There was magic in the air in 1957 for Chevrolet. Or was there? Ask anyone who has ever driven a car, to pick a year that they associate with the word Chevy and odds are that they will say 57 and to be more precise the 57 Chevy Convertible.
57 Convertibles Get More Love Today
But the concept and design for the 57 Convertibles was actually born a few years earlier, and the birth was neither perfect nor was it greeted by the public with any real pomp or circumstance.
General Motors and more specifically Harley Earl (their design guru) came under huge pressure in the previous years. They were actually producing great cars by any standards, but their customers were now expecting performance standards way above those required by the roads their cars would be driven on.
Chevy Produced Style, and Speed for 1957
The Chevy Convertible was now expected to compete with its European cousins, namely Alfa, MG and Mercedes amongst others. The American market wanted design, style and speed. Poor sales pre 1957 proved that they were not willing to compromise.
Chevrolet was willing to compromise and quickly recognised that something needed to be pulled out of the proverbial hat. After a brief period of indecision, they were back in fighting form and the hat produced the v8 engine.
The 57 Chevy resembled the 56 in appearance, but with its new V8 specifically modified and tailored, it was ready to take on its American and European Goliath counterparts. For Chevy it was now game set and match. Who was to know at the time that 1957 was to be the year that went such a long way to immortalise what is now the most recognised car on the planet?
2002 Chevy Ad Featuring the 57 Chevy Convertible
45 years later, in 2002, Chevrolet ran an ad campaign featuring a 57 Chevy Convertible. The ad showed the history of the Chevy as "seen" through the ears of pop music with classics like Don MacLean's immortal American Pie. Everybody knows that Don drove his Chevy to the levee. They may not know why, and they may not even know who Don was, but they know exactly what car he drove to the levee. When Prince sang about his "Little Red Corvette", it is alleged that he was referring to his own 57 Chevy Convertible.
But an all time favorite was when Chevrolet themselves ran a classic billboard advertising campaign. Billboards all over the country poignantly reminded people that 'they don't write songs about Volvos' How True.
Yes indeed there was magic in the air in 1957 for Chevrolet with a V8 and fuel injection for real power!
Motorsports history began in 1957 thanks to Chevrolet, and you can find information on other models, like the 57 Corvette, and even more at http://www.1957chevyforsale.com
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