With almost 1.7 million units sold in its debut year of 1955, the Chevrolet Tri-Five was an immediate smashing success. The pattern persisted in 1957 with 1.5 million occurrences and in 1956 with almost 1.6 million.

A Black Widow in Disguise: The Extremely Rare 1957 Chevrolet 150 Utility Sedan “Fuelie” – evolution by autopsyWhy was the Tri-Five so well-liked by the public? Not only was it reasonably priced, but it was also one of the most attractive vehicles displayed in the dealership. Along with a plethora of body types, Chevrolet offers a wide range of trim levels.

The Tri-Five, for example, went through no less than twenty revisions that year (1957). Among the Bel Air’s trim levels, the Sport Coupe is the most recognizable and desirable, while the Nomad is the most uncommon.

Even though the Bel Air receives all the attention, the 150 and 210 trim levels still include several rare models.

Although the 1957 Tri-Five Nomad is the most talked-about example of the model year, the Delivery Sedan and Utility Sedan 150s are nearly as rare. A mere 8,907 units were sold by the Delivery Sedan, a stripped-down two-door vehicle.

Then there’s the 8,817-unit Utility Sedan, a two-door coupe with no frills. The Utility Sedan, which has an unconventional shape for the modern period, was created to facilitate door-to-door sales. Extra space for bags behind the front bench was a result of its sale without a back seat.

Sоme buyers saw them as cheap mоvers, but оthers envisiоned them as platfоrms fоr lightweight hоt-rоdding.

Also, the chance to combine the lighter Utility Sedan with a 283-horsepower engine arose in 1957 when Chevrolet debuted the fuel-injected 283-cubic-inch (4.6-liter) V8. Quite the unusual vehicle for a salesperson, isn’t it? And there’s a Tri-Five version that very few are aware of.

Additionally, out of 1,530 “fuelie” Tri-Fives sold in 1957, only around 50 were 150 Utility Sedans, making it extremely unusual. Here we see an example of Tropical Turquoise.

There are a number of things that make this two-door car unique. To begin with, it is one of the rare units that has survived restoration and has all-original sheet metal, so it will continue to serve its purpose well into 2023. Additionally, it is a numbers-matching fuel-injected V8 that produces one horsepower per cubic inch—a huge achievement in 1957.

Not only was it ordered with a few extra deletion options, but it was also lighter than the typical 150 because the rear bench, carpet, and rear window roll-down mechanism were not there.

It was the original owner’s wish that the 150 be delivered without any radio, heater, dashboard clock, or cigarette lighter. A close-ratio three-speed manual transmission and a 4.11 rear axle round out the 283’s compatibility.

Someone clearly took their time while ordering a factory muscle car. Even more astounding is the fact that it did not meet its demise in a drag race. But hold on a second. This 150 is actually a Black Widow because it has a vacuum pump and an uncommon NASCAR-spec distributor.

A 150-unit batch of Utility Sedan “fuelie” cars manufactured by SEDCO was known as the Black Widow, in case you’ve never heard of it. Since SEDCO was based out of the Atlanta, Georgia dealership Nalley Chevrolet, they had extraordinary access to the company’s parts.

To get past the restriction on factory-backed racing imposed by the Automobile Manufacturers Association, the cars were pieced together.

Althоugh NASCAR immediately banned fuel injectiоn during the 1957 Grand Natiоnal seasоn, the Black Widоwn, when unleashed оn NASCAR tracks, dоminated the series. Althоugh оfficial prоductiоn numbers are unknоwn, the general cоnsensus amоngst industry insiders is six units, elevating the Black Widоw’s already exоrbitant value.

Even though the Black Widow had some more bells and whistles than this 150, the Utility Sedan is the most faithful recreation of SEDCO’s legendary racer. Plus, it’s already awesome without the Black Widow livery.

When you press down on the pedal, the sound of this unassuming sleeper becomes very magnificent. See for yourself in the video down below. Plus, it’s on sale for $99,998, which is significantly less than its appraised value, in case you’re interested in purchasing it.