[2] Initially, General Motors executives wanted an entirely new car for 1957, but production delays necessitated the 1955–56 design for one more year.

[3] Ed Cole, chief engineer for Chevrolet, dictated a series of changes that significantly increased the cost of the car.

The lightweight car, coupled with a powerful overhead valve V-8, became a showroom draw, but also thrust the company into the arena of competitive motorsports.

Body choices for 1957 included: Unlike most competitors, the Chevrolet 4-door hardtop featured a reinforced rear roof structure that gave the car added rigidity and a unique appearance in silhouette.

The 2-door Bel Air Nomad station wagon had its own distinctive styling, mainly in the roof line and rear deck.

A 283 cu in (4,640 cc) engine fitted with solid lifters, the "Duntov" cam and fuel injection was rated at 283 hp (211 kW) and cost $500.

An "Autronic eye" was offered; it was a device that bolted onto the dashboard and sensed the light from oncoming traffic, dimming the headlights automatically.

Playing the radio with conventional tubes for extended periods occasionally drained the battery to the extent that it could not start the car.

[13] In 1957, Chevrolet started to add safety features such as "crash proof door locks[14]" (first added in 1956), padded dash boards, safety-styled steering wheel with a recessed hub[15] (though not as much as Ford's), seat belts (also first in 1956[16]) and shoulder harnesses.

However, due to a reliability reputation caused by its complexity, most automatic transmission buyers shunned the Turboglide in favor of the two-speed Powerglide that had been offered since 1950.

At the time the Turboglide casing was the largest cast aluminum component ever put into mass production, but it never recovered from the reputation in 1957 and the option was discontinued in 1961.

A 1957 equipped with this transmission mated to the 270 horsepower engine and limited slip differential was the one to beat on the drag strip and street into the early 1960s.

[citation needed] Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the 1957 Chevrolet was a popular used car and highly prized "street machine" or hot rod in 1957 terms.

The ideal size of the 1957, combined with its relatively light weight compared to newer full-sized cars, made it a favorite among drag racers.

The relatively simple mechanical attributes of the car made it easy to maintain, customize, and upgrade with components such as disc brakes and air conditioning.

The big block, however, was not what put the 1957 on the map on the street scene; it was the introduction of the low-priced small-block, 365-horsepower 327 in 1962 that was the blockbuster that made both the 1955 and 1957 Chevrolet able to beat the Ford hotrods with their flathead V8s.

[citation needed] This was a major turning point in American hot rodding: Chevrolet had claimed the street scene from Ford.

This mechanical advantage, coupled with the high revving and reliable 283, earned the 1957 the nickname "king of the short tracks"[citation needed] With the fuel injected 283, the One-Fifty model two door sedan version, called the "black widow," was the first car outlawed (and quickly so) by NASCAR as it proved almost unbeatable on virtually all the NASCAR tracks in early 1957.

Surprisingly enough, the 1957 Chevrolet also won a disproportionate amount of demolition derbies as well: With the radiator set back from the grille, the car was difficult to disable.

The additional advantage of having the last double lined trunk, coupled with a strong frame, made it a surprisingly common winner in the demolition derbies during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Companies such as Danchuk Manufacturing, Inc. and Classic Chevy Club International began selling reproduction and restoration parts.