Chevrolet Styleline Special.
Handily someone had already identified the car in this next photo as a 1950 Chevrolet, all that remained was to identify the model. The lack of stainless trim strips on the front wing, suggested a lowly-spec version of that year's range, based on the 1949 cars, narrowing the selection to either the Styleline Special, or the Fleetline Special, both of which were near the bottom of the pile when it came to equipment and trim. The Fleetline Special featured a more rakish roofline (photo of a '49 Fleetline Deluxe can be found here), unlike the conventional three-box saloon shown here, a design cue that confirmed that this is an example of the Chevrolet Styleline Special, in four-door guise, for 1950.
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Unusually, this photo was taken from a first floor window by the look of it, looking down at the snow-covered Chevrolet on a chilly winter's day. The registration plate (license tag) tells that the car was registered in Washington State at the time of this photo. Another giveaway that this is a lowly version of the 1950 Chevrolet line-up is the lack of rear wheel covers, or "fender skirts", bolt-on items that gave this design a sleeker look, but made wheelchanging that little more complicated.
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Perched above the Business Coupe, the Styleline Specials and Fleetline Specials were the most affordable Chevrolet models in 1950. The four-door Styleline Special was priced at
$1,450, as were the sister Fleetline cars. Buyers looking for a four-door car, but with a little more visual sparkle, could instead shell out $1,529 and opt for the Styleline (or Fleetline) Deluxe.
While sharing the basic silhouette of the Special, the Styleline Deluxe benefited from stainless side trims on the front wings and doors, while the stoneguards fitted to the rear wings were
chrome rather than rubber. Extra brightwork was fitted to the window surrounds, while the aforementioned rear fender skirts were also a standard fitment. Many also came with
white wall tyres.
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The 1950 cars were powered by Chevrolet's dependable ohv straight six, in either 235 or 216 cubic inch configuration. The latter came bolted to a standard three-speed automatic
gearbox. Buyers of the 235-powered Deluxe could choose the same transmission, or upgrade to the Powerglide two-speed auto for an extra $159.
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Many optional accessories were offered to buyers of the 1950 Chevrolet, judging by the snowy scene shown above, I hope the owner of this car opted for the defroster, and/or the
in-car heater. The antenna on the front wing suggests that they did, if nothing else, plump for some in-car sounds in their automobile. The two front foglamps were also extra-cost
options.
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Return to Page 16 in the gallery of classic vehicles.
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