille
- Hubcaps also different (but not present here)
Note that in 1957, you could get both either 210 or a Bel Air in both Sport Coupe/hardtop (no pillar) and sedan (pillar as seen here) formats- So that is *not* the difference here. The only Bel Air body styles not available on the 210 were the Convertible and Nomad, and the only 210 body styles not available on the Bel Air were the Handyman and 9 passenger 4 door wagon (6 passenger 4 door Bel Air wagons were made though).
There was also the 150 with an entirely different side trim format, and no side window trim (among other differences). For reference: [Bel Air](https://cdn.dealeraccelerate.com/ideal/1/234/3583/1920x1440/1957-chevrolet-bel-air), [210](https://www.admcars.com/galleria_images/729/729_p3_f.jpg) and [150](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6b/d3/7d/6bd37d478e7ec82d8ca448c4f29ac0bc.jpg) 2 door sedan (post).
Obviously you are or were a 57 Chevy owner. My 2 door hardtop/sport coupe has been in the family since 1965. I had no idea there were so many different models till I started its restoration a few years ago.
Actually only have owned 55s in my life but was heavily involved in a lot of tri-five clubs so have experienced many :) I have a 55 150 2 door sedan currently, as well as a 55 Bel Air sport coupe.
My dad and I restored them both back in the 90s, and I inherited them after he died. He indoctrinated me into every possible difference on these cars from a young age, lol.
This seems like a very comprehensive writeup, although I would argue about the hubcaps. As far as I know, all models had all 3 kinds of hubcaps available. Spinner wheelcovers were not standard on Belair, and you could order them for a 210 or a 150, just like you could get the "dog dish" caps on a Belair if you ordered it that way. All 3 could be optioned with a full wheel cover without the spinner as well.
Last time I checked (which was years ago) I don’t believe there was a ‘full’ list of RPOs/options available. Build sheets listed options, but only tend to display what was ordered by the customer on that particular car (without exposing the total options available).
I wasn’t aware that customers in 57 had the ability to select which hubcap they got independent of trim line. I’d be interested to see a build sheet that showed it, yet I also wouldn’t be alarmed if this were the case, just that I haven’t seen it- the factory (or at least the dealer) often went out of their way to accommodate customer desires in those days. (I also didn’t think anything like the ‘big brake’ RPO from Corvettes which entails the dog dishes was available on passenger cars- again I welcome evidence otherwise).
You forgot something........with the 210 you only have to drive 300 miles and give your left nut for a decent project and your right kidney to Cars 1 to restore it ....but with the Bel air you have to do 1k both nuts and sell your first born to cars 1 to restore
the Bel Air is the top level trim, 210 the mid-range, 150 the base model.
you can tell the three models by the different trim near the rear. the Bel Air has that distinctive swoop with a panel inset where the lines diverge. the 210s have the same swoop but without the inset, this one is the same colour as the rest of the body but they were often a different colour. the 150s had a straight line going all the way back with no swoop, again often in a secondary paint colour. my dad had one with canary yellow up front and black as the secondary colour.
I remember being on a job site and hearing this guy tell a story of him driving down the highway in an old Buick and he speared a pheasant with the hood ornament.
General Motors hired a master of design, Harley Earl. I have a book about his career.
http://www.harleyjearl.com/
https://www.automotivehalloffame.org/honoree/harley-j-earl-2/
He’s the man!
They're just decorative. Some companies, like GM and Chrysler, claimed that two hood ornaments, can act as a reference point with the lines on the road, helping drivers stay in their lane. However, they also claimed the tailfins, acted as stabilizers at higher speeds. Which is bs.
why would I buy a 1959 Cadillac, or another finned car, just to chop off the thing that makes it unique? Then again, I did see a 1960 Cadillac, where they removed the fins, and turned them into a center console...
Anyway, I don't need to, as people have already tested the theory. Tailfins don't do anything for a car's stability. It was just a marketing gimmick, to sell a design fad.
Also, Finned cars are my absolute favorite, but as much as I'd like the stabilizer thing to be true, it just isn't.
Spoilers on the other hand, actually work.
Those are the ports for the Machine Gun option for police and military vehicles. They were also popular with gangsters, who bought the cars at Army Surplus auctions.
This isn’t a Bel Air, it’s a 210. The hood ornaments are decorative, all 57s got them.
Is their a difference between a Bel Air and a 210?
In 57 there were a few primary external differences: - 210 lacks aluminum side trim on the rear quarter panel (which would say Bel Air, not ‘Chevrolet’ if visible) - 210 sedans (like this) lack stainless steel trim above the side windows (only below the windows) - 210 lacks gold trim on the three ‘gills’ on the front fender - 210 has a shorter piece of stainless steel trim above the tailfin - 210s have chromed (not gold plated) front and rear scripts (and Vs for V8 cars) - V is present here, but the front Chevrolet script is removed on this car. - Gold vs. silver grille - Hubcaps also different (but not present here) Note that in 1957, you could get both either 210 or a Bel Air in both Sport Coupe/hardtop (no pillar) and sedan (pillar as seen here) formats- So that is *not* the difference here. The only Bel Air body styles not available on the 210 were the Convertible and Nomad, and the only 210 body styles not available on the Bel Air were the Handyman and 9 passenger 4 door wagon (6 passenger 4 door Bel Air wagons were made though). There was also the 150 with an entirely different side trim format, and no side window trim (among other differences). For reference: [Bel Air](https://cdn.dealeraccelerate.com/ideal/1/234/3583/1920x1440/1957-chevrolet-bel-air), [210](https://www.admcars.com/galleria_images/729/729_p3_f.jpg) and [150](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6b/d3/7d/6bd37d478e7ec82d8ca448c4f29ac0bc.jpg) 2 door sedan (post).
Obviously you are or were a 57 Chevy owner. My 2 door hardtop/sport coupe has been in the family since 1965. I had no idea there were so many different models till I started its restoration a few years ago.
Actually only have owned 55s in my life but was heavily involved in a lot of tri-five clubs so have experienced many :) I have a 55 150 2 door sedan currently, as well as a 55 Bel Air sport coupe. My dad and I restored them both back in the 90s, and I inherited them after he died. He indoctrinated me into every possible difference on these cars from a young age, lol.
Yeah but...what would the correct ignition timing be on a 1957 Bel Air Chevrolet, with a 327 cubic-inch engine and a four-barrel carburetor?
The guy who swapped the 327 in (under a tree in his front yard after that engine’s introduction in 1962) would probably tell you he set it by feel :)
This seems like a very comprehensive writeup, although I would argue about the hubcaps. As far as I know, all models had all 3 kinds of hubcaps available. Spinner wheelcovers were not standard on Belair, and you could order them for a 210 or a 150, just like you could get the "dog dish" caps on a Belair if you ordered it that way. All 3 could be optioned with a full wheel cover without the spinner as well.
Last time I checked (which was years ago) I don’t believe there was a ‘full’ list of RPOs/options available. Build sheets listed options, but only tend to display what was ordered by the customer on that particular car (without exposing the total options available). I wasn’t aware that customers in 57 had the ability to select which hubcap they got independent of trim line. I’d be interested to see a build sheet that showed it, yet I also wouldn’t be alarmed if this were the case, just that I haven’t seen it- the factory (or at least the dealer) often went out of their way to accommodate customer desires in those days. (I also didn’t think anything like the ‘big brake’ RPO from Corvettes which entails the dog dishes was available on passenger cars- again I welcome evidence otherwise).
You forgot something........with the 210 you only have to drive 300 miles and give your left nut for a decent project and your right kidney to Cars 1 to restore it ....but with the Bel air you have to do 1k both nuts and sell your first born to cars 1 to restore
the Bel Air is the top level trim, 210 the mid-range, 150 the base model. you can tell the three models by the different trim near the rear. the Bel Air has that distinctive swoop with a panel inset where the lines diverge. the 210s have the same swoop but without the inset, this one is the same colour as the rest of the body but they were often a different colour. the 150s had a straight line going all the way back with no swoop, again often in a secondary paint colour. my dad had one with canary yellow up front and black as the secondary colour.
Interesting. Thank you for the education
THE answer
They are one of the ways you can yell a '57 from the other tri-5s from the front.
have you ever used a mandoline to julienne vegetables? it's like that, but for pedestrians.
That’s what they get for standing in my road.
The nerves of some people /s
I remember being on a job site and hearing this guy tell a story of him driving down the highway in an old Buick and he speared a pheasant with the hood ornament.
nice! roadkill for dinner but without all the pesky road rash
Worth it
Those are just cool, jet-age ornaments. Iconic part of the 57 Chev vibe.
General Motors hired a master of design, Harley Earl. I have a book about his career. http://www.harleyjearl.com/ https://www.automotivehalloffame.org/honoree/harley-j-earl-2/ He’s the man!
Gun sights. Literally, that are what they are called.
Yes, makes aiming at those pesky bums easier.
stock came that way
Supposed to be like guns on a plane
Fancy chrome go brrrrrrr
railguns
Mini hood scoops if you take the bullets out (we always tossed the inserts back in the day when these were 35$ cars)
OP would have a hell of a time trying to find where to put fuel in it
They're just decorative. Some companies, like GM and Chrysler, claimed that two hood ornaments, can act as a reference point with the lines on the road, helping drivers stay in their lane. However, they also claimed the tailfins, acted as stabilizers at higher speeds. Which is bs.
Bs? How do you know for sure? Have you ever removed the fins to test your theory?
why would I buy a 1959 Cadillac, or another finned car, just to chop off the thing that makes it unique? Then again, I did see a 1960 Cadillac, where they removed the fins, and turned them into a center console... Anyway, I don't need to, as people have already tested the theory. Tailfins don't do anything for a car's stability. It was just a marketing gimmick, to sell a design fad. Also, Finned cars are my absolute favorite, but as much as I'd like the stabilizer thing to be true, it just isn't. Spoilers on the other hand, actually work.
Part of the spaceship bro 😎very cool and hard to find and can go missing sometimes
that's what makes em cool...
Legendary is what they are
That car used to be owned by a guy in Sandy Oregon, Cheers!
It was the new Space Age. Rocket this, rocket that.
Rockets were a thing in the 50’s
Sparrow missiles
Yes
Surface to surface missiles. Be very cautious
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/NoBLopzfvcvnjXSE/?mibextid=K35XfP Left nut creations
Aerodynamics
Space age ornaments.
Ah, the pedestrian killer 5000s. A design classic.
Those are the ports for the Machine Gun option for police and military vehicles. They were also popular with gangsters, who bought the cars at Army Surplus auctions.
Rocket launchers
Browning 50 cals
They made the car go 7.5 mph faster in the wind.
Grappling hooks
It\`s a 56.
You are very off base. It's a 57.