It was over half a century ago that the 1955-1956-1957 Chevy legend began. 

 It was once said, “There are popular cars and then there are the ’55-‘57 Chevys!”  No other cars are more recognizable, or have ever achieved the universal appeal or status that the Tri-5 Chevys hold the world over.  Now over 50 years later, these cars are still going strong, with the legend being handed down from our grand-fathers, our dads, our uncles – all who “once had one”.  We continue to pass the legend down as that tough 265 or 283 purrs inside those classic bodies.  Some may be updated with a 327, 350 or 502 block – but they are still “chevy-powered”.  They may be getting older, but they certainly are getting better!   

Today the 1955-57 Chevys are treated with more affection than when new – closely guarded in warm garages during the winter, awaiting the spring to once again take to the highways for cruising or car shows.  They have become a unique and important part of the great “Automobile  Heritage”, a part which refuses to be steered quietly into the pages of recorded history of the “good old days” or to be content to rest in a dusty museum. 

 Almost 5 million of them were produced from 1955 to 1957 with a combination of the sharpest styling, engineering and performance ever to come out of Motortown.  Many of us can remember sitting in a new ‘55, ‘56 or ‘57 Chevy, barely being able to see over that gigantic steering wheel, and dreaming of the day we would own and drive one of those classics!  Now were are satisfying that nostalgic urge and making that dream come true.

 Here is how it all began.

 Prior to 1955 General Motors had enjoyed the reputation of being number one in sales for 19 years in a row, but a brand new generation of automobiles emerged in 1955 with over 8 Million being produced – the Chevrolet Division building  1,830,029 of them.  Major changes in engineering, styling and performance were made.  With the incredible engineering expertise of Ed Cole and Harry Barr, Chevy’s first successful V8 engine hit the market in a showcase body of clean and stylish design.  The V8 was well received with 43% of Chevrolet’s 1955 car buyers choosing to have their new car powered by this legendary V8!

 This major breakthrough in engine design necessitated considerable chassis updates.  Modern ball joint front suspensions replaced kingpins and open drive-shaft and Hotchkiss rear ends superseded torque tube drives.  The concept was to build a much lighter car (the V8 weighed 40 pounds lighter than the 6 cylinder engine) and the suspension and chassis were also lighter.  The entire package was a model of simplicity and economy of design.

 Under the hood, one had a choice of nine power teams, ranging from the 123 horsepower, 235 cubic inch Blue Flame 6 cylinder to the 162 horsepower, 265 cubic inch 2 barrel or 180 horsepower, 265 cubic inch, 4 barrel Turbo-Fire V8.

 The overall shape of the 1955 Chevrolet was a complete departure from the 1954 design.  It was boxy, yet aesthetically tasteful, thoroughly integrated and balanced and wore its new two-toning paint options well.  One had a choice of 16 different body styles, ranging from the cheapest 150 Series, through the mid-range 210 Series up to the top of the line Bel Air Series.

 It not only looked great and was well engineered, it also handled well.  It was picked by Motor Trend (in a tie with Mercury) for best handling and most road-worthy car of the year.  Its performance was also impressive.   Road & Track tested a 180 horse powered 210 2 Door equipped with standard steering and overdrive and it achieved 0-60 mph in 9.7 seconds.

 The 55 Chevy V8 also fared well in the racing world and was chosen as he Indy Pace Car   It also hit the NASCAR racing circuit and topped the season by winning the Southern “500” at Darlington on Labour Day, taking 7 out of the first 10 places.

 When the final tallies were in for 1955, sales accounted for 23.04 percent of the automotive market, with Chevrolet maintaining its Number One position in the US , continuing to outsell Ford for the 20^th year in a row!

 Things were even better for the Chevrolet Division in 1956.  New car registrations were down 16.9 percent and car production was down 27 percent, however, the production for the 1956 Chevrolet was 88 percent of its 1955 volume.  With the Chevrolet Division’s market share rising from 23.04 to 27.94 percent, one can attribute success to refinements in the new V8 engine and a tastefully styled facelift on an originally well-balanced body design. 

 Some necessary improvements were incorporated into both the 6 cylinder and V8 engines.  With horsepower being a big item, the 235 cubic inch Blue Flame 140 6 cylinder replaced both the 123 and 136 horsepower engines of 1955, and could be coupled to a standard, overdrive or Powerglide transmission.  A new feature of this engine was a higher-lift camshaft and hydraulic valve lifters, both which had only been available previously with the Powerglide option.

 The Turbo-Fire V8, still 265 cubic inches, used the same camshaft with standard or overdrive transmissions and developed 162 horsepower.  With Powerglide equipped models, a new higher-lift cam raised power to 170 horsepower at 4400 rpm.  Optional was a “power-pack” which pushed out 205 horsepower.  An even more powerful unit was available with Corvette equipment, boosting horsepower to 225.  Eleven power teams were available overall.

 Suspension changes had been made.  The length of the front coil springs was increased and the spring rate at each wheel was decreased, resulting in less frequency to “nose-dive”.

 $40 Million Dollars was poured into achieving the objective with regard to styling, which was to make the ’56 Chevy as visually different as possible from the ’55 within the context of “mild face-lifting”.  The body was bulked up, but careful attention was paid to ensure that it did not look heavy and that its basic simplicity of line was preserved.  The front end received the most radical change, with the “Ferrari” inspired grille being replaced with a more contemporary latticework, spanning the full width of the car and incorporating large rectangular parking lights.  On the sides the trim moulding pattern was refined.  New trim mouldings and two-toning necessitated new front and rear wheel openings, which were gracefully flared and elongated, giving the car on overall fleet-side, swept-back appearance.  The 56 tail lights incorporated the tail light, brake light and back-up lights in a chrome-plated, pot metal complicated design, replacing the simple, neat tail lights of the 55.   The 56 Chevy body was a lot busier than the 55, but in an era of “chrome-laden”, “three-toning” and “finny” rear ends, it was relatively modest.  All this beauty could be had in 19 different models, with a new 4 door sport sedan and 9 passenger wagon being added to the line-up.

 The 56 Chevy continued to fare well in the handling and performance department.  It was bestowed the Motor Trend “best handling” award, with its V8 engine being voted “best performance per dollar”.

 In September, 1955 Zora Arkus-Dintov climbed Pikes Peak in a 205 horsepower Super Turbo-Fire V8 Bel Air Sport Sedan in 17 minutes, 24.05 seconds.  This established a new American stock sedan record for the 12.5 mile ascent, bettering the previous time by 2 minutes.  In July, 1956 Jerry Unser chopped 1 minute off of Duntov’s time.

 Road & Track decreased its 0-60 time to 9.0 flat. 

At Darlington a 1956 210 lapped the 1 3/8 mile track 1773 times in 24 hours, for an average speed of 101.58 mph.  This cut 11.69 mph from the old US Production Car Class time, which was previously held by Chrysler.

Truly, Chevrolet had come a long way in those past 2 years.  In the fall of 1954, it led Ford by only 19,603 units, .36% of total production.  In 1955 it was 65,000 units ahead, .82 % of total production.  When the 1956 figures were totalled, Chevrolet was found to have been ahead of Ford each month by more than the sum total of the 1954 lead of 20,000 cars.  1956 was a key year and laid important groundwork for what was to come.

In 1957 Chevrolet tried to do the impossible and almost succeeded.  Ford came out of the gate with a newly-styled car and its sales rose from 23.7 to 24.9%.  Plymouth did likewise and its sales rose from 7.8 to 10.7 percent. 

The Chevrolet Division met this competition with a truly face-lifted model for 1957, but its advertising slogan was engineering oriented:  “One Horsepower per Cubic Inch”.  Chevy had mated its 283 cubic inch V8 to a “Ramjet” fuel injection built by Rochester , and offered 10.5:1 compression to attain 283 gross horsepower.  It also introduced a new automatic transmission, Turboglide, along the lines of Buick’s Dynaflow.

The Chevy V8 now offered a horsepower range from 162 to 283, using the 265 and 283 cubic inch engines.  The 283’s displacement had been achieved by boring out the block 1/8” to 3.875 inches, and in addition to fuel injection and higher compression, it featured a higher-lift cam and single or dual 4-barrel carburetors.

The basis chassis remained at 115 inches wheelbase, although the length of the car increased to almost 17 feet.  The wheels were changed to 14”.

The front end was new, incorporating an entirely different bumper-grille configuration.  It consisted of a large, full-length bumper with integral bumper guards and an aluminium center screen set off by a horizontal bar containing the parking lights.  Hood birds were replaced by stylish “rockets”.  The rear quarter panels were altered to incorporate chrome-domed fins, which were accentuated on the side of the Bel Air models with attractive ribbed, brushed aluminium panels.  The tail light area was more subdued than the ’56 and the rear was adorned by more chrome.  The final result was a complete departure from the ‘55’s styling.

Nineteen body styles were again offered and the only model change was the replacement of the nine-passenger Beauville B/A Wagon with a six passenger Townsman wagon.

Handling suffered in 1957 and Motor Trend was quick to notice that there was “greater lean on corners, and less confidence for the driver….(due to)….cancelling out some of its advantages by going to a somewhat softer ride”.

Chevys hit the Speed Weeks in Daytona in February, 1957 capturing honours left and right and sweeping the Pure Oil Manufacturer’s Trophy with a total point count of 574 – Ford was a distant second with 309 points.

At the “Southern 500” in Darlington , Speedy Thompson piloted his 1957 Chevy home first with an average time of 100.100 mph. 

It was a close year for Chevrolet.  While Ford and Plymouth ’s production increased, Chevrolet’s dropped from 27.9 to 24.9 percent.  However, it still managed to capture calendar year production figures, beating Ford by 130 units.

During the years of 1955-1956-1957, Chevrolet produced more than 4,800,000 automobiles, having no idea at the time how much of an impact these classics would have on the automobile history.

Many years later, Claire MacKichan, the head of Chevrolet’s design studio during the 1955-57 wonder years, was interviewed and he explained what the primary objective had been with the 1955-57 Chevys.  He summed it up simply and accurately by saying, “We were trying to change our whole image to the public – from the older man’s car to the youth.  The cars were made to do it….the engines were made to do it……and we did it”.

With their vast popularity, the value of the tri-5’s keeps climbing, making them not just a classic collector, but a classic investment.  Each and every remaining model and body style is being restored and brought back to life.  No longer are they only being restored to original – they are also being customized – mildly and radically to each owner’s taste and vision.  With all the many up-grades now available, they can be made to ride and handle just like our modern day cars and although they are still cherished and babied, they are also being driven and enjoyed. 

Their legend lives on, and will continue to do so for many years to come!