1955 Chevrolet Bel Air

1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible â?" Gypsy Red, 265 V8, Full Power Options, Restored 2010 Why This Car Is Special The 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air is one of the most recognized automobiles ever built, and for good reason. Chevrolet's 1955 model year was a complete ground-up redesign â?" new body, new chassis, and most importantly, a brand new engine. That engine was the 265 cubic inch small-block V8, which Chevrolet introduced to the world for the first time in the 1955 model year. It was lighter, more compact, and produced more power per cubic inch than almost anything else available at the price point. The automotive press took notice immediately, and so did buyers. Chevrolet sold over 1.7 million cars that model year, a massive jump from 1954, driven largely by the new V8 and the completely fresh styling penned by Harley Earl's design team.