Which Is It? A '57 Ford Or A '57 Chevrolet

[DonMiller]

By Don Miller

When the muscle car era actually began is a subject that is constantly debated among automobile enthusiasts.

The traditionalists insist it started in 1964 when Pontiac engineers stuffed the Pontiac 389 cubic inch V-8 into a Pontiac Tempest compact car and began marketing it to young Americans as the GTO. Others claim the muscle car era really began in 1949 when General Motors Corp.'s Oldsmobile Division installed the all new 303 cubic inch V-8 Oldsmobile Rocket engine from the stately, long wheelbase Model 98 into the short wheelbase Model 76 and created the famous Oldsmobile Rocket 88. But then, if the single criteria for creating a muscle car is to install the manufacturer's largest engine into its lightest car, could not the 1930 Chrysler Model 77, with its high compression “Red Head” 6-cylinder, be the first factory hot rod or “muscle car”?

Whatever your personal preference, it's universally agreed that the mid-1950s saw the interest in speed and motorsport competition grow significantly, and the American horsepower race was wide open in Detroit. The Motor City saw auto racing success as an advertising opportunity, and Detroit was in the business of selling cars. Ford, General Motors, Chrysler Corp.,and even independents like Hudson, slugged it out on oval tracks around the country under NASCAR, USAC, ARCA and AAA supervision while others struggled for supremacy on the nation's drag strips. The prescription for automotive sales success was to “Win on Sunday and Sell on Monday”. Everything appeared to be going great until June 6, 1957, when the American Automobile Manufacturers Association, under pressure from the auto insurance industry, voted to withdraw from all racing activities and cancel production of all high-performance vehicles then in production.

1957 – A Milestone Year

Every manufacturer from Chevrolet to Studebaker had at least one factory hot rod with the two most prominent adversaries being Chevrolet and Ford. Chevrolet touted its fuel- injected, 283 cubic inch equipped models as the “Hot Ones” in national advertising campaigns. Ford responded with an equally direct media blitz that was titled “Cool off the Hot One” and championed the Ford Supercharged 312 cubic inch equipped sedans and Thunderbirds readily available at the local Ford dealership.








#1 1957 Ford Custom 300 2-door sedan.

The reality of the situation proved quite the opposite. The local dealership usually handled the high horsepower cars on a special order basis only. Of the millions of Fords and Chevrolets sold in 1957, less than 3,000 of the 283 horsepower Corvettes and fuel-injected sedans were produced in the 1957 model year. Even fewer of the 300 horsepower Ford sedans and Thunderbirds were built with the 300 horsepower, Supercharged V-8 engine. The 300 horsepower Thunderbird was the rarest of the rare, totaling a paltry 200 units.

Chevrolet and Ford also produced hundreds of two, four barrel versions of these top-performing models rated at 270 horsepower each. These cars were the models the performance enthusiasts readily embraced.






#2 1957 Ford passenger car version of the 270 hp engine.



However, Ford outsold Chevrolet in 1957, which is why we are taking a look at the Ford 270 horsepower, 312 cubic inch Custom 300. The Custom 300 model was the baseline sedan and the lightest vehicle in the passenger car lineup. Ordering the high performance, 270 horsepower engine for an additional $200 [as seen on the dealer option list] gave the buyer a 312 cubic inch Y block engine with a 9.71 compression ratio, high-lift solid lifter camshaft, two four-barrel carburetors and dual exhaust, the same combination of factory parts that set 458 international and national speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in September 1956.








#3 1957 Ford Thunderbird 270 hp engine.



Ford officials mounted a huge advertising campaign to promote their achievements. One enthusiastic Ford executive remarked, “Nowadays, manufacturers don't wait for specific seasons to introduce new models. Annual change has been replaced by running change. These cars are living testimony of past days when anticipating was high on the list when it came to buying a new car, now performance speaks volumes.”

The Custom 300 also sported a shorter, 2-inch wheelbase – 116 inches vs. the 118 inches of the Ford Fairlane 500 models. In addition, the Custom 300 was inches lower than the Fairlane due to its lower greenhouse and shorter windshield, a fact that didn't escape the NASCAR contingent. Ford won 27 of 53 NASCAR Grand National events during the 1957 season and the late Ralph Moody demolished the USAC stock car racing competition with one the same year.






#4 The 1957 Ford short wheelbase custom 2-door sedan.

On the nation's drag strips, it was a free-for-all between Ford, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac. Was the Ford 270 horsepower quicker than the Chevrolet 270 horsepower? When one considers oval and dirt tracks, drag strips or the street, it was almost a dead heat. But if you want to start a good argument with any car person, just ask, “What was the fastest car, the '57 Chevrolet or the '57 Ford?

Next time, we will look at the magnificent 1957 Chevrolet, its history, its performance and its market value today.

What's your vote – '57 Ford or '57 Chevrolet?
###

[Cammer]

Back in the day, a friend of mine ran a supercharged 1957 Ford sedan that cleaned up on the dragstrip.

Those were the days!

_____________________

I remember the day my neighbor came home with a new 1958 Ford retractable hardtop. He created quite a stir in the neighborhood the first time he put top down. I bought a 1958 Ford sedan that proved to be one of my favorite cars.

Wow, what great memories!

___________________________

[automotivebreath]

Like um or not, you must agree the introduction of the SBC in 1955 was a
muscle car milestone. In production for 45 years, to this day it's the most
common engine of all the sportsman levels of domestic racing.

[JohnBlazeLTZ]

Originally Posted by automotivebreath

Like um or not, you must agree the introduction of the SBC in 1955 was a
muscle car milestone. In production for 45 years, to this day it's the most
common engine of all the sportsman levels of domestic racing.

AMEN! Speak on it speak on it brother! AMEN!