This image comes from a circa 1952 Chevrolet magazine ad. The model shown here is a Styleline De Luxe two-door coupe, one of 11 models in the 1952 lineup. This car is dressed out in Emerald Green, one of 14 colors available for 1952 Chevrolets. Photo provided by Bruce Kunz
It was a fairly normal weekday afternoon as I was driving through Collinsville, Illinois, recently, when all of a sudden my OCR (Old Car Radar) kicked in and went wild! I looked over to my left, and going the opposite direction, I saw an early ‘50s Chevrolet two-door sedan looking rightly proud! Unfortunately, I was in no position to grab a quick pic, nor was I able to turn around and pursue the Chevy.
Chevrolet’s, like many American car makers post-war offerings, were simply warmed over designs taken from the pre-war models with no significant changes in mechanicals or styling. Such was the case for the 1946-1948 Chevrolets. However, totally fresh and re-designed models arrived for the 1949 model year, featuring integrated front fenders and lower styling lines for fenders, roofs and hoods. The public took to the fresh, new styling and sales for the year were up 43 percent over 1948 totals, once again placing Chevrolet in first place among U.S. auto makers.
FIN MAN FACTOID: For model year 1952, Chevrolet’s total sales were 827,317. For the same period, Ford and Plymouth had total sales of 671,725 and 368,000, respectively. The three-year Korean War (June 25, 1950 – July 27, 1953) was in great part responsible for the downturn in sales and also for the scarcity of whitewall tires due to the military’s need for rubber.
The new look continued through 1952 with only minor changes. If I had to guess, I’d say the Chevy I saw on the road in Collinsville that day was a 1952 model, and a Styleline Special or Styleline DeLuxe two-door sedan, but in the brief few seconds I had to see it, I couldn’t say for sure.
One thing that wasn’t changed for the new models was the venerable 216 cubic-inch, 92 horsepower Chevy ‘Stove Bolt six’ engine which had proven itself as a reliable, long-lived engine with a proven track record for dependability.
The inline six came in two iterations... the standard having 216.5 cubic-inch displacement and producing 92 horsepower, and the Powerglide Six at 235.5 cubic-inches, produced 105 horsepower running hydraulic valve lifters for quieter operation.
The selection of optional accessories included many items we have taken for granted as standard equipment for decades... things like a clock; windshield washers; outside rear-view mirrors; back up lights, etc.
What you won’t find on the list are things most of us think of as standard equipment today, such as automatic transmissions, power steering and disk brakes, not to mention a host of safety, performance and appearance features. Yes, these were the years of ‘basic transportation’ – three full-sized Chevrolet cars, that was it. How could anyone ever have conceived of the exciting cars that were to come along wearing the Chevrolet bow-tie in future years – Corvettes; Corvairs; Chevelles; Novas; Camaros... and the list continues to grow!
The Chevy two-door sedan (post) I saw that day in Collinsville, was dressed in what Chevrolet marketing mavens called, “spring green.” However, it would more accurately be described as “pea soup green.” I spotted the driver for a split second, by herself in the car... appearing to be a middle-aged woman, and for a moment, I thought I was back in the ‘50s and had just spotted June Cleaver on her way home from a grocery trip! I couldn’t see her from the neck down in the tall, fifty-two Chevy, but I just know she was wearing a flowery and colorful dirndl. (Don’t feel bad, I had to look it up myself!)
If anyone from the Collinsville, Illinois area is reading this story, and you know who owns the early fifties Chevy I have described, please have them contact me at the_fin_man@msn.com so that I can follow up with more details.
More photos
This photo from the 1952 sales brochure shows all of the models offered for the year. Photo provided by Bruce Kunz
If you're under thirty (maybe 40?), I bet you haven't heard of this accessory before. It is a traffic light viewer. Back in 'the day', many intersections had a single stop light fixture hung from wires in the center of the intersection. These were very difficult to see, so some bright person came up with this idea to view the light. I think the same person also built a better mouse trap! Photo provided by Bruce Kunz
Here's all the technical stuff if you care to read about it. Photo provided by Bruce Kunz
The color palette for 1952 Chevrolets. Photo provided by Bruce Kunz
The new Bel Air brought a feel of open-air motoring but with the protection of a steel roof. Air conditioning wasn't on the accessories list yet, so rolling down all the windows was a way to feel the freedom of the road... especially on the way to grandma's house for Thanksgiving dinner! Photo provided by Bruce Kunz
Imagine that. The only form of entertainment for the road was an AM radio! Photo provided by Bruce Kunz
This content was produced by Brand Ave. Studios. The news and editorial departments of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch had no role in its creation or display. For more information about Brand Ave. Studios, contact tgriffin@brandavestudios.com.
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November 28, 2020 at 04:00AM
https://www.stltoday.com/brandavestudios/1952-chevrolet-was-that-june-cleaver-behind-the-wheel/article_897b9e3a-30cd-11eb-8f3c-d724686d6cf3.html
1952 Chevrolet... was that June Cleaver behind the wheel? - STLtoday.com
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