1956 Chevrolet Two-Ten 4-door Sedan

“Nothing without wings climbs like a ‘56 Chevrolet!” 

It was a feast for eyes and ears when this Chevy pulled up at the “Servicentro 5a y 112” in Havana’s rather posh Miramar district. The striking combo of Nassau Blue and India Ivory paint, and the deep exhaust note made it stand out from the ordinary mix of cars that refill here. 

Cuban motorists love and cherish their Chevrolets, but rarely have we seen one in better shape than this 1956 Two-Ten. Little details like the special number plate sequence tell that the owner must be resourceful or well connected within Cuba’s upper crust. Keeping a car in such a good condition requires proper funds, and probably support from relatives in Florida, too. 

Presented with much fanfare for 1955, the striking design of the all-new generation looked unlike any Chevrolet seen before. Surprisingly, initial dealer response and sales numbers didn’t match the high expectations of Chevrolet’s brass. The managers attributed this to Harley Earl’s late call for a Ferrari-inspired egg-crate grille. In fact, photos of earlier design models show a full-width front grille that rather looked like an evolution of the 1954 Chevy. Apparently, Harley Earl got inspired when touring Europe in the fall of 1953, and was adamant to apply the atypical rectangular grille design very late in the development process. 

Startled by the slow initial sales of the 1955 lineup, Chevrolet general manager Thomas H. Keating insisted on a crash course for a new full-width front grille, to be applied as an exceptional mid-year replacement. But the public pretty soon embraced the new Chevrolets, and the sales numbers soared. Consequently, the mid-year update was dropped and the revised grille design waited for the 1956 models.