The Bel Air is perfectly styled, and despite the two-tone paint job, chrome trim, hood accessories, fins, and more, it's still somehow downplayed in its style. There's no excess in this piece of rolling American exceptionalism. It's a real work of art of automobile styling, a testimony to what automobile designers can do when allowed to put design ahead of all else.
See all 14 photosDipping into the throttle and looking at the sun-swept California hillside presenting before me frees me of thoughts of impending death. The Bel Air's engine isn't feeling well todaya likely vacuum concern restricting the cars and truck to about 15 miles per hour (or 110 miles per hour if the speedo is to be thought) but it does not matter.
It even manages decently, especially when compared with the '49 Cadillac also on hand.
After spending a long time driving and admiring the Bel Air, it's not hard to see how it won our hearts. The '55 Chevy specified its generationjust as much then as it does today.
The 1955 Chevy Bel Air: The World's Many All-time Popular Automobile? To start, the 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air has been featured in numerous Hollywood films. Here's an example: it was in American Graffiti. Harrison Ford made his screen launching driving a black 1955 Chevy in this movie. This was what challenged John Milner (Paul Lemat) in his fascinating yellow 1932 Ford 5 window coupe.
Among the reasons 1955 Chevy's remarkable popularity in the media was that General Motors sold lots of them, over 3 million. This was likely since it had a powerful new V8 engine and a fresh new body design. First, let's think about the body redesign. Although Ford had currently went to a "shoe box" body design (without external fenders) in the late 1940s, Chevy was slowly starting to do the very same thing through the early 1950s.
This look involved smooth straight panels on the sides and hood, triangular tail lights that stuck out outward and wrap-around glass on the windshield. According to the Sales Supervisor at, the motoring public went nuts over this makeover. The next attribute that was a huge hit was the offered V8 engine.
The brand-new 265-cubic-inch overhead valve V8 for the 1955 model year was a design that was a massive hit. This engine was developed to be lighter, smaller sized, and more powerful than any other V8s in the vehicle industry at the time. The 1955 model year was likewise a year for other Chevrolet firsts.
These choices included
changing from an antiquated 6-volt system to a 12-volt and the introduction of lots of new alternatives like a/c, power windows, power seats, power brakes and power steering. The 55's greatest trim offering was the Bel-Air. The Bel Air had more chrome and trim than the 150 or 210 designs.Today, the non-post version is more popular with collectors. The Bel-Air could also be had in a convertible version. If you want to see what this automobile appears like, it would be extremely handy to Google "1955 Chevy Bel Air." Chevrolet kept the comparable chassis and body design for the 1955, 56, and 57 model years.
Poll some car enthusiasts and you will likely find a consensus on the following fact: the 1955 Chevy is the most recognizable cars and truck ever made. We hope that you have actually taken pleasure in discovering this vintage car!.
The brand new 1955 Chevy brought a restored energy to the brand name. Streamlined "Motoramic" styling and a hot new 265-cid "Turbo-Fire" V-8 engine initially of the legendary small-blocks made this Chevy an almost immediate classic.
Rock and roll music was just beginning to shock American culture, and the Bel Air was the ideal vehicle for Saturday night cruising.
Wrap-around windshield. Curved taillights styled into rounded rear fins. Chevrolet entirely revamped its cars and trucks for 1955, with what it called the 'Motoramic' look for the top-of-the-range Bel Air plus the intro of the legendary 'small-block' V8 engine. Exhilarating efficiency and a flamboyant, confident and colorful design were what made the 1955 Bel Airs coupes, convertibles and station wagons - stick out from the crowd.
" In my opinion, the '55 Bel Air is the finest of the Tri5s," asserts Ed. "It was such a departure from 1955, so fresh, so modern. This was a car that looked more pricey than it in fact was, something that might also be stated about the Cruze today." The all-new 1955 Bel Air wonderfully redefined Chevrolet, with its smooth Motoramic styling, enhanced chassis and sizzling new 265-cid Turbo-Fire V-8 - the first of Chevy's famous small-block V-8s 1955 Rate Car-Chevrolet presented its brand-new small-block V-8 engine in 1955 and showcased the powerplant in the Chevrolet Bel Air Pace Car convertible.
Keating, was the motorist TV personality and Chevy representative Dinah Coast positions with child in pedal vehicle replica and genuine 1955 Bel Air Indy Pace Vehicle. The Chevrolet Bel Air, official speed vehicle of the Indy 500 in 1955 Even now, lots of a car-obsessed kid's mini automobile stash consists of a minimum of one '57 Chevy.
And there is more to the 1957 Chevy than excellent looks. Chevrolet introduced fuel Injection to American automobiles for 1957, and the 283-cid small-block Chevrolet 'fuelie' produced one horse power per cubic inch, astonishing performance in 1957. Fuel-injected '57 Chevys surged competitors so peacefully in NASCAR racing that the organization banned FI innovation a ban that is still in effect today.
Big, wedge-shaped metallic silver trim insert on Bel Air rear quarters. Blade-like tailfins, with rounded taillights atop the rear bumper ends. Including a streamlined roofline first seen on the 1954 GM Motorama concept station wagon, Chevy Wanderer put dream-car style into thousands of American driveways. The noticeably streamlined Chevy Wanderer of 1955-1957 brought mid-century contemporary style to the utilitarian station wagon.
Encouraged by the show cars and truck's reception, and mindful that America's blossoming residential areas were absorbing ever more station wagons, Chevrolet developed the Wanderer into a premium Bel Air-level "halo" design for their 1955-57 routine wagon lines. The Nomad two-door sport wagon design was produced through 1957. If you liked this article and you also would like to acquire more info with regards to simply click the up coming webpage please visit our own internet site. Each of the three model years still has its passionate followers the initial Nomads have actually never gone out of design.
Chevrolet knocked one out of the ballpark in 1955. Not just was the car longer, lower, and larger, it provided a pureness of style incredibly without the chrome-laden excesses that had actually ended up being the norm on American automobiles. This was a landmark cars and truck, too, as it marked the very first year of the age-old "small block" V-8 which quickly became the beloved of hot rodders and racers alike.
