A full-width grille
A grille across the whole front, with large rectangular parking lamps. The 1955 has the Ferrari-inspired grille.24
Class of '56 · Chevrolet Bel Air · 1956 body · tri-five
1956Chevrolet Bel Air
The 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.
The year in brief
The 1956 was a facelift: a more conventional full-width grille for buyers who had not liked the 1955's Ferrari-like front, reshaped wheel openings, and on the Bel Air a two-tone panel along the side: the «Speedline» restyling, as it was called.24
New was the Sport Sedan, a four-door hardtop without a center pillar. 103,602 were built as Bel Airs, against 128,382 Sport Coupes, by Over-Drive's table; Consumer Guide says more than 103,000, against 128,000.12
The Nomad lost much of its own trim and now had the Bel Air's interior and rear wheel openings. At $2,608 it topped the price list; the cheapest Bel Air was the 2-door sedan at $2,025.12
The six went up to 140 hp. The base V8 had 162 hp with the manual gearbox and 170 with Powerglide, the four-barrel 205, and the Corvette's engine with two four-barrels 225.234
Seat belts, shoulder harnesses and a padded dashboard were on the options list. Properly equipped, a 1956 Chevrolet could reach 60 mph in under 10 seconds, and Chevrolet again outsold Ford, though not by much, by Consumer Guide's account.2one source
The story of the year
Pikes Peak
In September 1955 Zora Arkus-Duntov drove a disguised 1956 Bel Air up Pikes Peak and set a record for stock sedans on the 12.5-mile climb, by Consumer Guide's account.2one source
Which car it was is disputed: Consumer Guide says a four-door sedan, Wikipedia a four-door hardtop prepared by Arkus-Duntov. Over-Drive repeats Wikipedia's sentence.25
How to spot a 1956
What tells it apart from a 1955.
Tail lamps in chrome housings
Tail, stop and backup lamps share one chrome housing on each side, and the left one holds the fuel filler. The 1955's tail lamps jut out from the fenders.24
A two-tone side panel
The Bel Air's side molding runs forward to the headlamp, doubles back and sweeps down to the rear bumper; on two-tone cars the panel between the moldings takes the first color.34
A V for the V8
A V8 car carries a large V below the crest on the hood and deck lid (the Nomad: a small chrome V below each tail lamp).246
Production12347
669,053 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| 4-door sedan | Bel Air | 269,798 |
| All 4-door sedans | 269,798 | |
| 4-door hardtop Sport Sedan | Bel Air | 103,602 |
| All 4-door hardtop sport sedans | 103,602 | |
| 2-door sedan | Bel Air | 104,849 |
| All 2-door sedans | 104,849 | |
| 2-door hardtop Sport Coupe | Bel Air | 128,382 |
| All 2-door hardtop sport coupes | 128,382 | |
| Convertible | Bel Air | 41,268 |
| All convertibles | 41,268 | |
| 4-door station wagon | Bel Air Beauville | 13,268 |
| All 4-door station wagons | 13,268 | |
| 2-door station wagon | Bel Air Nomad | 7,886 |
| All 2-door station wagons | 7,886 | |
| Total | 669,053 | |
Over-Drive's rows, which add to its own total. Consumer Guide's total is 669,064, eleven more, and none of the figures it names (103,000 Sport Sedans, 128,000 hardtops, 7,886 Nomads) says where the difference lies. Over-Drive's table calls the wagon a six-passenger 4-door wagon and its photo caption a Beauville; Classic Industries calls it a Townsman. GM's model is 2419, a 4-door station wagon. Classic Industries' rows add to 692,530 (our sum). See the ruling.
Engines234
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. The codes are from GM's 1956 engine-code list: the V8 is RPO 221 (with Powerglide, RPO 313 as well), with RPO 410 for the four-barrel and RPO 411 for the two four-barrels; the six has no RPO number.
Price when new12
Base retail prices in 1956 dollars, before options.
Base factory prices from Over-Drive's table; a V8 added $99 (our arithmetic). Consumer Guide gives the same $2,025 for the cheapest Bel Air and $2,608 for the Nomad, both six-cylinder prices.
Colors34
11 factory colors. 10 of the 11 color names are confirmed by a second source34; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Onyx Black687
Pinecrest Green688
Sherwood Green690
Nassau Blue691
Matador Red697
Tropical Turquoise—
India Ivory694
Crocus Yellow695
Harbor Blue—
Dusk Plum693
Inca Silver—
Eleven of the twelve one-color exteriors on GM's 1956 sheet were offered on Bel Airs (our reading of its model chart); the twelfth, Calypso Cream, was for the One-Fifty only, and not every color was offered on every Bel Air model. Codes are Over-Drive's, which has none for Tropical Turquoise, Harbor Blue or Inca Silver, and lists a 698 Twilight Turquoise that is not on GM's sheet. No source we have counts cars per color. 10 of the 11 names also stand in Over-Drive's list with the same spelling; not there: Harbor Blue.
Fifteen of the sixteen combinations on GM's sheet were offered on Bel Airs (our reading of its model chart); Onyx Black over Calypso Cream was for the One-Fifty only. Several of the fifteen were limited to certain Bel Air models: Adobe Beige over Matador Red, for one, only to the Sport Sedan, Sport Coupe and the two wagons. On the Bel Air the first color filled the roof, pillars, rear deck and the panel between the two side moldings.3one source
Reading the VIN3one source
A 1956 VIN has 11 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
VC56T0010253one source · An example built from GM's code table, not a real car's number: Bel Air, V8, 1956, Tarrytown, unit 1025. GM's own example is A56T001025, a six-cylinder One-Fifty; a six-cylinder Bel Air would read C56T001025.
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 (not model 1508) · Two-Ten · Bel Air · Sedan Delivery |
| 56 | Model year (1956) |
| 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.3one source
Questions about the 1956
How many 1956 Chevrolet Bel Airs were made?
669,053 by the count we use: 269,798 4-door sedans, 103,602 4-door hardtop sport sedans, 104,849 2-door sedans, 128,382 2-door hardtop sport coupes, 41,268 convertibles, 13,268 4-door station wagons, 7,886 2-door station wagons. The sources disagree on the total; the ruling on this page explains which figure we show and why.12347sources disagree
How can you tell a 1956 Bel Air from a 1955?
Four signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: a full-width grille; tail lamps in chrome housings; a two-tone side panel; a V for the V8.2346
What engines did the 1956 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.234
How much did a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: 2-door sedan, six $2,025; 2-door sedan, V8 $2,124; 4-door sedan, six $2,068; 4-door sedan, V8 $2,167; Sport Coupe, six $2,176; Sport Coupe, V8 $2,275; Sport Sedan, six $2,230; Sport Sedan, V8 $2,329; Convertible, six $2,344; Convertible, V8 $2,443; Beauville 4-door wagon, six $2,482; Beauville 4-door wagon, V8 $2,581; Nomad 2-door wagon, six $2,608; Nomad 2-door wagon, V8 $2,707.12
What colors did the 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air come in?
General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) lists 11 factory colors.34
Where is the VIN on a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air?
Stamped on a plate attached to the left front body hinge pillar.3one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1956, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Open
1956 Bel Air production
Our ruling: Unresolved. We show Over-Drive's rows, the only set that adds up to its own total. Consumer Guide's total is eleven higher, and every figure it names agrees with Over-Drive's rows, so the eleven cannot be placed. Wikipedia's 1956 figures are Consumer Guide's, word for word. Classic Industries names no source.
What each source says (3)
- 669,064, naming 103,000 Sport Sedans, 128,000 Sport Coupes and 7,886 Nomads28one source
- 669,053, in seven rows that add up1one source
- 692,530 in seven rows (our sum), higher than Over-Drive's in every row7one 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 19572one source
- 6,103 in 1955, 7,886 in 1956 and 6,103 in 195719one source
- 8,530 in 1955, 8,103 in 1956 and 6,264 in 19577one source
Open
The 1956 Pikes Peak car
Our ruling: Unresolved. Over-Drive's sentence is Wikipedia's, so it does not count as a third source.
What each source says (2)
- A disguised four-door sedan, driven by Zora Arkus-Duntov in September 19552one source
- A four-door hardtop, prepared by Arkus-Duntov5one source
Sources
- Chevrolet Full Size Vehicle Production, 1955, 1956 and 1957 (three tables) Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- Chevrolet Bel Air (the 1955–57 pages) HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1956 Chevrolet – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1956 Chevrolet Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- Chevrolet Bel Air Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1955, 1956, 1957 Chevrolet Nomad HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1955-57 Chevy Bel Air, 210, and 150 Production Numbers Classic Industries · read 2026-10-11
- Chevrolet Bel Air: the 1955 and 1956 paragraphs Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1955 Chevrolet Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
Keep going
Three more years.
1955Chevrolet Bel AirThe 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.773,238 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.