Photo: Barrett-Jackson
If we are to give each decade its own car, then the 1950s might just as well be characterized by the Chevrolet Bel Air. The nameplate was first introduced in 1950 by GM and quickly rose to become an iconic sight on the American roads of that era.
In its long history – the Bel Air was discontinued in the 1980s – it was not the first generation that had the most impact, but the second. This is mostly due to the design of the car, with its clean cut lines and much larger fins - a feature seen elsewhere too at the time, but befitting the Bel Air perhaps more than other cars.
It the advertisements of the time, GM called this model the Hot One as it tried to place it in the collective mind as a muscle car for the masses. And hot is just the right word to describe the reworked Bel Air we have in the gallery above, a former SEMA star that is going under an online hammer next month at the hands of Barrett-Jackson.
The bi-color body of the car is clearly more impressive than what GM offered back in the day, and it is doubtful a careful inspection of the red and black body would reveal any imperfections. The same can be said at the interior, where black is the color of choice, covering in leather the seats, door cover, and center console.
The incredibly clean and detailed engine bay hides a GM LSA crate engine, 6.2-liter in displacement (no power output figures are given) and tied to a 6-speed automatic transmission.
The car has been designed as a Pro-Touring, meaning there are enhanced underpinnings all over. They include independent suspension, power rack and pinion steering, power Wilwood disc brakes and adjustable coilovers.
The Pro-Touring 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air is selling with reserve, but no mention on how much it is expected to fetch has been made.
It the advertisements of the time, GM called this model the Hot One as it tried to place it in the collective mind as a muscle car for the masses. And hot is just the right word to describe the reworked Bel Air we have in the gallery above, a former SEMA star that is going under an online hammer next month at the hands of Barrett-Jackson.
The bi-color body of the car is clearly more impressive than what GM offered back in the day, and it is doubtful a careful inspection of the red and black body would reveal any imperfections. The same can be said at the interior, where black is the color of choice, covering in leather the seats, door cover, and center console.
The incredibly clean and detailed engine bay hides a GM LSA crate engine, 6.2-liter in displacement (no power output figures are given) and tied to a 6-speed automatic transmission.
The car has been designed as a Pro-Touring, meaning there are enhanced underpinnings all over. They include independent suspension, power rack and pinion steering, power Wilwood disc brakes and adjustable coilovers.
The Pro-Touring 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air is selling with reserve, but no mention on how much it is expected to fetch has been made.
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