‘54 Chevrolet Bel Air

David Knight · 2023-11-26T14:54:28Z

When I was 9 years old I started visiting car dealerships to see the cars on the showroom floor. In those days, nobody worried about the safety of a 9 year old on his own walking the streets of our nearby city of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. In early December of 1954 I made my way to what was then South Street Chevrolet to see the new ‘55’s. But what caught my eye was a display of scale model ‘54 chevrolets. A nice gentleman approached me and asked, “Sonny, can I help you?” “Yes sir, are those model cars for sale?” “No, son, we give those to people when they buy a new car from us.” He must have seen the look on my face. “But would like one?” “Oh yes sir.” He disappeared and brought me a ‘54 Two-ten 2 door sedan in Bermuda Green. He handed me the model and told me it was left over from last year’s ‘54 models. I still remember the excitement of that moment. On the bottom was a plate that was removable with a little key. On the plate was printed, “To help you save for a rainy day, or help you buy your new Chevrolet.” Treasured that car and only wish it had survived my older teen years. It did, however, served to make the ‘54 Chevrolets a favorite. Much to my delight Brooklin introduced first a ‘54 Bel Air 2 door hard top, then a Two-ten Handyman wagon. Here is my Pueblo Tan Bel Air, a Christmas present some years ago. Love those ‘54’s!