A Ferrari-inspired grille
Consumer Guide calls it Ferrari-inspired; the 1956 has a more conventional full-width grille.1one source
Class of '55 · Chevrolet Bel Air · 1955 body · tri-five
1955Chevrolet Bel Air
The first Tri-Five Bel Air: an all-new body, Chevrolet's first modern V8, six body styles with the Nomad from February, and more Bel Airs built than in either of the next two years.
The year in brief
For 1955 Chevrolet replaced its old cars with a longer, lower and wider body with a wraparound windshield, and the restyled cars soon had the nickname Chevrolet's advertising gave them: «The Hot Ones». The Bel Air was the top series.146
The big news was the 265-cubic-inch Turbo-Fire V8, Chevrolet's first V8 since the short-lived Series D of 1917–18. It had 162 hp, or 180 with the Power Pack's four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts, and a 195-hp version came later in the year.12457
There were six Bel Airs: 2- and 4-door sedans, the Sport Coupe hardtop, the convertible, the Beauville four-door wagon and, from February, the Nomad. The four-door sedan sold best, with 345,372 built by Over-Drive's table.13
The options reached into luxury-car territory: air conditioning on V8 cars, power steering, brakes, windows and seat, and the Powerglide automatic or overdrive. Some called the car «Chevy's little Cadillac».145
A convertible paced the 1955 Indianapolis 500, and a gold-trimmed hardtop was the 50-millionth car built by General Motors. Consumer Guide calls the Bel Air America's most popular car of 1955.18one source
The story of the year
The new V8
Ed Cole's engineers developed the 265 in just 15 weeks, by Consumer Guide's account; Over-Drive says from drawings to production. It was a short-stroke V8 with each rocker arm on its own ball pivot instead of a shared shaft, which cut weight in the valve train and let it rev.148
The first engines had teething troubles: Wikipedia mentions cracked pistons, and there was no full-flow oil filter until 1956; a bypass filter was an option.5one source
The 265 grew into Chevrolet's small-block family, which Chevrolet still sells today as a crate engine.5one source
How to spot a 1955
What tells it apart from a 1956.
Triangular tail lamps
Tail lamps that jut out from the rear fenders. On the 1956 they sit in chrome housings, and the left one holds the fuel filler.15
A white insert in the rear molding
A chrome spear on the front fender and door, and on the rear fender a molding with a white insert, the «Bel Air» script (in gold, by Over-Drive's account; Wikipedia says the gold came later in the year) and the crest.247
No V on a V8
Unlike the 1956, a 1955 V8 has no large V-shaped emblems on hood and deck lid.9one source
Production1310
773,238 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| 4-door sedan | Bel Air | 345,372 |
| All 4-door sedans | 345,372 | |
| 2-door sedan | Bel Air | 168,313 |
| All 2-door sedans | 168,313 | |
| 2-door hardtop Sport Coupe | Bel Air | 185,562 |
| All 2-door hardtop sport coupes | 185,562 | |
| Convertible | Bel Air | 41,292 |
| All convertibles | 41,292 | |
| 4-door station wagon | Bel Air Beauville | 24,313 |
| All 4-door station wagons | 24,313 | |
| 2-door station wagon | Bel Air Nomad | 8,386 |
| All 2-door station wagons | 8,386 | |
| Total | 773,238 | |
Over-Drive's rows, except the Nomad. Its five other rows add to 764,852 (our sum), exactly Consumer Guide's Bel Air total, so Consumer Guide's total leaves the Nomad out; the Nomad row is Consumer Guide's 8,386. Over-Drive gives 6,103 Nomads, the same as its 1957 figure. The total of 773,238 is our sum. Classic Industries' rows are higher in every row and add to 800,968 (our sum). See the ruling.
Engines1245
5 engines. The serial number has no engine code beyond the V that marks a V8; the code shown is Chevrolet's regular production option (RPO) number where a source gives one.
Gross horsepower, as Chevrolet rated it. The serial number has no engine code beyond the V for a V8; the code is GM's RPO number. GM's 1955 list gives the V8 as RPO 221 with the three-speed, RPO 222 with overdrive and RPO 223 with the automatic; Over-Drive's «RPO 325» for the 162-hp engine is GM's number for generator equipment. The 180-hp package goes by three names: Power Pack (Over-Drive, Wikipedia), Plus-Power Package and Super Turbo-Fire (Consumer Guide). GM's 1955 sheet has the 123, 136, 162 and 180-hp ratings; the 195-hp engine is in Over-Drive and Wikipedia, not in GM's sheet.
Price when new131112
Base retail prices in 1955 dollars, before options.
Base factory prices from Over-Drive's table; a V8 added $99 (our arithmetic). Consumer Guide's range of $1,888 to $2,262 is the same six-cylinder prices without the Nomad, so the two are one source for prices. Consumer Guide's $2,571 Nomad is the V8 price, which it puts $265 above a V8 convertible; by Over-Drive's table the gap is $266 (our arithmetic). Wikipedia also gives $2,571 for the Nomad, without a citation.
Colors24
12 factory colors. The color names are confirmed by two sources24; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Onyx Black585
Sea-Mist Green586
Neptune Green587
Cashmere Blue683
Glacier Blue589
Shoreline Beige591
India Ivory593
Shadow Grey594
Gypsy Red596
Regal Turquoise598
Coral626
Harvest Gold630
The twelve one-color exteriors on GM's 1955 sheet (revised 10 June 1955, when the spring colors were added); the sheet does not single out the Bel Air. Codes are Over-Drive's; it lists colors GM's sheet does not have here (Skyline Blue, Copper Maroon, Autumn Bronze, Anniversary Gold). No source we have counts cars per color. On the Bel Air the rear-fender molding insert was Winter White. 9 of the 12 names also stand in Over-Drive's list with the same spelling; it writes «Seamist Green», «Indian Ivory» and «Shadow Gray», and GM's own two-tone sheet uses both «Shadow Grey» and «Shadow Gray».
Sixteen two-tone combinations on GM's sheet (our count). On the Bel Air the first color went on the roof, deck, pillars and part of the rear quarters. Wikipedia says nineteen; see the ruling.25 See the ruling.
Reading the VIN2one source
A 1955 VIN has 11 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
VC55T0010252one source · An example built from GM's code table, not a real car's number: Bel Air, V8, 1955, Tarrytown, unit 1025. GM's own example is A55T001025, a six-cylinder One-Fifty; a six-cylinder Bel Air would read C55T001025.
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| V | V8 engine. A six-cylinder car's number has no V and starts with the series letter, so it is one character shorter |
| A · B · C · D | Series: One-Fifty (with a V, all but model 1508) · Two-Ten · Bel Air · Sedan Delivery (six-cylinder only in GM's 1955 table) |
| 55 | Model year (1955) |
| T · F · S · K · O · A · N · B · L · J | Assembly plant: Tarrytown · Flint · St. Louis · Kansas City · Oakland · Atlanta · Norwood · Baltimore · Los Angeles · Janesville |
| 001001 → | Unit number, from 1,001 at each plant regardless of series |
Where to find it: Stamped on a plate attached to the left front body hinge pillar.2one source
Questions about the 1955
How many 1955 Chevrolet Bel Airs were made?
773,238 by the count we use: 345,372 4-door sedans, 168,313 2-door sedans, 185,562 2-door hardtop sport coupes, 41,292 convertibles, 24,313 4-door station wagons, 8,386 2-door station wagons. The sources disagree on the total; the ruling on this page explains which figure we show and why.1310sources disagree
How can you tell a 1955 Bel Air from a 1956?
Four signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: a Ferrari-inspired grille; triangular tail lamps; a white insert in the rear molding; no V on a V8.124579
What engines did the 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air have?
Five engines, from the 235.5 cu in Blue Flame six to the 265 cu in V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.1245
How much did a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: 2-door sedan, six $1,888; 2-door sedan, V8 $1,987; 4-door sedan, six $1,932; 4-door sedan, V8 $2,031; Sport Coupe, six $2,067; Sport Coupe, V8 $2,166; Convertible, six $2,206; Convertible, V8 $2,305; Beauville 4-door wagon, six $2,262; Beauville 4-door wagon, V8 $2,361; Nomad 2-door wagon, six $2,472; Nomad 2-door wagon, V8 $2,571.131112
What colors did the 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air come in?
General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) lists 12 factory colors.24
Where is the VIN on a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air?
Stamped on a plate attached to the left front body hinge pillar.2one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1955, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Open
1955 Bel Air production
Our ruling: Unresolved. We show Over-Drive's five non-Nomad rows and Consumer Guide's Nomad count, 773,238 in all (our sum). By our arithmetic Over-Drive's five other rows add to exactly Consumer Guide's 764,852, so Consumer Guide's Bel Air total leaves the Nomad out. Over-Drive's 6,103 Nomads is the same figure it and Consumer Guide give for 1957 and looks carried over by mistake. Classic Industries names no source and says its figures are not verified by the factory; no source explains why they are higher.
What each source says (3)
- 764,852 Bel Airs, with the 8,386 Nomads on a page of their own1one source
- 770,955, in six rows that add up, among them 6,103 Nomads3one source
- 800,968 in six rows (our sum), higher than Over-Drive's in every row; the article calls its figures estimates10one source
Open
How many Nomads were built
Our ruling: Unresolved for 1955. We show Consumer Guide's figures. Over-Drive agrees for 1956 and 1957, but its 1955 figure is the same 6,103 as its 1957 one, which looks like a copying slip. Classic Industries is higher in all three years and calls its figures estimates.
What each source says (3)
- 8,386 in 1955, 7,886 in 1956 and 6,103 in 19571one source
- 6,103 in 1955, 7,886 in 1956 and 6,103 in 195734one source
- 8,530 in 1955, 8,103 in 1956 and 6,264 in 195710one source
Settled
Was the V8 standard on the 1955 Nomad?
Our ruling: Settled: the six was available. Over-Drive's table prices a six-cylinder Nomad, and Consumer Guide lists the six among the Nomad's engines and gives its $2,571 as the V8 price. Wikipedia's statement carries no citation.
What each source says (3)
- Yes: the Nomad got the 265 V8 as standard12one source
- No: a six-cylinder Nomad is listed at $2,472 and 3,300 lb3one source
- The six is among the Nomad's 1955 engines, and $2,571 is the price «with V-8»11one source
Open
How many two-tone combinations in 1955
Our ruling: Unresolved. We show the sixteen combinations on GM's own sheet. Wikipedia's nineteen has no citation; the gap could be combinations dropped or added during the year, but no source we have says so.
What each source says (2)
- Sixteen on GM's sheet, revised 10 June 1955 (our count)2one source
- Nineteen5one source
Sources
- Chevrolet Bel Air (the 1955–57 pages) HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1955 Chevrolet – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · read 2026-10-11
- Chevrolet Full Size Vehicle Production, 1955, 1956 and 1957 (three tables) Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1955 Chevrolet Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1955 Chevrolet Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- Chevrolet Bel Air: the 1955 and 1956 paragraphs Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- Chevrolet Bel Air Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air and 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air (two profiles) HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1956 Chevrolet Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1955-57 Chevy Bel Air, 210, and 150 Production Numbers Classic Industries · read 2026-10-11
- 1955, 1956, 1957 Chevrolet Nomad HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- Chevrolet Nomad Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
Keep going
Three more years.
1956Chevrolet Bel AirThe facelift: a full-width grille, new side trim with a two-tone panel, the new Sport Sedan four-door hardtop, seven Bel Airs and up to 225 hp.669,053 built (disputed)
1957Chevrolet Bel AirThe last Tri-Five and one of the best-known Chevrolets: fins, a big bumper-grille, 14-inch wheels, the 283 V8 in six versions up to 283 hp with fuel injection, and 702,220 Bel Airs.702,220 built (disputed)See the whole tri-five.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1955–1957.