The Fleet Fleetline

World War II did a lot to hinder the development of the auto industry in the USA. But at the same time, it did a lot to help it as well. Yes, a number of great automakers could never make it through the combination of the Great Depression and the war, but those who did, especially the Big Three from Detroit, managed to thrive.

Part of the reason for the success of the Big Three was that they each managed to ramp up production and start turning out not only cars, but cars people could afford and wanted to drive. For Chevrolet, that car was the Fleetline.

Introduced late in 1941as a four door sedan sporting the "Blue Flame" 216 cubic inch inline six cylinder engine pushing 90 horse power, the Fleetline saw production suspended in 1942 along with most of the rest of the industry so that plants could be used for the war effort.

After the war the Fleetline made an almost immediate return in 1946 but rather than being its own marque, it was a trim for the Fleetmaster series. That lasted through the 1949 model year. Over 65,000 Fleetlines were sold in 1946. That number jumped to over 159,000 for the following year and over 275,000 in 1948. With close to 400,000 sold in 1949, Chevrolet made the decision to upgrade the Fleetline and make it a line of its own.

1950 saw higher compression available on the Blue Flame engine. It also saw the option of a 235.5 cubic inch one barrel carburetor six cylinder engine that generated 105 horse power. There was also the option of an automatic transmission. Two door and four door sedans were available in both Deluxe and Special trims.

Though sales continued to be robust, they were also starting to sag. Chevrolet and the rest of the automotive world realized that the looks of these post war cars were out of touch with what the buying public was looking for. Imagine the leap in styling from these cars to the crisper, more modern looking Bel Airs of the mid 1950s and it's easy to see why the company decided to phase out the Fleetline following the 1952 model year.

Still, it was cars like the 1947 model shown here that helped ensure that Chevrolet would remain a major player in the automotive industry following World War II.