Today, as a Hot Wheels model, we have an American icon from the 1950s: the legendary 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. A car that boasts a recurring association with the TV show Happy Days and embodies the positive desire for freedom that permeated post-war America.
This version celebrates and recalls, in livery and branding, the “’57 Edelbrock Chevy Bel Air”, created by students at Ohio Technical College (OTC) as part of an educational initiative (between October 2010 and May 2011), in collaboration with the Edelbrock Performance Academy. The aim was to transform a Hot Wheels model into a real, working version, giving students hands-on experience in vehicle restoration and customisation.
This 2010 model (HW Performance) features the upper body in black painted metal and satin silver, with the Edelbrock logo screen-printed in red, white and black on the rear “tails”; the number 23 on the doors, surmounted by the inscription “VIC”; on the front side, the inscription “carburated”; on the bonnet, the double inscription “283 H.P.”, divided by a double central line; and the “Hot Wheels” brand as a signature, adjacent to the rear wheels.
The lower body is chrome-plated silver plastic, which also makes up the car's two bumpers, radiator and lower lights. The wheels are five-spoke, screen-printed in metallic red. Finally, the interior of the passenger compartment is red plastic.