"Here Come the Tri-Fives"
Although Ford introduced what would be the first "shoe box" body design in 1949, GM and Chrysler were slow to catch on, only slowly replacing some of their bubble-like hood and side panels with flatter one's each year, without achieving a full shoebox look by 1954. But in 1955, Chevy designed the entire car with the full shoebox look. Along with the flatter straighter panels, the '55 also had modern queue's like wrap-around glass on the windshield, and triangular tail lights that jutted outward. This new look, combined with new power and engineering, made the '55 an instant hit with the buying public and a critical success.
