1954 Chevrolet Bel Air Townsman

“No doubt about it, the Townsman is designed to add more pleasure, more comfort and more convenience to every mile you drive.”

Even the most utilitarian version of Chevrolet’s 1953-1954 styling looks cool and surprisingly elegant, despite the bulbous cabin. The fancy Bel Air two-tone brightwork helps by visually stretching the proportions a little. 

The “all-new” design was essentially a big facelift of the previous generation — all body panels were new, while the underpinnings remained — but provided even more cargo space and headroom, which the rear passengers of our pictured car certainly appreciate. 

Chevrolet’s copywriters summed it up accordingly:

“Going places is more fun than ever — when you go in Chevrolet’s new Bel Air Townsman. This roomy 4-door carries 8 passengers comfortably. Or minus the easily removed rear seats, it hauls up to half a ton of cargo. The Townsman is rugged and husky, packed with Chevrolet’s high-compression power — the highest compression power in any leading low-priced car. As you know, higher compression means more power and more miles out of every gallon of gas. Performance is finer, economy is greater! 

And it’s every inch a Chevrolet Bel Air with its distinctive styling and its handsome, color-matched interiors of long-wearing vinyl.”