✯ Day 57 of Vintage 365 ✯
It's rather funny, though I've not yet owned a single car in my twenty six years of life, I've long had a deeply rooted interest in automobiles - particularly those from the mid-twentieth century (natch!). Do I profess to be an expert - alla Top Gear (adore that show!!!) - no, not in the slightest, but there's something about certain cars that makes my pulse quicken, my eyes twinkle, and my imagination go wild (as I lose myself in a daydream about owning said vehicles).
From Ford's Model T to the Honda Clarity (a car which, I strongly believe will change the world of automotive forever - and for the better), over the span of the last 115 years the world has been transformed beyond measure by cars, and along the way some of those hulking, powerful, useful machines have looked rather gorgeous in the process of providing the invaluable service of "horse-less transportation".
Certain cars are icons of their age (think the Chrysler G-70 Roadster of the late 20s and 30s, or the Pontiac GTO of the 60s - both vastly different cars but ones that are no less embedded in eras they hail from), and when I think of the 1950s few automobiles jump out at me more than the 1957 Chevy.
Officially launched in September 1956, the 1957 Chevrolet was one of the most purchased models of it's time, and remains vastly popular with classic car collectors today. It's hard to pin down exactly why I adore the '57 Chevy, but I think it has to do with the fact that it was one of the first vintage cars I can remember seeing as a child. Much like poodle skirts, jukeboxes, Elvis, and saddle shoes, the 1957 Chevy spoke for an era that, even as a young child, I already felt undeniably tied to - and in love with.
On this, the 57th day of the Vintage 355 series, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate the beauty, coolness and timeless allure of the 1957 Chevy (which just happens to be one of my all-time favourite cars). This auto was sleek, yet solid; it had panache to spare, was roomy, delightfully alluring and downright fantastic (not to mention that it was the first Chevy to offer the option of fuel-injection).
The '57 Chevy is a juxtaposition of sorts. On the one hand it was clean-cut and wholesome, perfect for the Cleaver family, and yet (especially in the years that followed) it became a very popular model for hotrods and customization (giving it a daring, Brando-would-have-approved vibe, too).
It's sharp lines, marvelous tail fins, curvaceous top, and perfect dose of metal (chrome) exterior work all cumulate to make this one of the most memorable, and visually appealing, cars of the decade - and if, you ask, me of all time.
We are a car family we have a 51 chevy fastback, a 57 chevy 210 4 door post, and a 59 brookwood wagon as well as 3 daily drivers. The problem I do worry about the availability of gasoline and its impact on the enviroment. I will miss our cars if they it ever becomes unavailable but the Hydrogen Cars are great if you live in a mild climate but from what I understand they wouldn't work so well here in the Midwest were the winters are too cold and harsh although perhaps Honda has worked out the kinks.
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