Photo: MaxMotive
Now wouldn’t that be something: seeing this Hugger Orange Chevrolet Bel Air taking on one of Ford’s star Mustangs of the past two years, the Bullitt. And it would have no problem in doing so, given how, at least in terms of power, it matches the Blue Oval car.
The Bel Air nameplate entered the scene in 1950, when it was introduced by Chevrolet as a new weapon on the then-lucrative full-size car front. The move quickly paid off, and the nameplate proved successful enough to be kept in production until 1981. Even if it’s been decades since then, the Bel Air is even now making the rounds on the collector’s market, where it repeatedly sells, oftentimes regardless of the year they come from or the state they’re in.
Given how November is Chevrolet Month here at autoevolution, and the car’s icon status, we’ve seen plenty of Bel Airs over the past few weeks. This one here, despite its unassuming look, is special because of what hides under the hood.
This particular Bel Air comes from 1954, the last year of the very first generation. It sports the telltale lines of that age’s design, it is beautifully wrapped in an orange that does wonders to the chrome trims and wheels but, more importantly, it is a true muscle car.
That’s because beneath the sculpted hood the vehicle no longer packs its original engine, whatever that was. No, pop the thing open and you’re treated to a 409ci V8 (6.7-liter) capable of screaming its pistons out through the power of the 480 horses.
That’s significantly more than the up to 425 hp of the 409 Chevy offered back in the days of production for the Bel Air, and exactly the same amount the Bullitt squeezes out of its engine.
The Bel Air is selling in this condition for $35,900, and it sure doesn’t seem that much.
Given how November is Chevrolet Month here at autoevolution, and the car’s icon status, we’ve seen plenty of Bel Airs over the past few weeks. This one here, despite its unassuming look, is special because of what hides under the hood.
This particular Bel Air comes from 1954, the last year of the very first generation. It sports the telltale lines of that age’s design, it is beautifully wrapped in an orange that does wonders to the chrome trims and wheels but, more importantly, it is a true muscle car.
That’s because beneath the sculpted hood the vehicle no longer packs its original engine, whatever that was. No, pop the thing open and you’re treated to a 409ci V8 (6.7-liter) capable of screaming its pistons out through the power of the 480 horses.
That’s significantly more than the up to 425 hp of the 409 Chevy offered back in the days of production for the Bel Air, and exactly the same amount the Bullitt squeezes out of its engine.
The Bel Air is selling in this condition for $35,900, and it sure doesn’t seem that much.
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