Since we’re on the subjects of Chevy fastbacks; yes, post a photo of a Chevy Fleetline (1949-1952) at the Cohort, and I guarantee you it will end up on the front page at CC, like this one caught in a driveway by J. Solberg. And I love it in yellow, although I generally imaging having one a more drab color.
I’ve paid my in-depth respect to the Fleetline here, and probably elsewhere, but suffice it to say that I am a fan.
Here’s the same link:
Cohort Classic: 1949 Chevrolet Fleetline Special Two Door Sedan – Your Choice Of Fastback or Notchback
I know where one of these lives, but have not been able to get a picture of it. It is a green one that I have seen in a garage, and one time by itself along the side of the road (the other direction on a busy highway) when I had to be somewhere. I am much more discriminating these days on what I will make the effort to stop and take pictures of, but that car is on the list.
It has only been in recent years that I have appreciated how graceful the 49-52 Chevrolet was in comparison to the blocky 53-54. And these Fleetlines were the most graceful of that graceful generation.
I have a soft spot for all the GM fastbacks. Especially the Caddy.
As a teen in the early 70’s, I was fascinated by the Fleetline shape.
I grew up (somehow) and tastes did too, and hold hope for a ’41 Series 61.
I’ll be a contrarian and say that I prefer the notchback shape of the Styleline. Partly this may be nostalgia, as I fondly remember Dad’s 1950 Styleline Special 2-door when I was a small kid.
It looks to me that the Styleline would afford better rear visibility and better rear headroom.
Were there any practical advantages to the Fleetline, or is the preference for it purely based on the appearance?
Thanks for posting this photo! I have seen this car regularly driven around, but I caught it resting at home finally. Interesting how the aerodynamic fastback style was handled pretty well by Harley Earl and Gm, but not so well by Nash and Packard, who both took it at little too far.
This is the first car of my parents that I remember, but it was in a drab gray. I don’t remember riding in it, but I remember the distinctive shape sitting in the driveway.
The summer after I turned six, in 1963, my Dad had a summer teaching assignment in Seattle. A very memorable experience, much of it automobile related. Among other things, it was my longest road trip (four of us and a big dog in the family Volvo 544), it was when I finally learned to ride a bike (slow learner) and it was the year I started building lots of 1/25 scale plastic models. These included a ‘32 Ford, a ‘49 Mercury, and a Chevy II wagon. But this post reminds me of another memory. The folks across the street from our rented house had a green Fleetline. A darker shade of green and far sleeker than our “hunchback” 544. It stayed light much later in Seattle summer evenings than at home 900 miles to the south, and I remember watching the neighbors, the entire family including kids, washing the Chevy regularly, in the driveway. I don’t recall our car getting washed often, and it certainly wasn’t an evening pastime with the whole family in the often chilly Bay Area. These cars were still very common then, but already looked old compared to post-1961 Chevies, and I don’t recall any attraction to them before that summer. But
that green Seattle Fleetline made an impression that’s stuck with me for almost sixty years.
To my eyes: From some camera angles the 4 door Chevy fastback of this era had strong resemblances to the same generation Rolls-Royce,
I have always wanted one of these Chevies with a #SBC V8 engine and 3 speed Turbohydramatic automatic transmission transplant.
I love the styling on these. The yellow on it looks great which is not always easy with yellow being so associated with taxis.
Never really took a liking to these.
Most often they seemed to be sitting in someone’s yard stripped of parts. Always painted a drab colour not unlike a lot of cars or trucks from the early to mid-fifties.