Chevrolet 1955

American youth had heard that by 1955 Chevrolet would have an all-new car with a new V8 engine. But not just a V8, a powerful V8. This was good for the kids who knew their parents would not leave Chevrolet as their cars would perform similar to the Olds 88 and Hemi Dodge cars of their friends' parents. The 1954 Fords had come out with a V8 Y-Block engine, but with only 239 cubic inches of displacement. This was more desperate than the 1953 and earlier Flatheads. In fact, the Ford I-Block six-cylinder engine was a challenge to the V8. Ford's Overdrive and shift system had been gutsy, but the Ford-O-Matic system had fallen short of the expectations of those who had followed in the footsteps of the Oldsmobile 88 since 1949.

However, young insiders knew that Ford, like Plymouth, was cooking up something for 1955. Plymouth had lagged far behind in the styling and performance arena, but they expected something interesting for the first quarter. On the other hand, because Ford had been so popular with the youngsters and already had a working V8 OHV engine many expected 1955 to be Ford's year.

General Motors didn't want to be taken by surprise in the high-compression OHV V8 arena. Of course not, in fact they had already started. In 1949 Cadillac and Oldsmobile had taken the first step in the speed race. General Motors knew it had to have a fast car to guard its reputation. Prior to 1949, Oldsmobile had been conceived as an engineering car. It was the first car to be fully automatic with its Hydra-Matic transmission in 1949. But it was not an exciting car.

Let's stop thinking that GM or Chevrolet were not prepared for the power race. However their reaction to the influence young buyers had for power in making a buying decision had been slow. By 1952 the corporation was concerned about what young people were asking for at shows. By this time, Chevrolet already had a new V8 engine in development, but it did not promise to capture much of the young buyer's attention and the division had to imagine other options. The engine being developed was a scaled-down version of the 1949 Cadillac. Not to say there was anything wrong with Cadillac's 331-cubic-inch V8 engine, but the idea of using 1949 technology to redesign a 230-cubic-inch engine didn't show the freshness and innovation the corporation had in mind. Additionally, it would be more expensive to produce.

Thus, they gave way to engineer Ed Cole, who had been heavily involved in the development of Cadillac's V8 OHV engine. In 1952 he reported to Chevrolet as chief engineer. Cole immediately reviewed the entire product plan for 1955, and concluded that a fresh start should be made on blank sheets of paper. As a strategy for the new vehicle he envisioned a lightweight engine taking advantage of the latest manufacturing and casting techniques. The engine block would be so well made that fifty years later it is still strategic for GM in its V8s. The initial displacement, as built in 1955, was 265 cubic inches and would later reach 400 cubic inches and many other sizes in between.

The new engine design incorporated an innovative and economical valve train that eliminated the rocker arm shaft and replaced the hollowed-out rocker arms with lighter die-cut rocker arms. Additional savings were achieved with hollow connecting rods and with the intake manifold bolted and bent to fit the heads eliminating the need for a separate cover. The efficient design of this engine can best be appreciated when compared to other cars equipped with six-cylinder engines: 40 to 60 pounds less weight. At its introduction, its power output was marked at 162HP. Soon an additional package would be incorporated that considered a four-throat carburetor with a dual outlet exhaust that increased power to 180HP. By the end of the year, the 265 version of the Corvette was available for passenger cars.

While the new V8 was the big news of 1955, the 235 cubic inch six-cylinder played a major role in Chevrolet products. At 123HP with standard transmission and 136HP with Powerglide transmission, Chevy's new six moved light cars ( a 150 two-door weighed only 3,060 pounds) vigorously. Considering that the 1955 Chevrolet six-cylinder with Powerglide transmission was equipped with 136HP and the 1954 Ford V8 Y-Block with 130HP, Chevrolet intended to compete seriously in the performance arena.

The 1955 Chevrolet was much more than an engine. It was a totally new car. From the chassis, suspension, steering, bodywork and simply everything about the car was new. The new chassis was built on a tubular frame. This structure was fifty percent stiffer and eighteen percent lighter. Brake pedal movement was reduced by forty-five percent. The new steering system reduced steering effort and improved smoothness. The brake pedal and clutch were now suspended, a pioneering feature of the 1952 Ford. The brake pump was now in the engine compartment. The parking brake "T" lever was moved from the right of the steering column to the left. Tubeless tires were standard equipment from 1955.

The series designated for 1953 and 1954 - 150, 210 and Bel Air - continued for 1955. Internally the Bel Air series was known as the 2400 series and included the four-door sedan, two-door sedan, sports coupe, convertible and wagon. The Bel Air line soon expanded to include the Nomad, an innovative two-door wagon whose styling was based on the Corvette show car.

The most affordable of the series was the 210 ( internally known as the 2100 series ) was extended to incorporate a "non-post" Sport Coupe ( available in 1953 but withdrawn in 1954 ) and a two-door wagon along with the family four-door sedan, Delray Club Coupe, two-door sedan and four-door wagon. Although identified as a Club Coupe, the Delray was externally identical to a two-door sedan. Inside it had dramatic differences with its two-tone vinyl upholstery and new floor mats. The two-door wagon, like all Chevrolet vans, was defined as a six-passenger wagon.

The fleet-oriented 150 series (known internally as the 1500 series) had a minor tweak with the appearance of a two-door wagon to replace the previous four-door. It continued with the four-door sedan, the two-door sedan, the three-passenger utility sedan and the delivery sedan. The utility sedan was the modern equivalent of the Business Coupe and shared the chassis of the two-door.

The most popular car of 1955 was the Chevrolet Bel Air four-door sedan with more than 345,000 units sold, followed by the 210 four-door sedan with nearly 318,000 units. The current collector favorite Bel Air Coupe and convertible sold more than 185,000 and 41,000 vehicles respectively. The unique and beautiful Nomad sold only 6,000 units, setting a rare Chevrolet record.

As a low-cost product and in demand as an austere transportation vehicle to meet the basic transportation needs of those on a budget, the 150 sold over 125,000 models in 1955 (not counting delivery sedans). The best-selling car of the 150 series was the four-door sedan. Using this model as a basis for comparison, a buyer would pay $90 more to buy a similar 210. For this difference the buyer was getting in return a more colorful interior with nice upholstery, colorful floor mats, door trim, ashtrays, armrests, glove box light, horn, belt molding, windshield and rear window trim, and rear window trim. Surely $90 USD in 1955 was a significant amount, yet 806,000 buyers were enthusiastic about the 210, Chevrolet's most popular series.

Second place went to the Bel Air series with 771,000 units. Again, using the two-door sedan as a basis for comparison, the Bel Air was $113 USD above the 210. For the difference the buyer received interior trim, more decorated instrument panel, floor mats, front and rear dust cover moldings, full wheel caps, Bel Air name and more. At this level the Chevrolet buyer was in territory that historically belonged to Buick, Olds, and De Soto.

And what about the competition? Ford had a beautiful car. A surgery made many buyers think that the 1955 Ford was a brand new car. A new, more wraparound windshield with new chassis panels and new interior styling made it look like a brand new car. The new Fairlane series replaced the 1954 Crestline to compete directly with the Bel Air. While the interiors of the Bel Air sedan tried to be more stylish, Ford's Fairlane looked more luxurious. In 1955 Ford introduced the Crown Victoria. After a decade in which the industry promoted the two-door hardtop style with no center post as a premium car, Ford made the Victoria a premium car with a center post to create a sour two-door sedan and raise the price. More than 33,000 buyers took the bait and another 2,000 paid an additional $70 to get the clear-roof version.

The Ford Customline was the direct competitor to the Chevrolet 210. The price was similar to the Ford, which was $26 USD above the Chevrolet, taking the two-door sedan as a basis for comparison. There was no hardtop in the Customline series to compete with the 210 Sport Coupe. Nor was there a direct competitor to the Delray.

The Ford Mainline series was the competitor to the 150 series. The Mainline with over 127,000 units sold was slightly more popular than the 150, reflecting the historical market influence that dominated Ford's basic terrain cars.

Ford had always been strong in the wagon arena and in 1955 started a series at the Mainline level, the Custom Ranch Wagon and the four-door Contry sedan at the Customline level and the Contry Squire with wood trim at the Fairlane level. Ford had good control in the wagon market and offered them in six- and nine-passenger models in 1955, while Chevrolet only offered them in six-passenger.

Chrysler Corporation was losing ground in the early 1950s. The conservative leadership of K.T. Keller, who came from Chevrolet, had produced vehicles that fell short of customer expectations in several areas, including styling and quality. While the more expensive Chrysler and De Soto models had maintained high standards, the 1953 and 1954 Plymouth and Dodge styles were small, flimsy, poorly engineered and casually built. It wasn't until 1954 that they were able to offer a fully automatic clutchless car. Chrysler had Virgil Exner to lead the designs but Keller and powerful engineers repeatedly interfered with their design proposals resulting in the 1953-1954 disaster. Finally Séller was dragged out and Virgil Exner and designer Maurie Baldwin took the reins.

The result was that by 1955 Chrysler had the first well-designed car of the decade. The 240 cubic inch V8 developed 157HP. Two 260 cubic inch V8s were also available, one with a two-throat carburetor with 167Hp and the other with a four-throat carburetor with 177Hp. While these engines looked good on paper it was not enough for the Plymouth to compete with the Chevy. The interior of the cars was good, with the exception of the poor dash layout that placed the temperature and oil pressure gauges right in front of the passenger. Plymouth was the last to offer full instrumentation; Ford and Chevrolet had switched to illuminated gauges.

Plymouth also offered three series; the Belvedre which competed with the Bel Air. The Savoy that competed with the 210 and the Plaza that competed with the 150.

Putting all the records together, Chevrolet held the lead and Ford enjoyed a second place finish.It is important to reflect on the Chevrolet's great advantage in being better and more durable than its competitors.Much of this can be attributed to the 12-volt electrical system that Ford and Plymouth did not yet have.Over time the Ford carburetors became temperamental.

The combination of the six-volt electrical system and poor carburetion made starting the engines difficult. The Plymouth V8s were just as bad. As a result, Chevrolet retained first place with 23 percent of the market, Ford in second place with 22.3 percent and Plymouth, coming off the disaster of 1954, with 9.4 percent.

Source: John D. Robertson (1999). Chevrolet History, 1955-1957 (Pictorial History Series, No. 3)