1957 advertisement touts family friendly features of Chevy station wagon

(November 4, 2014) Although the 1957 Chevrolet was a carryover from the 1955-56 iteration, some key styling changes including a new chrome headlight enclosure, a wider grille, and a new dashboard, has made the '57 model highly collectable.

General Motors initially wanted an all-new car for 1957, but production delays necessitated postponement until the 1958 model year.

One of the brands best-selling models was the station wagon — the crossover sport utility of the age — which came in several configurations including two two-door styles — the top-of-the-line Bel Air Nomad with a sloped pillar behind the hardtop door and sliding windows at the rear seat, and the basic Handyman with an upright sedan B-pillar and C-pillar. There were two four-door trims, the Townsman 150 series and in the upscale Bel Air version, which came in both six-passenger and nine-passenger formats.

There were four standard engine options for 1957, one inline 6-cylinder and three V-8s. The six made 140 horsepower and the V-8 engines came with 162, 185 and 220 horsepower.

This advertisement using a combination of cartoons and film touts the family friendly carrying capacity of the six-passenger station wagon.