1957 Chevrolet 210

1957 Chevrolet 210 Station Wagon               Station wagons, the midcentury standard of family transportation, were-for a while, anyway-reviled by pretty much anyone in the market for a cool set of wheels.  The long roof, displaced from its market slot by the minivan in the 1980s, languished in relative obscurity among collector cars until the last few years.  As SUVs, crossovers, and even luxury pickup trucks occupy the modern family hauler niche, good ol' station wagons have made a cameo comeback in the collector car market. Thx Hagerty.com  For consignment, a 1957 Chevrolet 210 station wagon in what our consignor calls nice driver quality.  Meanwhile, tri-five wagons are among some of the most collectible cars of the era.  Yes, even the four door versions are red hot and here's one you can bring up to show quality or simply enjoy all the thumbs ups you'll get in its current state.  Exterior Charcoal Gray covers the body of the car and is contrasted by the Medium Blue Metallic on the roof and pillars.  White becomes the third dominant color as it occupies the fender wedge which crosses the door seam and on the Coker white walls which, by the way, have a mid 2021 date code.  While we're talking wheels, the gray painted wheels wear proper hubcaps and contribute to an original, period look.  No fat tires or mag wheels here, just a good, basic stance on stock looking shoes.  The chrome and polished metal on the car combine some excellent pieces that will need nothing with a few that could use some restoration and all of the light lenses are in great shape.  Fins wing past the vertical rear deck while at the opposite end, headlight brows protrude forward flanking twin rocket ornaments embedded in the hood, all over a massive front bumper.  Overall, the paint and body are great.  Imperfections include some uneven paint at a wheel opening and other areas, surface scratches, some flaky rust on the bottom side of the body, bubbling, chips, uneven bodywork in seams and other areas, and dings in the metal trim.  Interior A blue band of vinyl is sandwiched between two gray/tan panels on each inner door and has chrome hardware, a simple design all in good shape.  The front bench maintains that pattern in a vertical display and blue piping augments the design which is mirrored in the back seats, and everything looks to be in great condition.  A bit of patina on the awesome Chevrolet steering wheel, with horn ring, all leading to the body color dash dominated by three protruding gauges, backed by indicator lights, and joined by vent levers on the lower dash.  In the center of the stylized mesh dash panel is a Motorola AM radio next to a gold BelAir emblem in gold.  The flat dash continues on its way toward the door where it turns at the end creating a rounded edge.  The floor is covered with a high pile blue carpet not unlike what you'd find in a home and protected by Chevrolet rubber mats, while the vinyl walls of the footwell show some looseness.  The long headliner is also loose in a few places but otherwise in very good condition and fully intact.  A sea of blue carpet covers the cargo area under a nice detail of button backed bands of gray/tan vinyl.   Drivetrain Super clean, super simple, and simply orange is the 283ci V8 under the hood with a 2-barrel carburetor and a 3-speed manual transmission behind it, sending power to the rear wheels and 3.55 gears.  Drum brakes occupy front and back wheels.  Undercarriage Relatively clean underneath with some typical surface rust, a bit of sludge on the rear differential and knuckles, oil on the pan, flywheels cover, and transmission.  This is driver quality with zero invasive rust but with signs of potential flaking on the pinch welds under several doors.  The dual exhaust finds their way to stock style mufflers before exiting behind each rear wheel.  Coil springs are the suspension configuration up front and leaf springs out