Wind the clock back 20 years and a 1957 Chevy hardtop was regarded as one of the hottest rides on the planet. They symbolised everything cool about the golden age of Detroit iron and Fisher bodies. Mopars, Pontiacs and Fords all had their fans, but a ’57 was – and remains – iconic.

First published in the March 2026 issue of Street Machine

Kevin Sammut’s stunning 1957 Bel Air is an outstanding example of the breed. Kevin is one of those blokes who lives for his Chevys. In his mind, there’s nothing about this car that isn’t perfect. “What’s not to love?” he says. “It’s a ’57, it’s a Bel Air, it’s blown, it’s tubbed, it makes over 1100hp, and it turns heads wherever it goes!”

It’s not Kev’s only one, either; he’s got a shed full of tri-five Chevs that are all as impressive as the one you see here.

But this ’57’s journey to becoming a 1100hp ball-tearer wasn’t a swift one. It began 25 years ago, when a mate of a mate helped Kev import the car from California. The original 283-powered, white-over-red hardtop was tired and in desperate need of love. A fresher 327, a repaint and a chassis-off birthday soon had it looking sharp, and it became Kev’s family cruiser for years. Fast-forward about 15 years, though, and Kevin was keen to take it to the next level.

“Right before COVID, I’d been referred to a guy in Sydney, Lou Cvet, who built a lot of tough engines,” recalls the Victorian. “I was ready to step things up, so we built a new 427ci Dart-based small-block with AFR heads. It was a really nice piece, and Paul Rogers built me a tough TH350.”

Kevin then gave local fabricator Lucas Ellingham – then trading as Stroke Me Racing (now Carline Mufflers & Fabrication) in Ballarat – a sizeable to-do list: four-link rear, tubs, raised and flattened boot floor, raised tailshaft tunnel, full exhaust and a heap of detailed fabrication work. “I wanted the car low – really low – and I told Lucas everything had to comply with engineering so it could be legally registered,” Kev says.

Then COVID hit, which meant Kev had plenty of shed time and soon had the new engine fired up. “I was having a beer with a mate while we were working on the car, and I said, ‘This thing is missing something – it needs a blower!’ So right then and there, we ripped the new engine back out.”

Kev was back on the phone to Lou. “I said, ‘Thanks for the great motor, but I need you to build me something tougher with a blower.’ He goes, ‘You’re crazy — that’s a brand-new engine.’ And it was! But I was having my mid-life crisis and it just had to be done.”

Lou tore the engine down and rebuilt it for boost with gas-ported Diamond blower pistons, an Eagle forged rotating assembly with L19 rod bolts, ported AFR 235 CNC heads, Crower shaft rockers, and an Isky solid-roller cam. Howards bushed lifters, ARP studs throughout, a 7.0-litre sump and a Melling Shark Tooth fuel pump round out the bottom end. The carb and intake were swapped for a BDS Teflon-coated high-helix 8/71 kit with boost-referenced Quick Fuel E85 carbs. Add a Romac steel balancer and a Howards Torrington timing set, and the parts list reads like a greatest hits album of go-fast gear. Between Kevin and Lou, every box for a killer blown small-block was ticked.

The original TH350 — only rated for about 800hp — was replaced with a built-to-kill TH400 from MRD Transmissions, capable of holding 1800hp. The specs list is wild: 3800rpm Shotgun blower converter with mechanical diode; 3.5-inch chrome-moly stator tube; billet shafts; 1.80 gearset; 10-clutch drum; 34-element sprag; deep pan; 1350 billet yoke; and a matching 3.5-inch chrome-moly tailshaft.

The old nine-inch was replaced with a Pro9 braced housing, 35-spline full-floater axles, Strange Ultra case and 4.11:1 gears. Everywhere you look there’s neat detail, including smoothed metalwork, a tinned-out boot floor, custom tank, dual 3.5-inch exhaust, and a ride height best described as ‘subterranean’.

An engine bay repaint at Rob’s Paint & Panel in Ballarat quickly escalated into a full-blown makeover of the body – doors off, boot off, gaps perfected, panels massaged, wiper motor deleted and the firewall sealed to suit the blower – with a stunning respray to finish things off.

With the ’57 back together as a roller, Tony Di Biagio at TDR Engines fitted the driveline and got the car singing after the dyno tune.

Every part of the build except the blower is fully engineered and street legal, and for a car that will never see a race track and is “just a cruiser”, the engineering is phenomenal. “This car really draws attention to itself,” says Kevin. “When I take it out, I have to keep moving – it pulls a crowd and I’m always worried someone will bump it or scratch it.”

For now, Kevin just wants to enjoy the car. The only thing left on the list is a new bonnet, which is being handled by Shannon at Pro Finish Kustom Paint & Pinstriping.

Kevin would also like to thank Andrew Hoghe, Paul Marjanovic for the wiring, American Suspension & Driveline Parts, VPW, and John Lang at Pro9.