Having scored a spot in the Top 10 at the 2015 Mackay Motor Show, Felix Cefai’s superb 1957 Chevrolet returned a decade later to do it all again, with a Top 10 placing at last year’s show! And this time around, the hardtop also scored a Meguiar’s Superstars invite!

First published in the June 2026 issue of Street Machine

It’s a particularly impressive feat given that, apart from updated trim, 1TUF57 remains essentially as it was 10 years ago. “Owen Webb was a bit shocked when he realised it was the same car he’d judged back in 2015,” Felix smiles.

Felix’s love for Chevrolet’s iconic 1957 model goes all the way back to 1982, when, as a school kid, he witnessed a certain black ’57 roll across the big screen in Running on Empty. “Ever since I saw that film, my dream was to own a 1957 Chevrolet,” he says. “My good friend Jason Xuereb knew I was looking, and in 2004, he found me one in Newcastle.”

The 327-powered Chev was an awesome cruiser, but after a few years, Felix couldn’t resist changing things up. At first, this was just some basic stuff, which he undertook with the help of Jimmy Hamilton. But in 2008, Felix decided to pull the trigger on a full-blown make-over, which included separating the body and chassis.

His first stop was Custom Street Restorations, where Tony worked his magic getting the 50-year-old body into shape. From there, it was off to Andy at Fireball Kustom Fabrication for a mountain of fab work. His job list included a braced nine-inch, custom rear suspension, tailshaft loop, fuel cell, braided lines, catch cans and loads more. Andy also painstakingly restored and polished all the original stainless mouldings – no repros here.

One mod it didn’t need was a left-to-right conversion, as this ’57 is a rare, Holden-assembled right-hand-drive car (see more below).

While all this was going on, Tremaniac Racing’s Aaron Tremayne was busy screwing together a tough, 639hp, 385-cube small-block Chev. To ensure it had adequate breathing, Jimmy Hamilton pieced together a set of free-flowing four-into-one headers, which dump into a three-inch system. In the 10-plus years the ’57 has been on the road, they’ve never had to put a spanner on the 98 PULP-friendly small-block.

To absorb the punishment of the Tremaniac mighty mouse, The Converter Shop built an equally tough TH350. Capable of handling 900hp, it’s fitted with a shift kit and a 4800rpm stall converter.

Bringing this big hunk of Americana to a stop is a four-wheel disc brake set-up from CPP in the USA. “It came with everything,” says Felix. “Booster, master cylinder, calipers, rotors – everything. It all just bolted up, and works great.”

Graham Walton at Caprice Custom Painting was entrusted to lay down the eye-catching DeBeer Guards Red. Good friend Joel then pitched in to sort the wiring, while Anderson’s Trimming installed traditional red and white tuck-and-roll upholstery, and the crew at Queensland Chrome Plating did a stellar job on the chrome work. Final assembly was handled by John at JC Customs, with Graham and Felix pitching in bulk hours as well.

That original build picked up plenty of awards. In addition to the aforementioned Top 10 trophy from the 2015 Mackay Motor Show, the Chev also made the Top 60 at Street Machine Summernats 28. “I’m pretty sure I was the only car in the Elite Hall that took part in the City Cruise,” says Felix. The car also scored Top Street Machine at the 2017 Queensland Hot Rod Show and placed in the Top 20 at the inaugural Rockynats in 2021.

Despite all those accolades, in 2023 Felix once again got the itch for more. “I took the car off the road to complete some small modifications, such as a new fuel cell and super-neat fuel lines,” he says. However, the most significant update was the all-new, custom leather interior by Cahill’s Speed Shop. It incorporates a tonne of fabrication, including a full-length centre console with cup holders and USB outlets, as well as custom door trims, armrests, seats, under-dash panels, floor coverings and hoodlining. A seven-inch audio-visual screen up front features Apple CarPlay and controls the thumping Kenwood audio system, while laser-cut mesh protects each of the system’s many speakers. “I don’t get it out as much as I’d like,” says Felix, “but when I do, I love cranking the sound system.”

The classic Chev also spent some time with Cody at Flash Detailing, and with the help of Steve from Kruik Kustoms, the paint was repaired and sanded before undergoing full paint correction. “They spent around 100 hours on it,” says Felix. “Many people thought it was repainted. Nope – still the original paint from 2012. It came up way better than new; I was very impressed!”

With its new trim and enhanced paint, the Chev headed back to the Mackay Motor Show in 2025. Despite it being 10 years since its original appearance, 1TUF57 yet again made the Top 10, along with that Meguiar’s Superstars invite to this year’s MotorEx.

It just goes to show that if you build ’em right, they’ll last a lifetime!

THE RIGHT STUFF

Felix’s ’57 Chev is a rare, Australian-delivered, right-hand-drive version built by General Motors-Holden. Beginning in 1926, Holden built Chevrolet vehicles for the Australian market right up until 1968.

The ’55, ’56 and ’57 models were brought into Australia by GM-H as CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kits. While most were put together at Holden’s Pagewood plant, a few cars were assembled in Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide, and they were sold through Holden dealerships.

All tri-five CKDs were six-cylinder, four-door 210 sedans, and featured the ‘double-hump’ 1956-style dash. While GM-H did offer some RHD four-door Bel Air sedans and Sport Sedans, they were imported from Canada fully assembled.

While there are no firm production numbers, best estimates for Aussie-assembled ’57s are between 1600 and 1800 units, with around 5000 built in total across all tri-five models.

FELIX CEFAI
1957 CHEVROLET BEL AIR

THANKS
Custom Street Restorations; Fireball Kustom Fabrication; Tremaniac Racing; Caprice Custom Painting; Jimmy Hamilton; Cahill’s Speed Shop; The Converter Shop; JC Customs; Queensland Chrome Plating; Flash Detailing; Kruik Kustoms; my wife Tanya and daughters Melanie and Naomi for all their support throughout this decade-plus journey.