1949 was the year of the new style for Chevrolet

1949 was the year of the new style for Chevrolet. In fact this was the first new style since World War II . The Deluxe was introduced. The Deluxe Styleline 6-passenger sedan had a price of $1,492 and featured full instrumentation, 11 inch drums, and stabilizers on the front suspension.

1950 was another year of change for Chevrolet. The Bel Air was introduced, a stylish hardtop coupe. This style set the standard for decades. It was actually styled as a convertible, but it had a non-detachable solid roof. While models like this were hardly unique, having been around for about 30 years at this point, the design was finally catching on with consumers. In this year alone there were 76,662 produced. The car weighed in at 3,225lbs and featured what was known as the knee-action front suspension. The cost was $1,741.00.

Design wise, the door, glass, windshield and trunk design were the same as the Styline Deluxe Convertible Couple, but that new roof design and the rear windows and rear quarter were unique to this car. The mechanics and chassis were pretty much the same as the rest of this passenger car line and the overall look was, again, the same as the rest of the line. The exception, however was the roof. It was lower and had a three piece rear window that made the look more stylish and longer. For trim options, the first Bel Airs only had the Deluxe premium trim level.

The 1951-52 Bel Airs got new grille and trim changes and higher, more square shaped rear guards. Tinted glass was introduced in 1952.

In 1953 Chevrolet named their series. The Bel Air name was associated with the premium models and two lower series, the 150 and the 210, were introduced. While these Chevrolets had the same mechanicals and a similar frame to the 1949-1952 series, the 1953 Chevrolet was advertised as “Entirely New Through and Through,” because the body panels, rear and front end were restyled. New options offered in 1953 included power steering and the Guidematic headlight dimmer, power breaks.

Some say the look of the 1953-1954 range was, to put it gently, strange. There were big changes coming in 1955, so what we had here was a bit of a transition in design. The Bel Air in 1953 and 1954 could be ordered in convertible, hardtop coupe, 2- and 4-door sedan, and in 1954 there was the Beauville station wagon. Available in 1954 were power breaks, power 2-way front seat and power front windows. Every 1954 model that had the standard transmissions used the 1953 Powerglide engine.

Fun Fact: In 1949, Chevrolet presented its first "all new" model since the end of World War II. A lower, sleeker profile, with the lines of the front fenders smoothly blending into the doors to be countered by the rear fenders that continued to "bulge" out of the sides of the car. Improvements in chassis and suspension design made the 1949 Chevrolet one of the best handling to date.

In 1949 you could have purchased a Styleline Special for $1460