Vintage Cars: 1957 Chevy, factory v8, cyl engine

Question
I own a 1957 Chevy, but the rest is foggy.  I was told that it was one of 50
vehicles that Chevrolet originally made in order to qualify as a production car
to race in NASCAR back in '57.  Marketed as the "Businessman's Coupe," it
resembled the Bel Air, only it was seven inches shorter and a thousand
pounds lighter.  Is this true, and if so, what value would you place on this
vehicle?  The VIN is A57L117497.  

Thank You for your time.  Your assistance is much appreciated.
Johnny

Answer
Johnny,

I don't know of any shorter version of the 57 Chevy.  There used to be Businesses Coupes and sometimes they were on a shorter wheelbase, but usually they had the same wheel base as a 2 door sedan, but a shorter roof.  That made the trunk longer to put stuff in.

For 1957, they did produce a Utility Coupe, which was a 2 dr sedan with no back seat, just a package tray, probably carpeted, or maybe with a rubber mat, but the body and frame  would be the same as the regular 2 dr sedan.

Anything shorter, is probably a one-off custom or maybe someone back in the day made a short run of these, but they weren't from the factory.

From your VIN, we know your car has a 6 cyl engine from the factory (V8 cars had a V as the first digit)

the A means a 150 series car, the lowest priced line of cars made that year.  The L means the car was made in Los Angeles, and thus, it should have what is called the California front bumper, all in one piece.  Cars made outside of California got three piece front bumpers (not counting the round tips and bumper guards).  The 117497 means it was the 17,496th car made that year in the Los Angeles plant. (they started with 100,001)

If your car has no back seat then there were about 8300 of them made, chances are about 1/2 with the 6 cyl engine.  I doubt it is one of just 50 or even close to that.  It would be the cheapest car sold that year, and would weigh maybe 100 pounds less than other 2 door sedans.

Check out this site for more information:

http://www.superchevy.com/features/trifive/m5lp_0701w_1957_chevrolet_history/pro...

All 57 Chevy's are collectible, the Bel Air being the most desireable, and of course a convertible the tops.

Value for the 150 Utility Sedan would be from about $4000 for a running but very rough car, to about $23,000 for something truly showroom new.

Color makes a difference, they don't call it "resale RED" for nothing!  :)  But other colors can be fun too.

There is no way to give a more accurate value without seeing the car in person, and you give no idea of what the condition is.  Pure stock is worth more unless you get into really nice "restified" street rod style cars, and then the value is all over the place and you have to find a buyer that likes the exact mods you have made.

I hope this helps you put a value on your Utility Sedan, and I hope you have a lot of fun with it.

Don