CHEVROLET 1955-57

IF YOU were American and looking during the 1980s for a car that was emblematic of your youth, that car would likely have been a 1955-57 Chevrolet.

- WORDS CLIFF CHAMBERS

These in their time were the USA's biggest selling cars with 3.27 million Chevrolets built during 1955-56, followed in 1957 by a further 1.5 million.

The world is unlikely ever to run out of mid-1950s Chevrolets but that hasn't stopped them becoming increasingly more valuable and desirable to collectors.

The North American market offered three versions of the mainstream Chevrolet in 1955 - 150, 210 plus the chrome-laden Bel Air. Base models continued to be powered by ancient six-cylinder engines, but those carrying a 'VA' prefix were powered by General Motors' brand new 4.3-litre, 265 cubic inch V8.