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The 1955 Chevrolet (sometimes referred to as '55 Chevy) is an automobile made by the General Motors division Chevrolet in 1955. It is considered a huge turning point for the manufacturer and a major success. It was available in three models: the 150, 210, and Bel Air.
The '55 Chevy was the first successful Chevrolet with an optional V8 engine. Chevrolet had produced an earlier car with a V8 in 1918 (Chevrolet Series D), which used a 55-horsepower and 288-cubic-inch V8, but it remained in production for only a year.[5] In 1955, Chevrolet decided to fit its new car with an overhead valve V8 engine design, which was similar to the 1949 Oldsmobile "Rocket 88" V8 engine. The new 265-cubic-inch overhead valve V8 was designed to be smaller, lighter, and more powerful than previous V8s in the auto industry.
A year earlier, Ford produced an overhead valve V8—the 239 CID (the same displacement as the previous flathead); however, Ford's "Y-block" (as it was called) was problematic, especially when it came to a critical design error in its engine oiling system. A small and too-deeply set passage from its crankcase to its cylinder heads could easily clog if the oil wasn't changed often. Since oil of that time was low on detergent but high in coke, oil with too much age and short intermediate drives could clog the passage, which could lead to oil deprivation in the top end of the engine and result in burning up the rocker shaft assembly. The Y-block was also limited to the increase of its cylinders, compared to the Chevy V8.
The new "small block" in the '55 Chevy had its problems, however. It had no oil filter, and the factory could only add one externally—owners had to opt for an external oil filter. Those who did not order the engine with the "oil filter option" had dirty oil in a short amount of time. This was corrected for the next year. The new small block V8 had an easy maintenance, and it had a built-in ability to be upgraded. The small block Chevy V8 became so popular that Chevrolet still sells it today. Although there have been various changes made to the motor to modernize it, the basic design of the original 265 remains.
Additionally, Chevrolet drastically changed its body design from the previous year. Although Ford had already gone to a shoe box body design in 1949, Chevy was gradually doing the same through the early 1950s. By 1953, the Chevy had advanced to smoothed out straight side panels for a straighter side look, except for the air-foil near the rear wheels. The 1953 Chevy made other gains including wrap-around glass on the back window. Ford was still ahead in the straighter-look shoe box design; the Chevy still had the 1940s-like "3-hump" hood line in the front and rounding in the rear. In 1955, however, Chevy caught up with Ford in the body design category by leaping to a true shoebox look. It had smooth straight panels on the sides and hood, wrap-around glass on the windshield, and triangular tail lights that jutted outward. And this new look, combined with new power and engineering, made the '55 an instant hit and a critical success.
The car's popular "shoe-box" body style and chassis were carried over to 1956 (with changes to some of the front and rear aesthetics), and then carried over to 1957 (where the body was lengthened several inches in the rear and more drastic aesthetic changes were made).
Chevrolet retained the same body and chassis for the 1955, 56, and 57 model years. These years are extremely sought after by collectors and enthusiasts, and are often referred to by the given nickname of "tri-fives." The nickname "tri-fives" was given because there were three model years in the 1950s.
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