MSCC JULY 7 FIVE FOR FRIDAY FIVE COOL CHEVYS THAT ARE NOT ON THE STANDARD ISSUE CAMARO/’VETTE/TRI-FIVE LIST

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The default position for many car guys involves an undying love for ultra-popular Chevy brands that dominate the market and fulfill their ownership dreams once they purchase their famous vintage car.

 

Their entire automotive adventure is wrapped up in bowties and folklore.

 

The popular Chevy models established their foothold in the car hobby many years ago during a time frame when they were either new- or nearly new. The iconic Chevy models were built during a certain era (1955-57) or involved specific models like the Camaro or Corvette.

 

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The famous Chevy models have become legends in the hobby and subsequently overshadowed many of their factory mates along the way. However, the also-rans in the Chevy lineup have their own built-in cool factor and loyal fans.  MyStarCollectorCar has always been a fan of the lesser-known Chevy models because they have built their own unique fame in a world dominated by their more popular car brand colleagues.

 

The first car that comes to mind is the 1954 Chevy. These cars were built a year before the debut of the game-changer 1955 Chevy and represented the last of the then-modern Chevy models that shifted the  post-war style from World War Two designs (that began before the US entered that conflict and ended in 1949 with a new look Chevy).

 

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The ’54 Chevy was a smooth mixture of well-designed curves and well-positioned chrome that gave the car a classic early 1950s style that looks more like a classic Rolls Royce than a ’55 Chevy. The 1954 Chevy represents a distinctive era that is less Elvis and more Perry Como for many of its admirers.

 

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The six-cylinder engine choice in the ’54 Chevy propelled these cars down the road at a more leisurely pace compared to the brand new small block V-8 in the 1955 Chevy-but who was really in a hurry when a Rosemary Clooney song was on the tube radio in a 1954 Chevy?

 

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The second Chevy models on our MyStar list are the 1946-48 Chevy models. These cars carried the same style as the early war models for a simple reason: all automotive manufacturing plants in North America became military equipment manufacturing plants for the remainder of the war.

 

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It took time to design and manufacture a new model so Chevy built a car from a pre-war design and sold it to an army of hungry buyers in post-war North America. The lines on the 1946-48 Chevy models included protruding and rounded fenders on the front and rear of the cars.

 

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This fender design almost gave the cars a built-in picnic table for roadside food stops but it also gave these cars a very cool period look-particularly when the fenders were on a fastback model.

 

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One of the fast-rising stars on our MyStarCollectorCar list is our third choice in the less popular Chevy list: the 1959-60 Chevy models. These cars have gained plenty of traction in the market over the past few years because they represent a wild period in Chevy design.

 

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The horizontal fins on the back end of these cars are unique to the design direction taken by the Chevy engineering crew during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The fin design represented the end of an era for Chevy and were not universally embraced by potential buyers at the time.

 

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The Tri-Five Chevy models were a tough act to follow since the famous Chevy trio forged their own legacy over the years, but the 1959-60 Chevys were never given an easy route to fame and popularity.

 

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These days the 1959 and ’60 Chevys enjoy a significant place on the popularity list because they are not a common sight in 2018.

 

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The fourth Chevy on our list is the 1965 Chevy. These cars changed the style game completely and introduced potential buyers to the back half of the 1960s (in terms of design) at the Chevrolet division.

 

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The 1965 Chevys were large-and-in-charge when they debuted in GM showrooms and they delivered a completely different look to the automotive world. The 1965 Chevy lineup even reintroduced a subtle fastback model that looked fast at a standstill.

 

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However, the sheer size of the full-sized 1965 Chevy models work against them because they were pigeon-holed into a big car market while the intermediate Chevelle, compact model Nova, and Corvairs occupied the other smaller sizes at Chevy.

 

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The fifth and final addition to the MyStarCollectorCar list are the 1949-52 Chevys. The cars were Chevy’s transitional models from the aforementioned 1946-48 Chevys and represented the first new post-WW II design for the cars.

 

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These cars had a distinctive style that still included well-defined front and rear fenders- but now the fenders were more streamlined and could no longer host a potential roadside picnic.

 

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The fastback Chevy models built during this era were even offered in four-door options and retained the smooth style of the two doors in this version.

 

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There are plenty of reasons for car guys to own any one of these vintage Chevy models. The number one reason is these lesser-known Chevys are very cool in their own right.   

 

BY: Jim Sutherland

 

Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section. 

 

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