I just purchased a 1957 Chevy Bel Air sport coupe. The person that I bought it from has had it for 40+ years. I would like to know where it came from and how many owners it has had. The speedo is showing 16,500 miles, I would like to see if this acturate. Is there a place where I can research this on the web?  

was it registered for the last 40 years...    in your state...   are their yearly inspections... the state DMV might have records on it...   you can do a title history search in some states...    many states like california have privacy concerns about current owners and prior owners...  so you may net get much...

there are places that can provide the build data on a lot of years of cars..    for a price..

as for the real reading of the odometer...   has it still got original tires on it...    look at the lug nuts.. see how many times they have been off...  wear patterns..   worn hinges...   worn door latches...  with only 16K on it... they should look like new...

does the previous owner have the registration slips for all those years...
any receipts for oil changes... those might have the mileage on them...  

a back in the early 90's i worked at a gas station repair shop here in los angeles..
every once in a while a older lady would come in for gas... usually on sundays...  she stopped in one day for an oil change...  when i popped the hood on her 71 Orange chevy malibu 2 door... i found the straight 6 clean enough to eat off of.. everything looked brand new...   when i opened the door to get the mileage for the sticker... it read 22,000 miles...  i ask her about it...     seems she was a catholic school teacher... and walked to work..   only drove the car to mass on sundays...  then to the store... once every few months.. top off the gas... and back into the garage.. under not one .. not two .. but three car covers...  she said her grandchildren were all fighting among them selfs over who gets it when grandma stops driving... i bet she is still driving that malibu ...     there are at least 2 people still driving small hub cap original 66 gto's here where i live..  in los angeles..  

What state are you in? I can try and help you find a source for tracking down the owner history of your '57.

On the odometer, that's probably rolled over at least once, so figure at least 116,500 miles.

As for where it came from, the data plate on the passenger side of the firewall can be decoded to find out where your car was built, its original color, etc.

Finding the most info on history particular to the car though is through the DMV. You can do a title search and come up with a lot of good info using the car's VIN number.

What motor does the car have in it? It's tough to beat the looks of a '57 hardtop, except for a '55 hardtop!  

The speedo is correct 16,500 is all that is on the vehicle. The person that I bought it from did not drive it much. They told me that the veh sat more then it was driven. They only put about 500 to 1000 miles on it the whole time they had it.  

Ok. What state was the car last registered in? First thing is gonna be to do a title search from there.

Keeps us posted on what you find.