Upside down, wrong way around

This stunning ’57 Bel Air is a source of pride Down Under. 

I think the best cars have stories to them, and this one is long– in years, that is. As a youngster, U.S. cars in Australia were a rarity, and my interest lay in British and European cars. I had owned a good few by my early twenties. But there was always a longing (for American cars), thanks to an article I had read in Life magazine that mentioned the 5-6-7 Chevrolets. That story included a photo of a sweet hardtop that spurred my automotive lust. I remember saying to myself that one day I would own one.

Changing cities a few years later in 1986 saw me without a car, and after some research I decided to buy a ’57 Sport Coupe from the U.S. via an importer. General Motors had locally sold a small number of 210 6-cylinder 4-door cars of this vintage, but my mind was set on the more glamorous– and a 2-door pillarless car with a V8 engine and 2-speed transmission was ticking all the boxes. With my deposit down, it was a few months before Polaroids arrived to prove the deal, and then another three before it landed.