Words: Terry Dalton
Photos: Quinn Hamill

People often say that dreams are free, but dreams can also be turned into reality if you want them to NZCC reader, Terry Dalton, tells us how he made his dream come true¦

I’ve lived with the dream of owning a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air for over 20 years, and have collected many items of memorabilia pertaining to the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air for that same period of time. No matter what the item was, as long as it said 1957 Chevrolet I had to have it. How did all this start? Well, as a young boy of about six years old (the same age as my son is now), I used to ride in the middle of the front seat of my uncle’s car.

At the time, I did not know what this amazing car was — later in life I discovered it was a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. As a kid there was something special about that car, and it has haunted me all of my life. As a teenager in Invercargill during the late ’70s there were a lot of older cars such as early Fords and Chevs. A couple of them were 1957 Chev Bel Airs, and the moment I saw my fi rst 1957 Chev in Invercargill I knew straight away that this was what my uncle had once had. It became an obsession — I really wanted to own one of these magnifi cent automobiles one day. I was too stupid as a teenager in Invercargill to save my money and buy one, but the passion never left me. I returned to Christchurch in the early ’80s and I met my wife, Carol, who helped me fi nd 1957 Chev memorabilia everywhere we went in New Zealand.

The Search Becomes Serious

I have been telling Carol for over 20 years that I want to own a real 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. We actually looked at a couple that were for sale but needed a lot of work, and I did not want the fi nancial commitment at that time in my life. I even avoided seriously looking for a Bel Air because if I had found a good one I would have wanted it at all costs — even if I couldn’t have afforded it.  I guess I was scared to commit to my dream. Other things were more important in my life. I am also a workaholic, so taking time to realise my goals and dreams was not in my plan. For some reason — and I really do not know what trigger was — but last Easter I turned to my wife and said, “I am going to buy a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air this year.” She couldn’t believe what I had just said — she thought about it for a moment, and said, “Okay, if you want to, go for it.” What is even more bewildering, I wanted to buy one from the USA and import it to New Zealand.

My entire collection is based on the American model — it has a more luxurious interior compared to the New Zealand version. The funny thing is I was happy to buy a New Zealand model, but somehow I had just decided to buy the American 1957 Chev. To buy a car in America and end up with it in my garage was a mammoth task, and I never once considered how I would get it to New Zealand until after I had bought it. I didn’t know anyone on the planet who would be able to help or advise me. I was so focused on my dream that getting it to New Zealand was not in my thoughts.

Logging On

I started a search which went on for some weeks. I even placed some bids, but for various reasons I never saw the auctions through to the end. Then one day I logged onto eBay — as I normally did each morning to check for new listings — and there it was. The moment I saw this particular car it was love at fi rst sight, and I instantly knew this was the 1957 Chev Bel Air that I was going to buy. I did not sleep very well for the entire week leading up to the close of auction. I used to wake up at 5am each morning just to check the auction to see if it had moved in price overnight. I contacted the car’s owners via email, letting them know that owning such a car was my life-long dream, and that their Bel Air was exactly what I had been looking for. I asked them if they would have a problem with it coming to New Zealand.

They didn’t mind it leaving the US and, as my email had so much passion for their car, the owner told me that he knew I would be the best person they could sell his deceased father’s car to. In fact they did not want anyone else to have the car, and they were watching the auction closely in the fi nal stages just hoping I would win it.

The Auction Closes

The auction closed on Good Friday while we were on holiday — travelling to our new caravan for the fi rst time on the Thursday night. We were towing a trailer with all our items for the caravan, and the trailer developed major problems on the way to our destination. To cut a long story short, we did not get to bed until 2am, and I thought the auction was closing at 6am. So, I was up at 5.30am. I had my laptop with me and a mobile connect card. The only problem was that there was no cell-phone coverage where we were, and I had to drive 10km into Picton just to get coverage. When I logged on to eBay I discovered I was an hour early! I was tired, but found a cafe that was opening up and ordered breakfast. I set up my laptop with my mobile connect card, and did several connects to eBay just to make sure it was working. I even made sure there was a power plug nearby, just in case my battery went flat.

During the waiting time I was looking around eBay and discovered you could enter a maximum amount that you were prepared to pay. I did not understand the principle at the time, and was scared to use this feature. In the last 30 seconds of the auction I decided to use the maximum bid feature, and am I glad I did because there was another bidder who had a maximum bid that was only $400 less than mine. With the auction closing, neither of us had time left to increase our bids. I tried, too — but was too late.

Fulfilling The Dream

I did not know until approximately three minutes later that I had been successful. I will never forget the feeling I had seeing the email confirming my purchase. The thrill of finally owning a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air was overwhelming, it was one of the greatest moments of my life and I will never forget it. I sent an email from the cafe to the owners in Illinois to thank them for being so kind and understanding and that I was not a fraud, that I wanted their car to keep forever, and I told them that because I really meant it. I still feel the same way today. The emotions set in on my way back to our caravan: did I do the right thing? Is this for real? I was really mixed up about what I had just done. I even cried for a while — it was just too much. The people in Illinois were so thrilled for me, and their courtesy towards me was so amazing I will never forget it.

Later that day I managed to check my email in the  caravan — which meant that I needn’t have driven 10km early that morning, but it was worth it. There was an email from a person in New Zealand (now a good friend of mine) saying he had been watching the auction, and that I had just bought one of the nicest 1957 Chevrolet Bel Airs he had ever seen. He also advised me that he restored them for customers, and also supplied his telephone number just in case he could be of any help to me.

This email was the most important email I had received concerning my purchase as this person, Bruce, knew all the contacts that were necessary to get my car to California, thousands of miles away, then into a container, onto a ship and finally into my garage. Without Bruce’s help I would have been lost, so I can never thank him enough for his email and help. I am forever grateful to Bruce, Chuck, Duane, John and Eddie. These five people each played their own important part to get my cars to New Zealand and into my garage.

A Bigger Dream

Cars, you heard me say? My next thought was, should I buy another 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air to sell in New Zealand? Selling the second car would pay for the whole exercise — my first car would then ultimately cost me nothing. A great plan while it lasted! After all, the car has to come in a container and there was room for two cars. Convinced, I set out to find another Bel Air on eBay.

I looked for several weeks but could not find another good one, then Bruce advised me of a car that was worth buying. I had seen this car previously, but had decided not to bid on it because it wasn’t totally original. When I went to check the auction of this car it only had 30 minutes before closing, so up went the heart rate again.

I won this car using the maximum bid feature again. I had not spoken to the owner at all, so I was out on a limb with this one. When the auction closed I contacted the owner via email and ask if they had a problem with the car coming to New Zealand. Luckily they did not. I told them about my passion, but didn’t disclose that I had already bought one, because I did not want them to know I was buying their car for resale. This second car was in California, so it did not have far to go to be put into a container.

But I had massive problems getting the Illinois car to California. After all, it had to travel thousands of kilometres to get there. It took months to finally get the car to California, and then the other car had to be picked up so both would arrive at the same time at Performance Imports in Long Beach, which was packing the cars into the container. I finally got my cars one week before Christmas 2006, some nine months later. I had spent most of that time trying to get the Illinois car to California. Both previous owners were very understanding, storing my cars in their garages until I worked everything out.

The lady in California was getting a bit worried, and I was pushing their patience as they wanted the space in their garage and were very forthright in telling me in the end! I owe Mary Lou, Mark and Sheila my greatest appreciation for their understanding of the long timeframe this all took. Waiting nine months wasn’t hard, because I had no control over the car’s destiny. It was all in the hands of other people, and I had to go with the flow.

Overwhelming

When I finally got to see the two cars in the container for the fi rst time the emotions I had over buying my fi rst 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air came back to me. I was able to reach in and touch the car from Illinois — the other car was a right down the back, as they came in a 12-metre container. The thrill of sitting in the driver’s seat of the Illinois car and starting the engine was just incredible. Getting the other one out was a bit of a mission as it had been packed up higher on wooden ramps, so Eddie, who was the importer, could bring some other items in for his business.

This was the car I was going to sell, so I wasn’t as excited about it as the Illinois car. After all, I already had my dream car — right? I should have known better, because when the California car came out of the container, I realised I was looking at the most beautiful  1957 Chevrolet Bel Air sedan I had ever laid eyes upon. It was like brand new inside and out, and I instantly made a decision that I was never going to sell this car either. I became more excited about the California car than the Illinois car.Then I realised both cars were equally good, and I was so lucky they were well above my expectations. The people who helped me that day were equally impressed.

They couldn’t believe I had bought 1957 Chevs in such amazing condition straight off eBay. Why would I keep two? Both cars are different: one is a four-door sedan with a bigger motor and amazing upholstery — this is what I call my hot rod. The second car is a four-door pillarless sports sedan with a lower roof-line, and very sporty-looking.

This car is completely original with 106,217km (66,000 miles) on the clock so I have the best of both worlds, a hot rod for the boy racer in me, and an original car for the older person under my skin. Every time I walk into my garage and I see them there together it still completely blows me away that I actually own the real cars now, after 25 years of dreaming about one.

Unforgettable Experience

I will never forget the whole experience. I have put together two clear file manuals with every email and document pertaining to the purchase of the two cars, right through to the day I drove them into my garage. I have never been a person who would even contemplate taking on a mission of this magnitude, but somehow I made a decision to fulfill my dream — a lot of people never do. I did not want to leave this world without owning a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, and every time I drive one of them I have to pinch myself just to remind me that this is for real.

If you really have a dream like mine that has bugged you for years, then go for it and make it happen — no one else will do it for you, only you can. You are in charge of your life — enjoy every moment.