The 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air is among the most recognizable American automobiles of all time, an icon of its age.

In the final year of the model’s third generation, it offered an intoxicating blend of style, performance and features with its freshly designed front end and tastefully executed tailfins.

Importantly, 1957 also saw the debut of what would become another American icon, the Rochester Ramjet fuel-injection system.

A constant-flow system, the Rochester unit metered fuel to all cylinders simultaneously from a central “spider” of injection lines.

An enormously expensive option at $500, the new “Fuelie” system helped push General Motor’s modest small-block V-8 to a potent one unit of horsepower for every cubic-inch of displacement.

Designed primarily for the Chevrolet Corvette, the advanced fuel-injection system eventually made its way into Chevrolet’s regular production line as well.

One such example, acquired by an enterprising buyer with a sedan budget and a Corvette appet...