2002 Chevrolet Bel Air Concept

When is a Bel Air not a Bel Air? When it’s a 2002 concept that looksmore like a Ford Thunderbird crossed with an SSR, that’s when!

From here to obscurity — Richard Heseltine’s weird and wonderful American cars from the past.

To paraphrase the tagline from the film American Graffiti: “Where were you in 2002?” The Chevrolet Bel Air concept car unveiled at that year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit was created at the height of the retro design fad; the one that was embraced wholeheartedly by The Big Three. Seemingly every mainstream brand set about cannibalising its back catalogue, borrowing styling cues from cars that had entered into legend way back in the hope of creating something equally illustrious. The convertible pictured here, however, didn’t make the leap from concept car to production model.

Chevrolet’s designers were given the toughest of briefs, too. In the same way that the contemporary ‘retro’ Ford Thunderbird aimed to evoke its 1955-1957 namesake, this design study was meant to call to mind the legendary ‘Tri-Chevys’ of the same period. No pressure then. Whether they succeeded depends on your aesthetic sensibilities, but it’s fair to say that the exterior owed more to the 1955 Chevy rather than those that followed in its wake. The outline also owed some of its cues to Sixties models including variations of Chevelle and even Camaro, in particular in rear three-quarter view. The use of Redwall tyres that embraced the custom-made 18in wheels was another Sixties-style touch.

And you had to hand it to the designers for distilling the essence of the past when it came to the detailing. There were some neat touches, not least the twin-element instrument panel, and the filler cap concealed behind one of the tilt-down rear light clusters. The old-timey approach didn’t end with the car’s styling, either. Mechanically, it was decidedly old-school in part, but of its time modern in others. For starters, it borrowed the TrailBlazer/Envoy/Bravada ‘GMT 360’ platform making for what General Motors’ press bods labelled: ‘…a 21st century interpretation of body-on-frame construction.’

Not only that, it also had a leaf-sprung Hotchkiss live rear axle. Longitudinally mounted springs connected the chassis at either end. Then there was the column-mounted gear lever for the 4L60-E Hydra-Matic fourspeed auto ’box. However, it wasn’t attached to a small-block V8, which would have been the obvious choice; one that would be fully in keeping with the retro vibe. Instead, the Bel Air was packing an inline five-cylinder unit with a Vortex 3500 turbocharger. It marked the debut for the unit that would soon power the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC sibling.

In this form, it purportedly produced 315bhp and 315ft-lb of torque.

Wayne Cherry, GM’s vice-president of design, claimed: “This new engine is just as significant as that V8 was in the ’55.” That was a bit of a leap, but it also featured a virtual ‘turbo boost’ button on the steering wheel that was pure 2002. It activated the ‘…powertrain control module to trigger a more aggressive spark and fuelling calibration for maximum horsepower.’ No performance figures were released, though. But then this was clearly meant to be a cruiser; something that evoked drive-in theatres, rock ’n’ roll and America’s pre-Vietnam War optimism. There was no talk of a production run, mind. As for the prototype, internet gossip suggests that it was broken up in 2006.

Dash nods to ’57. Oh dear, what did the Bel Air ever do to deserve this?! … and those wheels! Seriously?

TECHNICAL DATA2002 Chevrolet Bel Air Concept

• Engine Vortec Inline-5
• Engine position Front Engine
• Displacement 3500 cc / 213.6 in³
• Max Power 234.9 kw / 315.0 bhp
• Specific output 90.0 bhp per litre bhp/weight bhp per tonne
• Max Torque 427.08 nm / 315.0 ft lbs
• Body / frame Sheet Metal over Hydroformed Steel Frame
• Driven wheels RWD
• Front tires 235/50VR18
• Rear tires 235/50VR18
• Front brakes Discs
• Front brake size x 280 mm / x 11.0 in
• Rear brakes Discs
• Rear brake size x 298 mm / x 11.7 in
• Front wheels F 45.7 x 20.3 cm / 18.0 x 8.0 in
• Rear wheels R 45.7 x 20.3 cm / 18.0 x 8.0 in
• Front suspension Short & Long Arms
• Rear suspension Hotchkiss Drive
• Wheelbase 2820 mm / 111.0 in
• Front track 1536 mm / 60.5 in
• Rear track 1536 mm / 60.5 in
• Length 4852 mm / 191.0 in
• Width 1819 mm / 71.6 in
• Height 1392 mm / 54.8 in
• Transmission Hydra-Matic 4L60-E 4-Speed Auto
• Gear ratios 3.65:1