Chevrolet’s rivalry with Ford in the low-price market was decades away when it built its first car, the Classic Six, in 1912. Its $2150 price tag was more than three times that of the 1912 Model T and while Ford continued its focus on affordability, Chevy explored the possibilities for several years.
For 1916, according to Early Chevrolet History, it dropped its sixes and introduced the 490. The new car showed that Chevy was defining itself as a competitor to Ford; “490” referred to the car’s price at a time when a Model T cost $390 to $740, according to the Motor Scrapbook. The four-cylinder 490 matched the T nicely and although Chevy added a V-8 model for 1917 and 1918, its real interest remained in fours until 1929.
Chevy Six Begins a Tradition
Ford replaced its long-running Model T with the 1928 Model A, so the 1929 Chevrolet International appeared as a response. Also known as the Chevrolet AC, it went one better than the four-cylinder Model A by offering a six even as it remained competitively priced. For more than two decades, every Chevrolet would be a six. Ford would add a V-8 in 1932 and would offer various fours and sixes, but across the industry, things began to change after World War II.
Oldsmobile and Cadillac took parallel – but unrelated – major steps in 1949, according to Motors Manual, by introducing what have long been called modern V-8s. Both used overhead valves, but in each engine, the real key was a piston whose stroke was shorter than its cylinder’s diameter. Size and weight were reduced, efficiency was improved and the older designs were on their way out.
Blue Flame Six Carries On
Chevrolet had no reason to apologize for its six and proved that point by using it to power the 1953 Corvette. Still, it couldn’t ignore the trend begun by Cadillac and Oldsmobile; Studebaker and Chrysler were next, according to Chilton’s Manual, as they introduced their modern V-8s in 1951. Others followed and from Chevrolet’s perspective, the worst news came in 1954, when Ford replaced its flathead V-8.
The 1954 Ford V-8 was, of course, a modern overhead-valve unit, but it had one critical feature in common with flathead V-8 of 1953. The two were of the same 239-cubic-inch displacement, according to Chilton’s Manual, although the new engine generated 130 horsepower against the flathead’s 110. The 1954 Chevy Blue Flame Six displaced 235 cubic inches and produced as much as 125 horsepower – enough for many drivers, but not for all – and Ford quickly learned that Chevrolet had bigger plans.
Completely New 1955 Chevy Arrives
After using an updated 1942 body to build its 1946 through 1948 models, Chevrolet had followed with its first true postwar car, according to the Standard Catalog. The 1949-52 Chevrolet looked little like its predecessors, but it was more evolutionary than radical and even a complete reskinning for the 1953-54 version didn’t change that. The 1955 Chevrolet was another matter.
Not a trace of the 1954 Chevy could be seen, thanks to such features as the wraparound windshield, slab sides and nearly flat hood and trunklid. The 1955 Chevy’s simple, rectangular eggcrate grille sharply contrasted with the earlier cars’ wide, toothy opening. Slightly hooded headlights with trailing lines mimicked those of 1950s Cadillacs and from there, a high, straight beltline ran to the taillights, broken only by a dip behind the front seat. The last vestige of separate rear fenders was gone and the taillights extended slightly beyond the trunk to form the basis of what in two years would be substantial tailfins.
All That and a Chevy Small Block V-8
It was a look unlike anything on the road and that alone likely would have ensured its success, but 1955 was the year in which Chevrolet resumed offering a V-8. It was a modern overhead-valve engine using the oversquare short-stroke-wide-bore design and according to Chilton’s Manual, its 265-cubic-inch displacement produced 162 horsepower in the most basic form. With a four-barrel carburetor, output climbed to 180 horsepower and adding a more performance-oriented camshaft pushed it to 195.
The six remained available and was now rated at up to 136 horsepower, but the Small Block V-8 was unquestionably the star. Capable of much greater things, it was eventually built in displacements of up to 400 cubic inches for cars across the General Motors spectrum, celebrated its 50th anniversary in production and found additional popularity as a high-performance crate motor available from GM for installation in any car where it could fit.
Buyers Reward The Hot One
Advertising called the 1955 Chevy “The Hot One” and considering the changes that the car represented, the nickname was valid. The new model quickly enhanced Chevrolet’s solid reputation by adding healthy doses of style and power.
Drivers noticed and responded; Chevrolet made 1,712,804 sales in 1955, according to the Production Figure Book, placing it handily ahead of rival Ford’s 1,435,002 sales. The two would continue to go head-to-head for decades, with buyers coming out as the real winners.
References:
- Bell, Doug. Early Chevrolet History. Los Angeles: Floyd Clymer Publications, 1966.
- Blanchard, Harold F., Ed. Motor’s Auto Repair Manual. New York: Motor, 1949.
- Clymer, Floyd. Floyd Clymer’s Historical Motor Scrapbook Ford Model T Edition. Los Angeles: Floyd Clymer Publications, 1954.
- Grey, Andrew D., Ed. Chilton’s Automobile Repair Manual 27th Edition. Philadelphia: Chilton Company, 1956.
- Gunnell, John, Ed. Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications, 1987.
Bob Tomaine - Automotive writer and photographer Bob Tomaine is a regular contributor to Auto Restorer, AutoWeek and Old Cars Weekly as well as a ...
