Post War Chevys Made It To the Pumpkin Run

Following the end of World War II all of the automobile manufacturers in America scrambled to switch from military to consumer items. It took a few years for the auto makers to come up with new designs so those late 1940s cars were generally rebadged or slightly revamped versions of the pre-war vehicles. At Chevrolet, it took until 1950 to come up with a new design. Enter the Bel Air, a full sized car that fit the needs of the returning service men and women. The first generation ran through the 1954 model year but in 1953 Chevy came out with a lower cost version called the 210 and one designed mainly for fleet use called the 150. It was the second generation Bel Air that most people are familiar with. Dubbed the Tri-Five models for the 1955-57 model years. these are the most seen and recognizable at old car events. Though the Bel Air would go through eight generations until 1981, it is the 1950s and some 1960s models that were most prevalent at the Pumpkin Run Nationals. Here are just some of those post war Bel Airs and 210s that were on hand, starting with the 1956 210 seen above.