This 1957 Plymouth Belvedere sat in closed-down Iowa dealership for 50 years

This 1957 Plymouth Belvedere convertible was rescued from an abandoned dealership in Iowa, where it had been parked up for decades. 

The dealership closed its doors for good back in 1972, leaving the Belvedere out on the shop floor. 

Sadly, the car wasn’t in great shape. 

For starters, it was missing its entire front end as well as a few other components, it was also badly weathered and in need of a good scrub inside and out. 

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The Plymouth Belvedere was basically a giant jigsaw puzzle

All too often, we see cars that have been left to rot, such as this classic Chevy sedan that had become home to a family of mice or this fellow Plymouth that will need a lot of TLC to get it back on the road.  

And it was a similar story for the Belvedere that was rescued by Tom Hergert – the owner of Rocket Restoration. 

Although the car dealership had shut up shop in the early 1970s, Hegert said it was quite likely the car hadn’t moved for a good few years before that. 

Herget compared the abandoned motor to a jigsaw puzzle, but fortunately for the car, it was one he was keen to solve. 

The restoration expert sifted through various other Plymouths to find the parts he required, including nabbing some fenders from a 1958 Savoy, and a badge and grille from a Fury. 

Nicely done. 

It is still in need of a lot of work

After some heavy-duty restoration work, the car soon took shape – albeit it a slightly different shape than its original design thanks to the plethora of parts taken from a variety of Plymouth models. 

Of course, this is just the start of the process and the Belvedere is going to require a lot more time and effort to return it to its former glory. 

Hegert admitted that he would have liked to have kept hold of the car but decided to put it up for sale – partly done to the costs involved with getting the vehicle back up and running. 

But it would make a sweet restoration project for someone who had an interest in getting such a classic vehicle back on the road. 

Here’s hoping this isn’t the last we see of this car.