History

• The 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air designed by Harley Earl and his styling team.
  
  Founded in 1911 by Louis Chevrolet and William Durant, the GM marque thrived with its medium-sized cars offered in the middle price range. But it wasn't until the postwar era and the emergence of stylist Harley Earl that Chevrolet began to produce some beautiful and innovative cars.
  
  

Significance

• A 1968 Corvair Monza coupe.
  
  Ralph Nader's book, "Unsafe at Any Speed," which critically examined the safety of the rear-engine Chevrolet Corvair, revolutionized automobile safety, leading to the implementation of seat belts and design and engineering safety standards.
  
  

Identification

• The 1953 Corvette was a styling innovation rivaling European sports cars.
  
  Chevrolet targets America's "heartland" with a series of television commercials appealing to the consumer's patriotism.
  
  

Types

• The 1968 Camaro help spur the muscle car wars of the '60s and '70s.
  
  Among the numerous cars it has produced are the Impala, Bel Air, Corvair, Monte Carlo, Camaro, Nova, Corvette and trucks and sport utility vehicles Silverado, S-10 and Blazer.
  
  

Features

• The 1958 Impala convertible.
  
  In the 1950s, Harley Earl introduced fins, making the 1957 Bel Air an icon of 1950s pop culture.
  
  

Size

• The durable 265-cubic-inch small block V-8.
  
  From 1955 through 2002, Chevrolet produced the small block 265-cubic-inch V-8 that has become the staple of virtually every Chevy vehicle at one time or another.
  
  

Fun Fact

• The personal luxury car 1970 Monte Carlo.
  
  Founder Louis Chevrolet sold his Chevrolet stock shortly after the company's founding and never reaped financial benefits of his name that lives today.