Classic Cars and Trucks / Photos Specs Model History, Production Numbers

1957 Chevy Bel Air / Specs, Photos, History

If there was ever a car that represented so many things that weren’t directly automotive related, it was indeed the 1957 Chevrolet. When the Chevy Bel Air came out, some called it a mini Cadillac. The 1957 Chevy model line passed 1.5 million in production. The car was a hit with the public for several reasons. If you have the opportunity of finding the book Classic American Cars by author Quentin Willson, he writes in detail about exactly what is was that turned on the buying public to the 1957 Chevy.

1957 chevy bel air convertible — 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible

As it turned out, the 1957 Chevy Bel Air is today one of the most sought after collectors cars around. It’s probably the best example of young mid-50’s America. Advertising of the era proclaimed that ” The Hot One’s Even Hotter“. With it’s low sleek looks and with the first engine available to put out one horsepower per cubic inch, it was a big hit with teens and college students. It was the perfect stylish car to pick up your date with and Chevrolet was well aware of it’s hit with the younger crowd and pushed it in their advertising.

Author Quentin Willson in his above mentioned book explains how automobile advertisers in general ignored the teenager as a target audience even though many early 1950’s sitcoms had teens trying to get hold of the family car keys. The feeling was that the younger set probably had no influence on the family’s car buying decision. This proved not to be the case. Chevrolet apparently was the first automaker to recognize the potential of the younger audiences. The V-8 engine in the 1955 Chevy was Chevrolet’s first effort to tap this audience and their effort paid off as the new design of the 57 Chevy hit the showrooms.

If you talk about late 1950’s Chevrolet advertising you have to mention the popular Dinah Shore Chevy Show which aired on NBC from 1956 to 1963. The show even had it’s theme song named, “See the USA in Your Chevrolet“. The theme song slogan was even used for some time after the Dinah Shore show went off the air. The variety show had as guests just about all the current popular actors, actresses and singers of the era. It’s guests were literally a who’s who of Hollywood. It was arguably one of the very best advertising efforts put forth by Chevrolet.

The 1957 design actually had it’s origins with the 1955 and 1956 models. Stating in 1955, Chevrolet got away from it’s more boxy design with basically a redesign from the road to roof. If you look at the 1954 model you can easily see the large difference.The 1955 Bel Air four door model alone sold over 350,000 vehicles which demonstrated how well the public accepted the new design. The 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air also introduced a new V-8 engine. The Chevy Bel Air’s from 1955 through 1957 were designated the “second generation” Bel Air’s as opposed to the “first generation” models built from 1950 through 1954.

first generation chevrolets — First Generation 1950 Chevrolet Bel Air

Specifications for the 57 Chevy Bel Air convertible included 265 cid or 283 cid engines. Horsepower was 162 to 283. Speed was rated at between 90 and 120 MPH and 0-60 MPH time was 8-12 seconds.

The chassis was steel-box section with a steel body.

The front suspension was independent coil springs and the rear had leaf springs with live axle.

The interior of the 57 Chevy included an new dashboard that changed from the symmetrical layout. Options included, among other things, air conditioning, a power antenna, seat belts, a headlight control switch and even ventilated seat pads.

1957 chevy tail fin — Chevy Bel Air tail fin where fuel cap was hidden inside the chrome edge

The 1957 Bel Air appeared much less stockier and more leaner than the 1956 model which followed the basic design of the 1950 Bel Air shown in the public domain photo above. The car was low, sleek and fancy. The fins on the 57 model also looked smaller than those on other nameplates during this age of the fin on many brands. The gas cap was hidden in the chrome molding edge of the left tail fin which was similar to the Lincoln and Cadillac.

The 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible like the one shown in this article sold over 47,000 units at a price of about $2,500. While the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air was the most popular of the company’s cars, Ford still remained number one in total sales but the figures were very close. During the 1957 model year, according to the Standard Catalog figures, Ford sales totaled 1,522,406 cars vs 1,516,177 for Chevrolet. Chevrolet’s figures however included about 7,000 leftover 1956 models.

(1957 Chevy Bel Air photos from author’s private collection. 1950 Chevrolet photo and Dinah Shore photo from the public domain)

Willys MB / US Military Vehicles

One of the most versatile and long lasting brands that has survived the decades, and obviously remains very popular, is the Jeep. The Jeep brand had it’s start around 1940 as one of the most popular US military vehicles ever built. The Jeep brand has changed ownership several times, and changed designs many times as well, and continues to be one of America’s top selling brands.

The term “Jeep” was used to describe The Jeep MB or Willys MB. As is the case with some other car nameplates, the term “jeep” has a few different versions as to how it was arrived at. The first version is that army mechanics at one time used the term “Jeep” to describe any new untested vehicle.

world war two jeep mb — World War II Jeep Bantam design

Another version was that soldiers borrowed the name from the popular “Popeye” series which had a character named “Eugene the Jeep“. Yet another version says that the name was taken from Ford’s Gee-P. In fact, Ford ended up suing Willys-Overland in the 1940’s over use of the word. Ford wasn’t successful and the name stayed. Whichever is true, an perhaps it was some combination of these versions, the Jeep name stuck and became a household word.

The Willys-Overland Company’s roots went back to 1908 when John North Willys purchased the Overland Automotive Division of the Standard Wheel Company. Four years later he renamed the company Willys-Overland Motor Company. The Willys company had the same problems during the Great Depression years as did several other automakers. Willys-Overland filed for bankruptcy. At the end of the Great Depression, the company came out of bankruptcy with a new name, Willys-Overland Motors, Inc. Shortly thereafter, with the approaching storms of World War Two, Willys was fortunate to gain a military contract to build Jeeps. Willys utilized the designs from the American Bantam Car Company which had gone into bankruptcy.

restored willys jeep — Fully restored Willys Jeep

It was Bantam that designed the first jeep and ended up building about 2,500 of them before ceasing operations. A man named Karl Probst working for Bantam is credited with the first design in 1940. The army set demanding specifications which included a 4×4 drive, a wheelbase of 75 to 80 inches, a fold down windshield, a 660 pound payload plus other attributes. At the same time, the Ford Motor Company was building their GPW to help the government meet it’s quota and during the war both Ford and Willys-Overland together satisfied the government’s contract. By the end of the war there were over 300,000 Jeeps built by Willys-Overland and about the same number of GPW’s by Ford. Jeeps also were very involved in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

willys jeep cj engine — Jeep CJ engine compartment

As a side advantage for manufacturing so many military jeeps during the war, Willys-Overland received years of free publicity for their vehicles through news accounts of battles and landings. Pictures were transmitted showing the jeep being used by troops. The fame the vehicle attained during the war carried on for years afterward.

It was after the war that Willys-Overland Motor Company began building the new Jeep civilian model which they named the Jeep CJ. The company also came out in 1950 with their new Jeep military version which was called the M38. The new M38 was designed off the 1949 civilian jeep. With a history of building military vehicles during the war, it’s no surprise that the jeep name made car buyers think of ruggedness and durability.

willys jeep cj interior — Restored Willys Jeep interior

As everyone knows, Jeep is now produced by Chrysler as a result of Jeep nameplate being taken over by other automakers during the 1950’s and 1960’s and beyond. Kaiser took over Willys-Overland in 1953 and changed the name to Willys Motor Company. In 1963 the name was changed again to the Kaiser-Jeep Corporation. In 1970, the American Motors Corporation took over the Jeep line from Kaiser-Jeep. In 1887 the American Motors Corporation was bought by Chrysler. Eventually, Chrysler was merged into Daimler-Benz. To this day, Jeep remains one of the most popular and best selling lines for the Chrysler Corporation.

It’s an understatement to say that there are many Jeep car clubs around the U.S. To emphasize how popular the jeep is today, not all of these clubs focus on the old Willys Jeep line and some are involved with the later year models. Other clubs are involved in off road driving which has always been a attribute for Jeep. The Military Jeepers Jeep Club has over 500 members. Their website is www.militaryjeepers.com. There is the Military Vehicle Collectors of California at website www.mvccnews.net. Another is the Green Mountain Military Vehicle Club at website http://www.angelfire.com/vt2/gmmvc/

Organizations such as the Green Mountain club feature a wide range of US military vehicles in addition to Jeep cars and trucks.

The fully and beautifully restored Jeep CJ shown in this article is on display at Russells Auto Museum and truck stop on Interstate 40 at Endee New Mexico. Endee is located just a few miles inside New Mexico from the Texas state line. Russells has a large fully restored collection of vintage and classic cars and trucks.

(Restored Willys Jeep photos from author’s private collection. World War Two Jeep photo from the public domain)

Oakland Motors / 1929 Oakland Sedan

Oakland Motors was an interesting start up auto company in Michigan that was in existence for only a few years. The Oakland automobile may be a vintage car you don’t hear a lot about. In that respect, it’s almost like a forgotten car brand. One reason perhaps is that the automobile company wasn’t around long before it was absorbed into a much larger company.

The Oakland automobile was first manufactured in 1907 by the Oakland Motor Car Company in Pontiac Michigan, just a few miles north of Detroit. It’s founder was Edward M. Murphy. Prior to that time, Murphy had been running what was called the Pontiac Buggy Company and was turning out carriages. It became apparent to Murphy that the days of the horseless carriage were starting to come to an end and if his company’s sales were to continue in the right direction, he would need to build and sell what some would call motor carriages. The writing was on the wall.

OaklandMotorCar1917Advertisement — 1917 Oakland Car advertisement

After only two years of building his Oakland cars, in 1909 Edward Murphy ended up selling half of his shares of both his car and carriage company to General Motors and suddenly died the same year. After Murphy’s death, GM picked up the remaining shares, which were about 50 percent of the company, and turned the Oakland Motor Car Company into the Oakland Motors Division of General Motors Corporation. This quick merger with GM just a few years after the Oakland Motor Car Company was founded is probably the main reason not a lot is known or written about about Edward M. Murphy. Unfortunately, his involvement in motorized transportation lasted only two to three years. He certainly can be credited with understanding the changing times in public transportation.

The very first Oakland car produced by Murphy used a two cylinder engine that rotated counter clockwise and was popular at the time in France. One year later, the car came with a four cylinder engine and sales were running about 5,000 vehicles per year. These early sales figures no doubt attracted the attention of General Motors. Since GM took over the company so young in it’s existence, most of the history of the car brand involves General Motors design and innovation.

See our article on the 1935 Rolls Royce Phantom II

When GM picked up the Oakland brand they placed it, on a price point basis, above the Chevrolet yet below the higher priced brands such as Oldsmobile and Buick. The top brand for GM was Cadillac. As an example of Oakland’s early sales figures while under GM ownership, about 5,800 cars were sold in 1912. To give you an idea of how the division grew, in the year 1926 there were an estimated 133,000 Oakland’s and Pontiac’s sold and just two years later 240,000. To put this in perspective, in 1928, Chevrolet sold about 1.2 million vehicles. Out of the entire GM line, the Chevrolet was the lowest priced vehicle with every other brand rising up the ladder.

Each automobile moving up the chain had different appointments and luxury items that would justify a higher price. As far as the oakland was concerned, the car reached it’s highest annual selling level in 1928 with more than 60,000 cars built and sold. Obviously, the same method of selling cars along an upward price chain is ongoing today.

The car shown in this article is the 1929 Oakland which is obviously not restored and is greatly deteriorated. I found it interesting in as much as you really don’t come across unrestored cars of this vintage and certainly you don’t see a lot of old Oakland’s around. This particular Oakland automobile is at a garage at a mining museum along with many more non-automotive artifacts of the 1910’s and 1920’s. The 1929 Oakland sedan was a moderately priced automobile and was considered by buyers as a luxury car.

148 — An old 1929 Oakland car not restored

It had fine luxury appointments and really was priced for a middle class buyer looking for something special and higher end without breaking the bank. The Oakland Motors Division of GM also introduced a companion vehicle in 1926 named the “Pontiac”. Companion vehicles for a single brand was quite in vogue during the twenties. The original Pontiacs came on the market with a 40 HP Straight 6 cylinder engine. Pontiac soon attained impressive sales figures and by 1933 the Oakland brand nameplate was discontinued in favor of the Pontiac. The division name was changed to the Pontiac Motor Car Company. With the economy as it was during the early 1930’s, there understandably were a lot of changes in pricing and models and what was offered at a particular price. In other words, while cars were being sold, it was a tough environment.

There are a few around the country displaying restored 1929 Oakland automobiles. One is the Smithsonian Museum Auto Collection in Washington DC. Another is the Pontiac-Oakland Museum in Pontiac Illinois.

(Advertisement image is from the public domain. Oakland sedan photos from author’s private collection)