Styleline Deluxe 2 Door Convertible

Chevrolet overhauled its entire lineup in 1949, moving from prewar designs to brand new cars with modern full-width bodies and pontoon fenders. The original Deluxe series ran from 1941 to 1948, after which the new body style was introduced for 1949, running through 1952. During the post-war years and continuing through the early 1950s, the Deluxe range was Chevrolet's sales leader, offering a balance of style and luxury appointments unavailable in the base Special series; and a wider range of body styles, including a convertible, Sport Coupe hardtop (starting in 1950), two- and four-door sedans and four-door station wagons. Buyers could buy a bare bones business coupe for as little as $1,300, or could pony up $2,200 for an eight-passenger station wagon. Virtually every body type and price level was offered in between. The only powertrain available was a 216-c.i. six-cylinder engine mated to a three-speed manual transmission.

In 1949, as all the Chevrolets got the first new styling after the war, the Deluxe was the brand new upper-end model for Chevrolet. The cheapest Deluxe was the Deluxe Styleline 6-passenger sedan, costing $1,492. Brakes were 11-inch drums. It had full instrumentation. The front suspension had stabilizers. New for 1950 was the debut of the Bel Air two-door hardtop, which would be a mainstay of American design for 50 years. The 1950–1952 Bel Airs remained officially under the Deluxe range before spinning off into its own model in 1953. The early Bel Airs however only shared their front sheetmetal ahead of the A-pillar with the rest of the Deluxe range. The windshield, doors, glass, and trunk were common with the Styleline convertible, but the roof, rear quarters and rear windows were unique. Another important innovation for Chevrolet in this period was the Powerglide, two-speed automatic transmission. Cars with the automatic option received the 235-c.i. truck engine with hydraulic lifters, while cars with three-speed transmissions kept the old 216-c.i. engine. In a trend that would continue through to the present day, buyers increasingly turned towards the automatic transmission — nearly 50% of cars sold were equipped with Powerglide.