Here’s an up-close look at the 1953 Chevrolet in a nicely done factory dealer film.
We understand why they don’t make ’em like this anymore, but we wish the automakers still produced straightforward, informative product introductions like this one. There are those of us who still like to see a detailed walk-though of the relevant features, and to get a good peek at the internal hardware, too. When Jam Handy put together this 11-minute dealer film for the 1953 Chevrolets, it’s like they were making it just for us.
The sheet metal was all new, but mechanically the ’53 was essentially a continuation of the redesigned Chevrolet platform introduced in 1949, with a classic ladder-frame chassis and 115-inch wheelbase. The trusty 235 cubic-inch stovebolt six was given a healthy bump in compression ratio to 7.5:1 for the Powerglide models, boosting the output to 115 hp. In those days, Chevy gave the automatics a little more power to make up for power loss, as the stick-shift version with 7.1:1 compression was rated at 108 hp.
The film makes note of a significant improvement in the Powerglide for ’53: an automated 1-2 upshift was added, instead of relying solely on the torque converter for acceleration. (See our Powerglide history here.) Power steering was now available as well. With more than 1.3 million vehicles delivered that year, Chevrolet continued to lead the sales charts, offering a solid, well-regarded automobile, if not a terribly exciting one. The excitement would come in 1955. Anyway, here’s a good look at the ’53 Chevrolet.
11 minutes of meaningless nonsensical “double-speak” propaganda. Car salesmen crack me up! It never changes. LOL!
I enjoy this stuff, what can I say. There’s a lot more substance than today.
You’re right, it is worse today. At least back then they did talk about mechanical stuff, even if they exaggerated and embellished it. “7:1 High Compression Engine!” ” The rear axle is perfectly calibrated to give the maximum power and the maximum efficiency”. Today they would just have us believe it’s all magic or voodoo. I can’t remember the last time i saw any car advertising that showed the hood open. (Not that you’d see anything except a big plastic cover anyway).
Yes – I enjoy it, too.
Despite the all the brand names they came up with for different vehicles systems, the overall impression I get is one of an honest, well-made car. I quite like the names they gave to the car’s features – it’s a compliment to the customer that they bothered and the marketing people needed something to work with, I guess.
I wonder what would happen if you wrote to Chevrolet these days and asked them about their engineering. Some German manufacturers will send quite dense information packs to you, if you ask for them.
We had a nice ’53 2-door back around the mid 1980’s. It had the 235 with Powerglide and factory power steering. Was a great car to drive and was in really nice condition. Should have kept it!
I noticed the 3 men who were inspecting the rolling chassis and drive train. Each actor was playing a specific role in what type of clothing they wore, and the motions they went thru.
The man in the double breasted suit represented company management.
The man in the button-down shirt and tie represented engineering design.
The man in the white lab coat and clipboard represented the technical aspect.
Jam Handy Productions was considered one of the best “Content producers” of their time, and the high quality of the photography shows it. One of the best Jam Handy Chevrolet films was made in the early 30s [possibly 1933, can’t remember], and shows the frame and chassis construction set to classical music, as multiple frames progress down the assembly line.
Back in the mid 80s I was working for a BMW dealership in Arizona and BMW N.A. decided to film a commercial there. A huge crew moved in and took over one end of the shop for almost a week. They re-painted everything and built a fancy fake Service Advisor area. We had actors with $200 haircuts and very upper-class accents wearing starched and ironed lab coats with bow ties roaming around the premises while camera crews filmed. Of course we lowly peons who were actually fixing cars in the other end of the shop were forbidden to go near this nonsense. Car advertising has much more to do with advertising than with cars.