1948 Chevrolet Fleetline

Like many other marques for 1948, Chevrolet continued to offer carried-over pre-war styling from 1942 for one last time. Some manufacturers - mostly the independents including Hudson, Packard, Nash, and Studebaker - beat the 'Big Three' to offering all-new models for 1948. Chrysler, Ford, and GM would have their turn in 1949.

The Fleetline rested on a 116-inch wheelbase and for 1948, was given a new grille. The Aerosedan was Chevrolet's most popular model with 211,861 sales - far exceeding Chevrolet's other body styles. The base price before options was $1,434. The Aerosedan was an attractive design that gave the impression of movement, even when the car was at a standstill. The rear seat offered adequate headroom and there were opening rear quarter windows despite the fastback roofline.

The Fleetline consisted of the Aero Sedan and the Sport Master Sedan. A total of 83,760 examples of the Sport Master Sedan were built and had a base price of $1,492.

Neither Chevrolet nor Fisher Body offered a 'woodie', however, there are rumors that one was designed to compete with the Ford Sportsman. Reputedly, 'Country Club' wood panels were produced by Engineered Enterprises of Detroit and applied to the metal body of the Aerosedan. Unlike Ford and Chrysler, the wood was only applied to the sides and not to the vehicle's rear. The ash and mahogany applique was made exclusively for the Aerosedan. It remains unclear if this was available from Chevrolet dealers or bought from an outside accessory firm.

Powering the Fleetline was a 216.5 cubic-inch six-cylinder overhead-valve engine offering 90 horsepower. They had a three-speed manual transmission, a 4.11:1 rear axle ratio, and 16-inch tires.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2019