The heater and ventilation controls were replaced by levers and placed in a plane perpendicular to the board behind the steering wheel, inspired by the flight controls on large aircraft. A truck tilted towards 1953, the same year that a Siren Red Monterey Convertible became Ford's No. 40 manufactured car.

In the middle of the 1949 model year, the Specials received a completely new body, the first complete post-war design of the series. New era also the 40D series, a better equipped version called Special DeLuxe.

Bel Airs 1955 came with features found on cars in the lower models ranges plus interior carpet, chrome headliner bands on hardtops, chrome spears on front fenders, stainless steel window moldings, and full wheel covers. Models were further distinguished by the Bel Air name script in gold lettering later in the year.

For 1955 Chevrolets gained a V8 engine option and the option of the 2 speed Powerglide automatic, or a standard three speed Synchro-Mesh manual transmission with optional overdrive. The new 265 cu in (4,340 cc) V8 featured a modern, overhead valve high compression, short stroke design that was so good that it remained in production in various displacements for many decades.

The 1956 Bel Air received a operate with a a lot of standard full-width grille, pleasing those customers UN agency did not favor the Ferrari-inspired '55 forepart. Distinctive two-tone bodyside treatments and swish front and rear wheel openings completed the "speedline" restyling. Single housings incorporated the rear lamp, stoplight, and backup lightweight, and therefore the left one command the gas filler - a plan popularized on Cadillacs.