'55 BelAir
Aug 8, 2023 12:16:24 #
On Kim's recent post of a '56 BelAir, there was a comment that the '56 was so much better looking than the '55. Well...I'm not so sure.
Aug 8, 2023 12:19:46 #
Aug 8, 2023 12:24:05 #
cahale
Loc: San Angelo, TX
terryMc wrote:
On Kim's recent post of a '56 BelAir, there was a comment that the '56 was so much better looking than the '55. Well...I'm not so sure.
Are you sure that's a Bel Air? It should have "Bel Air" written on the rear quarter panels right behind the vertical chrome bar.
Aug 8, 2023 12:25:49 #
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Both are beautiful cars in their own right. It is unfair and unnecessary to compare them. It's like comparing the taste of oranges to bananas. Some like one, some like the other, both are right.
Aug 8, 2023 12:29:21 #
JFCoupe
Loc: Kent, Washington
The 1955-1957 series of Bel Airs were all beautiful automobiles. I am surprised how many of these cars have survived so long. (There were many examples at a recent Good Guys show I attended.)
Personally, I would pick the 1956 year of the three. I like the trim design better and love the bullet tail lights. All three had some very nice two tone color combinations.
Personally, I would pick the 1956 year of the three. I like the trim design better and love the bullet tail lights. All three had some very nice two tone color combinations.
Aug 8, 2023 12:36:46 #
UTMike wrote:
Very nice work, but I am still sure, Terry. (LOL)
Okay, Mike. No accounting for taste!!
(Actually, my all-time favorite Chevy has to be the '61 Impala bubble top, but that's another post...)Aug 8, 2023 12:42:59 #
cahale wrote:
Are you sure that's a Bel Air? It should have "Bel Air" written on the rear quarter panels right behind the vertical chrome bar.
Now that you mention it up, you're right, it's a 210, and I just missed it. Nice catch. Same body style and trim in any case.
Aug 8, 2023 12:49:24 #
JFCoupe wrote:
Personally, I would pick the 1956 year of the three. I like the trim design better and love the bullet tail lights. All three had some very nice two tone color combinations.
Personally, I would pick the 1956 year of the three. I like the trim design better and love the bullet tail lights. All three had some very nice two tone color combinations.
The taillight is the thing I most disliked about the '56. It always looked to me like a lens fell off exposing the interior structure. I always expected to see wires hanging out. I also preferred the grille of the '55 over the long toothy look of the '56. The side trim on the '56 may get the nod over the '55 for me, though.
Aug 8, 2023 12:52:38 #
terryMc wrote:
The taillight is the thing I most disliked about the '56. It always looked to me like a lens fell off exposing the interior structure. I always expected to see wires hanging out. I also preferred the grille of the '55 over the long toothy look of the '56. The side trim on the '56 may get the nod over the '55 for me, though.
How can two such nice people be so wrong about these cars? (LOL)
Aug 8, 2023 12:57:50 #
Aug 8, 2023 12:58:23 #
UTMike wrote:
How can two such nice people be so wrong about these cars? (LOL)
Aug 8, 2023 12:59:12 #
That was my sister's first car. Talk about turning on the wayback machine!
Aug 8, 2023 13:02:39 #
CHG_CANON wrote:
Looks like a Photo Gallery post.
This is UHH where rules don't matter!
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Aug 8, 2023 14:25:38 #
The above 1955 is kind of an anomaly in that it is sporting things from different series.
One Fifty (150)
The most basic and lowest priced option in the range. No side chrome was offered except for the Chevrolet script on the side fender.
Two-Ten (210)
Next in line was the 210 and it was a little more glitzy. Side chrome was more evident in the form of a side spear on the rear fenders.
Bel Air
At the top of the line sat the Bel Air. In addition to the rear side spears that were seen on the 210, the Bel Air also sported a front fender/door spear (that the above car doesn't have, which makes it a 210,2-dr hardtop Sport Coupe) and model nameplates and Chevrolet crest located just behind the slanting vertical chrome slash. In addition the rear spear was painted in the middle.
I personally like all three years & even owned 2 57's, a Bel Air two-door hardtop sport coupe and a 210 sedan four-door.
One Fifty (150)
The most basic and lowest priced option in the range. No side chrome was offered except for the Chevrolet script on the side fender.
Two-Ten (210)
Next in line was the 210 and it was a little more glitzy. Side chrome was more evident in the form of a side spear on the rear fenders.
Bel Air
At the top of the line sat the Bel Air. In addition to the rear side spears that were seen on the 210, the Bel Air also sported a front fender/door spear (that the above car doesn't have, which makes it a 210,2-dr hardtop Sport Coupe) and model nameplates and Chevrolet crest located just behind the slanting vertical chrome slash. In addition the rear spear was painted in the middle.
I personally like all three years & even owned 2 57's, a Bel Air two-door hardtop sport coupe and a 210 sedan four-door.
Aug 8, 2023 14:53:32 #
I like all of the " Tri - 5's " . I had a '55 and a '57....both hand-me-downs from my mother. The '55 was a 4 door Bel Air sedan, base engine, and auto trans. Well, beggars can't be choosy. With my dad's help, we moved her into a more performance stance. She got the '57 Bel Air 2 door hardtop, stick shift, and Power Pack option. When it became mine, I made one big change to it. I never really liked the hood treatment on the '57. I took the stock hood off ( kept it ) and replaced it with one from a wrecked '57 that I had modified to get rid of those two scoop-looking things. For my money, it became a much better looking car.
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