Chevy Bel Air 8 Generation Car

Chevy Bel Air was a full-size car produced by Chevrolet for the 1950–1981 model years. At the beginning, only the two-door hardtops (or sedans)  were given the Bel Air name from 1950 to 1952. In 1953, the Chevy Bel Air name was changed from a designation for a unique body shape to a premium level of trim applied across a number of body styles. The Bel Air continued with various other trim level designations, and it had gone from a mid-level trim car to a budget fleet sedan when U.S. production ceased in 1975. Did you own this gas guzzler?

Chevy Bel Air Description

The Chevy Bel Air was produced from 1950 until 1981. It is the type of car that middle-aged people in 1960 bought, so it is a car your parents might have owned. Did they? At any rate, the gas-guzzling car was eventually done in by its size and weight. However, the car was successful. It lasted from 1950 to 2002 and lasted eight generations. Here is a quick look at those generations.

Chevy Bel Air Generations

The first generation of the Chevy Bel Air was produced from 1950 to 1952. The Bel Air Sport Coupe name was used only for the two-door hardtops in the Chevrolet model range to distinguish the car from other models. First-year production reached only 76,662 models built. The car cost $1,741 and weighed 3,225 pounds. The front suspension was independent, was named “knee-action.” The standard, 216.5 cubic inches. And six-cylinder engine produced 92 horsepower.

The Chevy Bel Air got new styling for the 1955 model year. The new Bel Air was 3,456 pounds and 16 feet long. It was called the “Hot One” in General Motors’ advertising campaign. The models came with features found on cars in the lower model ranges, plus interior carpet, chrome headliner bands on hardtops, chrome spears on front fenders, stainless steel window moldings, full wheel covers, and a Ferrari-inspired front grille.

The third generation of the Chevy Bel Air was produced beginning in 1958. The new models were longer, lower, and heavier than their predecessors. Importantly, the Bel Air gained a halo vehicle in 1958, the Impala, available only as a hardtop coupe and convertible in its introductory year. Impala styling followed the basic lines of the other Chevrolet models but received special styling cues, including a different roof line, a vent above the rear window, unique side trim, and triple taillights housed in slightly broader alcoves. Two significantly cheaper models, the Biscayne (formerly the 210) and the Delray (formerly the 150), were also available during this model year.

The Chevy Bel Air received another major redesign for the 1959 model year. This is the fourth generation. The most visible new change was the flat, wing-shaped tailfins. The car was built on a 119-inch wheelbase and was 211 inches long, which was 11 inches longer than the 1957 model. This made Chevrolet the longest car in the pricing range, whereas two years before, it had been the shortest. In addition, the car was 3 inches wider outside and had 5 inches more width inside than it did in 1958, through the reduction of door thickness.

For the fifth generation in 1961, the Chevy Bel Air received a new body. Its wheelbase remained 119 inches, but its length was now reduced slightly to 209.3 in (5,320 mm). All engine options of the previous year remained in effect, with the standard engines being the 235.5 CID Six of 135 horsepower or the 283 CID V8 of 170 horsepower. The V8 cost $110 more than the Six and weighed 5 pounds less.

For 1965, the full-size Chevy Bel Air was restyled, and the cars were stretched to 213.3 inches overall, even though the wheelbase remained the same. The new stamped grille had a lower extension below the bumper. The curved window glass and round taillights mounted high characterized the new styling. The interiors were also redesigned, and a very attractive dash resulted. The standard V8 remained the 283 CID model of 195 horsepower, but options included two new 396 cubic inch CID engines of 325 horsepower and 340 horsepower, and two 409 CID blocks of 400 horsepower and 425 horsepower.

In the late 1960s, Chevrolet debuted the Caprice, the Chevy Bel Air, and its Biscayne stablemate were primarily marketed to automotive fleet customers. However, the car remained available to retail customers who sought a basic full-sized car that was better trimmed than the low-line Biscayne. When the Biscayne was discontinued after 1972, the Bel Air was demoted to the low-level model. Bel Airs again used two-segmented taillights as opposed to the triple-segmented lights of higher-level Impala and Caprice models, except in 1972 when all models shared the same triple-segmented lights mounted in the bumper.

The eighth and final generation of the Chevy Bel Air was popular in Canada. Chevrolet retained the Bel Air as its lowest-priced full-size car through the 1981 model year. For 1977, Canadian Bel Airs received the same downsizing as their Impala/Caprice counterparts in the U.S. Body styles offered during this period were a four-door sedan, two-door coupe, and station wagon. Reflecting the smaller size of these downsized big cars was a lineup of generally smaller engines for improved fuel economy. Fuel economy was the name of the game, and its lack was ultimately what spelled the end for the car.

Conclusion

In 2002, a concept Chevy Bel Air convertible was shown at the North American International Auto Show. It featured a few styling and design cues from the best remembered 1955 to 1957 models, such as the chrome windshield frame, traffic light viewfinder, and a gas filler cap behind the tail light, similar to 1956–1957 Chevy’s gas cap behind the chrome trim on the back of the tail fin, but more reminiscent of the 1948–1958 Cadillac gas cap tail light. Enthusiasts thought the car was going to make a comeback, but it was not to be. That was the last version of the car that was ever developed.