# Why are '57 Chevys so popular? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 24, 2009, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-57-chevys-so-popular/518717 "2009-11-24T01:02:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-57-chevys-so-popular/518717/21 "2009-11-25T14:21:14Z")
> [@Spartydog](#): > > Excellent handling? Ralph Nadar was absolutely right. The thing would roll over at 26 mph. The suspension was inherently flawed. I owned one so I should be prejudiced in favor of the Corvair but the truth is the truth. Thankfully, I survived it. > > The suspension could have been redesigned and the design could have been saved. Then the son of Cal Verner, general manager of the Cadillac Division, was killed in a Corvair. GM pulled the plug. The suspension was redesigned–upgraded in 1964, complete redesign in 1965. By all reports, the later suspension fixed a lot of problems. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-57-chevys-so-popular/518717/22 "2009-11-25T17:54:04Z")
> [@Spartydog](#): > > Excellent handling? Ralph Nadar was absolutely right. The thing would roll over at 26 mph. The suspension was inherently flawed. > > \ > > The suspension could have been redesigned and the design could have been saved. Then the son of Cal Verner, general manager of the Cadillac Division, was killed in a Corvair. GM pulled the plug. So much misinformation in one post is quite impressive. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-57-chevys-so-popular/518717/23 "2009-11-25T23:23:14Z")
> [@Susanann](#): > > It had nothing to do with “collecting”…and nothing to do with “time”. > > The 57 Chevy looked cool back then before “collecting” was a word. > > We liked them then, we ALWAYS liked them. The 57 Chevy ALWAYS looked like a cool car. The 57 Chevy was born as a popular desireable car. For sure. They went astray a bit with the '58, but the '59 with those gull wings made my heart go pitty-pat. Then came the dark year of 1960, but Chevy soon began redeeming themselves with the finless models and monster engines, and then those beautiful Chevelles and Malibus. Of course, GM has produced mostly crap in recent years. ---
**Author:** ![akira5822](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@akira5822](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akira5822)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2009, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-57-chevys-so-popular/518717/24 "2009-11-25T23:57:11Z")
I Prefer the 55 bel-air, a much cleaner looking car IMHO [http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-1950-1959/1955-Chevrolet-Bel-Air-rw-fa-sy-1280x960.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.seriouswheels.com/1950-1959/1955-Chevrolet-Bel-Air-Hardtop-Red-White-SA.htm&usg=\_\_5FnqOAXK-U3BMegOd1piavwySJo=&h=960&w=1280&sz=437&hl=en&start=5&um=1&tbnid=nUqCCMH1UNuPbM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3D1955%2Bbelair%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-1950-1959/1955-Chevrolet-Bel-Air-rw-fa-sy-1280x960.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.seriouswheels.com/1950-1959/1955-Chevrolet-Bel-Air-Hardtop-Red-White-SA.htm&usg=__5FnqOAXK-U3BMegOd1piavwySJo=&h=960&w=1280&sz=437&hl=en&start=5&um=1&tbnid=nUqCCMH1UNuPbM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3D1955%2Bbelair%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1) ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-57-chevys-so-popular/518717/25 "2009-11-26T01:18:45Z")
> [@Rocketeer](#): > > The suspension was redesigned–upgraded in 1964, complete redesign in 1965. By all reports, the later suspension fixed a lot of problems. Technically, yes, it was, but by then the reputation of the car was so bad among the public and inside GM that it’s fate had been decided. [http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=697\_1250381363](http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=697_1250381363) And as for what **Dinsdale** is talking about, who the hell knows? Is that the epitome of laziness? Make a post saying “you’re wrong” and then taking a powder. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-57-chevys-so-popular/518717/26 "2009-11-26T02:00:12Z")
Just for some context to the OP… The '50s nostalgia boom happened in the '70s, but I didn’t notice the '57 Chevy craze then. It seemed to me that people really started going nuts for them around 1980. Nineteen-eighty was also when I got my first car, a hand-me-down 1966 MGB roadster that my mom gave me after it had been sitting unused for a number of years. The MG was low sleek and handled very well. And the top came off. The '57 Chevys just seemed bulbous and old-fashioned to me. (The MGB was still in production, until 1980, and still looked pretty much like it did in 1962.) The '57 Chevy was before my time, when I was little my dad had a Ford Galaxie 500 7-Litre, my friends drove c.1970 American Iron, and I had the roadster and motorcycle. So I just never got the appeal of the '57 Chevy. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-57-chevys-so-popular/518717/27 "2009-11-26T16:30:12Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Just for some context to the OP… > > The '50s nostalgia boom happened in the '70s, but I didn’t notice the '57 Chevy craze then. It seemed to me that people really started going nuts for them around 1980. Nineteen-eighty was also when I got my first car, a hand-me-down 1966 MGB roadster that my mom gave me after it had been sitting unused for a number of years. The MG was low sleek and handled very well. And the top came off. The '57 Chevys just seemed bulbous and old-fashioned to me. (The MGB was still in production, until 1980, and still looked pretty much like it did in 1962.) The '57 Chevy was before my time, when I was little my dad had a Ford Galaxie 500 7-Litre, my friends drove c.1970 American Iron, and I had the roadster and motorcycle. So I just never got the appeal of the '57 Chevy. I can tell you that we were nuts for them in the early 60s, along with the '55 and '56 BelAirs, which, like **akira** , I prefer. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-57-chevys-so-popular/518717/28 "2009-11-26T17:34:26Z")
> [@Spartydog](#): > > And as for what **Dinsdale** is talking about, who the hell knows? Is that the epitome of laziness? Make a post saying “you’re wrong” and then taking a powder. Yeah, I’m so lazy I actually spend a tiny amount of time learning about things before simply spouting off. [Here’s](http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/in-defense-of-the-chevrolet-corviar/) a start. But I doubt you are interested. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-57-chevys-so-popular/518717/29 "2009-11-27T02:30:37Z")
> [@akira5822](#): > > I Prefer the 55 bel-air, a much cleaner looking car IMHO > > [http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-1950-1959/1955-Chevrolet-Bel-Air-rw-fa-sy-1280x960.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.seriouswheels.com/1950-1959/1955-Chevrolet-Bel-Air-Hardtop-Red-White-SA.htm&usg=\_\_5FnqOAXK-U3BMegOd1piavwySJo=&h=960&w=1280&sz=437&hl=en&start=5&um=1&tbnid=nUqCCMH1UNuPbM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3D1955%2Bbelair%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-1950-1959/1955-Chevrolet-Bel-Air-rw-fa-sy-1280x960.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.seriouswheels.com/1950-1959/1955-Chevrolet-Bel-Air-Hardtop-Red-White-SA.htm&usg=__5FnqOAXK-U3BMegOd1piavwySJo=&h=960&w=1280&sz=437&hl=en&start=5&um=1&tbnid=nUqCCMH1UNuPbM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3D1955%2Bbelair%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1) Agree, always liked '55s more than '56 or '57. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-57-chevys-so-popular/518717/30 "2009-11-27T03:19:25Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Yeah, I’m so lazy I actually spend a tiny amount of time learning about things before simply spouting off. [Here’s](http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/in-defense-of-the-chevrolet-corviar/) a start. But I doubt you are interested. Yea, so what’s your point. From your own site: > [@](#): > > As long as owners maintained the eleven pound differential between its front (15/19lbs) and rear (26/30lbs) tires, the Corvair’s handling remained friendly and innocuous. But Americans were (and are) not known for monitoring their vehicle’s tire pressure. Gas station attendants of the time had a mantra: “24 pounds all around.” They became unwitting co-conspirators in the Corvair’s fall (spin) from grace. > > calconnectcom22.jpgWith incorrect tire pressures, a rapidly cornering Corvair driver could easily find the vehicle’s back end heading towards the front. The average US driver was simply not prepared to handle that eventuality. Could GM have done more to avoid the oversteer stigma? Yes. GM saved six dollars per car by not making the front anti-sway bar standard. And who knows how much (little) the effective rear camber-compensating spring adopted in 1964 cost. So this car handles great as long as the tire pressure doesn’t get a little off then you are on your own, sucker. THAT sounds real safe. The suspension system was shit and could have been corrected from the get go. GM didn’t bother. VW and Porsche had similar designs that weren’t inherently unsafe. After the kids and relatives of people influential with GM were killed or maimed they started to take notice. Nadar made an issue of the safety limitations of American cars in general and the Corvair specifically. He was right. Steering columns were unnecessarily impaling people and they did nothing about it until Nadar’s book was published. The reaction of GM to the problem was to spend a ton of money investigating Nadar’s sex life hoping to find something, anything. They found nothing. (The guy may be the only total celibate on the planet.) Nadar is the good guy in this story. GM and the American auto makers are the bad guys. The Corvair was just the poster child. What Nadar did was one of the best things to happen to the American auto industry. If the Corvair was a victim there is no reason to cry any tears for it. The whole problem with the American auto industry is that they have to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to make them advance automotive engineering. It always been that way with safety, emissions, fuel economy and ergonomics. (But they are good at designing bells and whistles.) The suits in Detroit are their own worst enemy. But I doubt you are interested. ---
**Author:** ![cedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cedman)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-57-chevys-so-popular/518717/31 "2009-11-27T12:29:20Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’ve always wondered. It was the last car Chevy ever made. Duckin’ and runnin’! ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-57-chevys-so-popular/518717/32 "2009-11-27T23:40:38Z")
> [@Susanann](#): > > The Fords could not beat the 57 Chevy, the Fords were low class, and mostly the greasers and flunkies drove Fords. > > The Dodges were for old people, Dodges/Chryslers, and the people who drove them, were just plain wierd, they had the transmission selection as a dashboard push button. You had to push a button on the left dashboard to put the car in drive, or in reverse, whatever. A 57 Ford Fairlane with a 312 Thunderbird engine could run circles around all 57 Chevys except the fuel injected models. The Ford cost $300 less too. Ford dominated NASCAR in the late 50’s except for a few Hemi Chryslers and Oldsmobiles with thier new V-8. Dodges with the Red Ram V-8 also would out run the Chevys of the day. A 57 Chevy with a 283 weighed almost 600 pounds more that the 55 and 56 models, they needed the extra horsepower just to keep up the the earlier shoebox Chevs. It wasn’t till aftermarket companies started making aftermarket parts for the small block Chevy that the 57 became more popular in racing circles. Even then, the lighter 55 and 56 Chevys were more popular race cars. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-57-chevys-so-popular/518717.md?page=1)