This is an installment in a series of posts looking back on show cars that we feel deserved a little more attention than they got. If you have a suggestion for a Forgotten Concept topic, please shoot us a line or leave a comment below.
Chevrolet Bel Air Concept
First Seen
2002 Detroit Auto Show
Description
Small, sporty, body-on-frame convertible
Designer
Sales Pitch
“This isn’t just a car. It’s a time-traveling icon reborn for the 21st century.”
Details
First seen at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show, the Chevrolet Bel Air Concept paid design homage to the brand’s popular cars of the Fifties, specifically the 1955-1957 models, often referred to as the “Tri-Five.”
Exterior Design
The Bel Air Concept featured a thick chrome windshield frame, round headlights, a bold-but-simple grille, and hints of tailfins. The concept was red with red-line tires on 18-inch alloy wheels.
Interior Design
The cabin featured red fabric bench seats, a steering-column-mounted shifter for the automatic transmission, and a twin-element dashboard more-or-less true to that found in Tri-Five cars.
Powertrain
Not true to the original cars was the Bel Air’s drivetrain. The concept was motivated by a turbocharged 3.5-liter “Atlas” 5-cylinder engine rated at 315 horsepower and 315 pound-feet of torque. A variation of this engine was then found under the hood of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Colorado. The Atlas engine was mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission.
Dimensions
- Length: 191 inches
- Wheelbase 111 inches
General Motors developed the Bel Air Concept—at least in part–in response to Ford’s callback Thunderbird convertible—then on sale. Though generally well received, the Bel Air never saw production.
CG Says:
This author would have loved to see some evolution of the Bel Air Concept come to market. Instead, Chevy brought us the compellingly odd SSR hardtop-convertible pickup truck. Though the latter was interesting, it wasn’t a marketplace success, and today shows up most during rain-free weekends in the Midwest.
There seems to be no consumer interest in convertibles anymore, though affordability may be playing a role in the ragtop’s demise. Many open-air-car shoppers purchased their convertibles as third cars, driven only on nice days. However, with the prices of new vehicles cresting the $50,000 mark, a third vehicle is a luxury many households can no longer manage.
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Chevrolet Bel Air Pictures
(Click below for enlarged images)
