1media/1954_Chevrolet_Bel-Air-thumb.jpgmedia/Chevrolet_02.jpg2020-06-22T13:56:19-07:001956 Chevrolet Golden Corona6plain2020-08-27T19:29:47-07:00Chevrolet showed off this custom coupe at the first annual Pasadena Motor Pageant in 1956. Some of its highlights included a dashboard TV, hi-fi, and five stereo speakers, as well as a record player mounted in the back seat. Chevrolet, or Chevy, has been part of General Motors since 1917 and is the largest-selling division of the company. It has long been positioned as a seller of affordable production cars, which made this luxury vehicle a surprising experiment.
1media/1957_Chevrolet_Corvette_XP-64-thumb.jpgmedia/Chevrolet_01.jpg2020-06-22T13:55:23-07:001954 Chevrolet Bel-Air4plain2020-08-22T15:47:06-07:00Model Jane Ohnstad poses next to a Chevrolet Bel-Air at Griffith Park Observatory. The iconic landmark, which was closely associated with space exploration, was an ideal setting for marketing futuristic automobiles. The Bel-Air featured an advanced two-speed automatic transmission touted by the brochure, “The mighty ‘Blue-Flame 125’ engine teamed with Powerglide is the most powerful in Chevrolet history!” Interestingly, these early transmissions used a P-N-D-L-R sequence, which created safety problems. Drivers could easily overshoot the low gear and accidentally shift the car into reverse.