Surf Green

Chevrolet cars were available in 16 solid colors for 1957. The photo, taken earlier this week in Chico, shows one of them, an original factory color called Surf Green. The car in the photo is instantly identifiable as a One-Fifty, Chevy’s entry-level series in 1957. You can tell by the half-length single strip of stainless steel side molding that runs from the door to the rear tailfin.

One-Fifties were relatively rare to begin with in 1957 accounting for only about 10 percent of the 1.55 million cars Chevrolet built that year. Production of the feature car, a 2-door sedan, was 71,135. Many of 2- and 4-door One-Fifties were either hot-rodded or became donor cars for restoration projects of the more upscale models. It’s somewhat unusual to see a survivor like the car in the photo.

When most people think of the iconic 1957 Chevrolet, they picture the flashy Bel Air, which had triangular ribbed aluminum panels on its rear quarter panels and a luxurious interior with full carpeting. Or they might remember the mid-level Two-Ten model with its full-length side molding that split into a wedge just aft of the beltline dip. The wedge area was painted a contrasting color on two-tone cars. On either model the side trim accentuated Chevy’s glorious 1957 fins—the best in the 1950’s in my view.

I have always liked the One-Fifties. They were Chevy’s low-priced car in 1957 costing about two hundred dollars less than the Two-Tens. To keep the price down Chevy built them with no standard luxury features. The only floor covering available was a rubber mat, and no arm rests were included on the doors. Even the cigar lighter was extra. Economy-minded buyers ordered them with few options, so most were delivered with 3-speed transmissions, manual steering and brakes, 6-cylinder engines, and radio delete.

I’m not sure what’s under the hood now of the car in the photo, but it came originally with Chevy’s reliable 235-cubic-inch “Blue-Flame 140” (for 140 horsepower) 6-cylinder engine. V-8 cars had a large chrome “V” on the front hood just under the Chevrolet script. Note also the dog-dish hubcaps, body-colored wheels, and period license plate on the front bumper of this plain Jane car.

The car was on private property so I only got within camera length of it. Thus I don’t know what the interior looks like. If the car has been reupholstered, hopefully the owner used a reproduction cobblestone-pattern-cloth One-Fifty interior, spartan as it is.

Back to Surf Green. A quick search of photos on the Internet showed several models of Stratocaster electric guitar in Surf Green as well as pictures of 1957 Chevys. The color is available from Benjamin Moore and probably other manufacturers too. Like Seafoam Green it would be a great color for bathroom fixtures. I’ll have to ask my oldest nephew, a surfer, if it would be appropriate for a longboard.