Early Postwar Models

• Chevrolet in 1950 offered two models: the Fleetline fastback and the Styleline with a bubbleback-style trunk. Although sedans are generally associated today as with four-door models, Chevy offered the sedan both in four- and two-door versions. The two-door sedans featured a large quarter panel behind the pillar. Chevy sold 124,287 four-door and 189,509 two-door Fleetlines in 1950. Two-door Stylelines numbered 248,567, while the four-door styles proved the most popular with 316,412 units sold.
  
  

1950 Specs

• All 1950 Chevys featured a 115-inch wheelbase. The Fleetline, for example, had a 197.5-inch-long body. It was 73.9 inches wide and 65.75 inches tall. The standard engine was a 216.5-cubic-inch in-line six-cylinder with a modest compression ratio of 6.6-to-1. It developed 92 horsepower and 176 foot-pounds of torque. A single downdraft Rochester carburetor delivered the fuel to the engine while a three-speed manual transmission transmitted the power, although a two-speed Powerglide automatic was available as an option. Buyers could choose from nine exterior colors, including Empire Red, Oxford Maroon or Mist Green.
  
  

Watershed Year

• Model year 1955 was a watershed for Chevrolet sedans. The Chevys were all-new with a slimmer look as stylists dropped the postwar bulbous fenders and provided hooded headlamps and thinner roofline for a clean, sleek appearance. Chevrolet offered two- and four-door sedans as the low-end One-Fifty, midrange Two-Ten and the upscale Bel Air. Enthusiasts often refer to the four-door versions as "seven-window" sedans because of the small quarter panel window behind the "C" pillar. Three windows on each side and the rear window gave the car seven windows, not including the windshield. Chevy sold a whopping 340,222 four-door Two-Ten sedans and 250,000 two-door versions. The four-door Bel Air did even better with 366,293 units sold, while the two-door Bel Air numbered 168,826.
  
  

1955 Specs

• The body dimensions of the 1955 sedans were slightly smaller than those of the previous generation. The sedan still sat on a 115-inch wheelbase, but the body was shorter at 195.6 inches. It was 73.8 inches wide and 62.1 inches tall. The V-8 version displaced 265 cubic inches with an 8-to-1 compression ratio to generate 162 horsepower and 257 foot-pounds of torque. The six-cylinder version displaced 235.5 cubic inches.
  
  

Late 1950s

• By 1958, Chevy offered the base Delray, the mid-level Biscayne and the Bel Air sedans. The wheelbase grew to 117.5 inches. The body also was longer at 209.1 inches. The two- and four-door sedans came with the 235.5 straight-six or the 283 V-8 for powerplant choices. Chevy sold 491,411 four-door Delrays, Biscayne and Bel Airs during the 1958 recession year.