Sometimes just seeing a beautifully restored car is not enough without knowing a little bit of its history and how it came to look even better than the day it left the factory gates. This stunning 1957 Bel Air hardtop is already enticing thanks to its Tri-Five connection, but knowing its backstory too is even more rewarding.Usually, acquiring a classic car (irrespective of its condition) is a highly emotional process.
And, when vast amounts of cash are involved, it’s always helpful for the new owner’s peace of mind to know everything there is about their car and even the trials and tribulations faced by the people who restore or build them.
Such is the case here with this 1957 Chevy Bel Air hardtop that is ready to go under the hammer at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale event (which recently kicked off and runs through March 27th). It is one of those high-end, no expenses spared, complete restorations that are so befitting of the way the Tri-Five gained their cult following.
The work has been completed over many years by Patrick’s Classy Cars of Phoenix, Arizona. The owner, Patrick Pogrant, originally came there in 1987 “straight from the altar” with his high school sweetheart turned new wife Jill in a 1969 Pontiac GTO convertible that he still owns, according to the consigner.
Because of his “Chevy guy” dad, Patrick knows his way around cars since he was ten, so taking up restoration and building models from the GM pool turned out to be the right way to succeed in life. This 1957 Bel Air hardtop was originally purchased by Patrick and his wife Jill back in 2016 and should have been an “eight weeks” restoration project… if not for life’s mysterious ways.
As it turns out, they both got sick shortly afterwards, his wife of cancer and Patrick of leukemia. Unfortunately, only the latter prevailed, and he got back to work with this Tri Five both as a way of healing and honoring his dearly departed significant other.
Now, somebody will carry on her memory by giving the Sierra Gold over Beige interior Bel Air a new lease on life. And everything is as it should be, including the 283ci (4.6L) V8 Power Pack engine, automatic transmission, and all the neat tiny details (such as a tissue dispenser) that make these rides so wonderous.
