Chevrolet's Bel Air model lasted 26 years. A Bel Air convertible was Chevy's 30 millionth car (1954); another Bel Air was the 50 millionth car made by General Motors (1955). Counting station wagons, Chevy produced nearly 7.3 million versions of the model. But say "Bel Air" to anyone who knows the name and one image invariably comes to mind - a mid-1950s car. That's one prime reason why collectors value those models.
Bel Air became the name for Chevy's most expensive cars in 1953 when the brand dumped its stodgy Styleline and Fleetline series names. (Chevy's new names weren't exactly edgy, with the low- and mid-range series called `One-Fifty' and `Two-Ten,' respectively.) The Bel Air name had actually been around for three years on the Styleline hardtop coupe.
The '53 Bel Air, with a toothy chrome grille, rear-wheel skirts and rear fender spears that matched the roof's color in two-tone models, was the first Chevy with a one-piece windshield and a key-activated starter. It was also the first inexpensive car to offer air conditioning as an option. Bel Airs came as two- or four-door sedans, hardtop coupes or convertibles, all with "Blue Flame" inline six-cylinders.
For collectors, the Bel Air story really starts with the completely new 1955 model. It had tubeless tires and a better suspension, but its biggest news was under the hood. There, if you got the option, you saw something a Chevy hadn't had since 1918 - a V-8. The engine's design was so good that it survived in various forms for decades. With nearly 775,000 made, the '55 turned out to be the best-selling Bel Air.
Bel Air's styling for the 1955-57 cars makes some models - in particular the convertibles, sport sedans and sport coupes with V-8s - highly prized by collectors. Why? Fewer cars were made in those body styles, replacement parts are available from less desirable sedans and collectors always value convertibles and power. And the cars, which appeared in such films as "American Graffiti" and "Dr. No," have clean lines many admire. While Bel Airs have their share of chrome, car buffs consider them tastefully subdued, especially when compared to many other full-size cars Detroit has produced.
The '56 Bel Air, with its gas cap under a taillight, had an optional 205-hp "Super Turbo Fire" V-8 or a 225-hp eight with a four-barrel borrowed from Corvette. Collectors' checkbooks have been known to twitch for one of these V-8 models. The '57, known for its "baby Cadillac" front end, offered the first Chevy engine with matching horsepower and cubic-inch numbers (283).
Bel Air's time at the top was short-lived. After a year as the most expensive Bel Air model, Impala got its own series in 1959, pushing Bel Air to second in Chevy's full-size pecking order. The low-slung 1959 and 1960 "batwing" Bel Airs sold well, but sales steadily declined after 1957. Collectors seek some 1960s' Bel Airs, however, including cars favored by dragsters (a 1961 or 1962 fitted with the same "409" engine that powered the Beach Boys' "Little Deuce Coupe").
There were two more Bel Air generations (1965-70, 1971-75) but, with Caprice and Camaro around, Bel Airs were limited to four-doors and wagons. When Biscayne disappeared (1973), Bel Air slid into Chevy's low-end, full-size car slot before winking out of existence after the '75 model.
Will the name ever return? GM showed a 2002 Bel Air concept car but no known production models are planned. That's fine with many collectors and fans, who think Chevy would have a hard time topping the Bel Air they remember. n
Source: "Chevrolet Chronicles: The Complete and Colorful Story of Chevrolet from 1904" by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide.