The Impala was already getting most of Chevy’s love in 1962, but the Bel Air remained the mid-priced full-size car in the GM brand’s offering.
It continued to share the styling and most engines with the Impala, so people who didn’t want to spend extra on the full package could always stick with the Bel Air.
Chevrolet offered five V8 engines on the 1962 Bel Air, starting with the famous 283 producing 170 horsepower, and ending with the 409 big-block unit rated at 409 horsepower. The same big block was available on the Impala, fitting the Super Sport (launched only a year earlier) like a glove.
The 409 was so great that the famous band the Beach Boys even released a song about it called “409.” Eventually, the Bel Air was the second best-selling full-size model in the Chevy lineup after the Impala, with the GM brand selling a total of 1.4 million cars in 1962.
One of the examples that rolled off the assembly lines in 1962 landed on Craigslist recently with a horrible shape and a promise you could hardly believe if you only check out these photos.
The car needs a complete restoration, but the photos suggest a rough shape in every department. The metal is rusty, the interior is wrecked, and it’s hard to believe the undersides offer better news. You should inspect the car in person and put it on a lift, but I wouldn’t expect anything surprising.
You still get an engine, but it’s safe to assume the unit comes in horrible shape. The owner doesn’t share specifics, but we know it’s a V8, so you’ll have to find a good mechanic to decrypt other information about what’s happening under the hood.
The other shortcoming is the body style. A station wagon isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, and while I enjoy such a Bel Air, not everybody thinks the same. Restoring a station wagon, especially in this condition, is a hard thing to do, even for professional restorers, so it’ll be interesting to see if this Bel Air ever returns to the road.
I’ll let the photos speak for themselves and do the hard job of convincing a buyer to take it home, but let’s be honest: this station wagon is almost a rust bucket, so its chances of becoming a donor are bigger than getting a complete overhaul.
Meanwhile, the owner believes the car still has what it takes to get your love, so be ready to pay $3,800 to take it home. They also have a third-row seat if you want to turn it into a family car, but your best option is to inspect everything in person before committing to a purchase.