During this era, one would choose between the three types of engines depending on the transmission you required. The two 235 cubic inch engines came as the ‘Blue Flame’ inline six-cylinder OHV engines. They had hydraulic valve lifters with automatic transmission and pistons made of aluminum. The 235 cubic inch displacement engine produced 1o6 horsepower and was made standard on stickshift models, and solid lifters with splash pressure lubrication and bearings. The Powerglide cars received a 115 horsepower engine type with hydraulic lifters and full pressure lubrication. Bel Airs were offered as a convertible, two-and four-door sedans, and the hard coupe. For 1954, the Beauville station wagon was introduced and characterized wood grain trim along with the side windows. There were many options especially offered mainly to the expensive luxury cars like the power steering and the headlight dimmer for 1953, and in 1954 power brakes, 2-way power front seat and power front windows.
The 1954 models with standard transmission used the Powerglide engine made in 1953. For 1955, the Bel Air was restyled with a weight of 1,568kg and 15 ft long. It was advertised as the ‘Hot One’ in GM’s campaigns. Features of the Bel Air were interior carpet, complete wheel covers, window moldings made of stainless steel, chrome spears on front fenders, and a Ferrari-like front grille. The Bel Air models would further be distinguished with the Bel Air name script being golden. The other Chevrolets had a V-8 engine option and an option of two-speed Powerglide automatic, and a standard three-speed Synchro-Mesh manual transmission with optional overdrive. The newly introduced 235 cubic inches V8 engine had a new overhead valve high compression ratio, and a short-stroke design making it good and would last in production for many decades. The base V8 comprised of a two-barrel carburetor and a horsepower of 162.