1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible:

Chevrolet had a winner on their hands with the 1956 Bel Air.  Over 1.5 million Bel Airs were produced in 1956, making it a remarkable success.  Of those cars, just over 41,000 were convertibles.  The rare Bel Air convertible is highly sought after by collectors.  The Bel Air had a relatively small engine--a 265 cubic-inch V8 producing 225 horsepower.  It certainly wasn’t fast, but the V8--Chevrolet’s first small-block V8--was enough to lug the car’s 3,320 lbs around town.

Bel Airs have shown a steady increase in value over the past five years.  In 2002 the average auction sale was $23,600.  That number increased to over $80,000 in 2006.  For a car with a base price of $2,443, it had proved to be a very sound automotive investment.  The Bel Air receives a “B” on the Sports Car Market Collectability Scale.  This particular Bel Air is part of the Miller Collection and there are no plans to sell it, but if Bill Miller ever wanted to, he could expect somewhere in the neighborhood of $80,000.