Elgin couple's Bel Air hauls enjoyable memories

When high school sweethearts Dave and Shirley Stenzel graduated in 1959, the average price of a car was $2,200 and gas was 25 cents a gallon.

Now married for almost 50 years, the Elgin couple loves cruising around in their restored 1957 Chevy Bel Air.

"Driving the '57, listening to rock 'n roll with the windows down is like taking a walk back to the good ol' days," Shirley Stenzel said. "We sure enjoy the memories it brings back."

Dave Stenzel shares his wife's enthusiasm. "It's nostalgic for us," he said. "We drive it all over the place, and it's fun to put our minds back in that time."

Why a Chevy? Dave Stenzel drove Chevys back then, and when he was in high school, the '57 Chevy Bel Air was his dream car.

Dave and Shirley Stenzel happened upon the car parked alongside the road, and it was the body style Dave Stenzel liked. They looked at it on a Sunday and bought it Monday. That was Aug. 5, 2005.

The car sports a Cadillac red with a lot of metallic in it. "We used to call it candy apple red in the old days, and the top is a cream color, but it has so much metallic that when you take a picture of it, or it's sitting in the sun, it looks silver," Dave Stenzel said.

The car went through a restoration by Midwest Hot Rods in Plainfield, which took more than four years to complete.

The car features a new frame, custom Corvette grill, 454 C.I. Chevy engine, 700R4 automatic transmission, ram jet fuel injection, four-wheel Baer disc brakes, front tubular suspension, four bar rear suspension and more.

"It's a head turner. When we drive it, all the cars are honking, giving us a thumbs-up and saying 'nice car,' and on and on," Shirley Stenzel said.

Their '57 Chevy made its auto show debut in January 2009 at the World of Wheels at McCormick Place in Chicago where it won "Outstanding in Class" and "Outstanding Paint." In July, it won first place at the 35th annual Ecklers Classic Chevy International in Arlington Heights.

With the warm months approaching, you may see the couple at car shows and cruises with their '57 Chevy, complete with Shirley in her poodle skirt and Dave wearing a car club shirt.