This restored 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster convertible wears a facelift that was mostly grille and trim, but the details underneath tell the real story: a 216-cubic-inch six, a column-shifted three-speed, and interior touches that were brand new for the model year. Only 20,471 were built. Here’s a closer look at what made the Fleetmaster Chevrolet’s flagship two years running.
The ’48 Chevrolet Fleetmaster convertible imaged below has been correctly restored to original. The vehicle is powered by a 216 cu in (3.54 L) in-line six cylinder engine bolted to a three speed manual transmission with the shift linkange mounted on the steering column.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
MCF thanks Gateway Classic Cars for the images provided here.
Click any image for a larger picture
By 1948, Chevrolet had been building essentially the same postwar convertible for two straight years, and buyers could be forgiven for wondering what, if anything, was actually new. The answer sat right up front: a redesigned vertical chrome grille bar and a fresh hood ornament, updates modest enough that most of the car underneath carried over unchanged. Yet underneath that facelift was a model with a bigger story, a nameplate that had quietly replaced Chevrolet’s old Special Deluxe line as the brand’s flagship just two years earlier. Roughly 20,000 buyers decided the update was worth the price of admission. What exactly were they paying for?
A Facelift Dressed Up an Aging Design
The Fleetmaster nameplate arrived for 1946 as Chevrolet’s new top-of-the-line series, produced alongside the more modestly equipped Stylemaster, and it carried the torch through 1947 and into 1948 with only minor styling tweaks along the way. When the 1948 models rolled out in February of that year, the changes were limited mostly to the grille and hood trim, since Chevrolet, like most automakers emerging from the war, was still catching up on tooling for an all-new design. That restraint did not stop 1948 from being a strong year at the dealership, with 20,471 Fleetmaster convertibles built at a base price of $1,750.
What $1,750 Bought in 1948
Power came from Chevrolet’s familiar 216.5-cubic-inch inline six, rated at 90 horsepower at 3,300 rpm and routed through a three-speed manual with column shift, a drivetrain combination that prioritized smoothness and durability over outright speed. Inside, Fleetmaster buyers got a two-spoke Deluxe steering wheel with a horn ring, a wood-grained dashboard and window sills, chrome windshield surrounds, and leather-topped front armrests, along with a clock and cigarette lighter that had only just become standard equipment that year. It is the kind of trim-level detail that rarely survives in unrestored cars, which makes a correctly restored example like the one pictured here worth a longer look. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related posts:
Dodge Coronet 1969 images
Chevrolet Impala 1967 images
Pontiac Trans Am 1978 images
Chevrolet Chevelle SS 1969 tribute images
Dodge Challenger SRT8 2008 images
Chevrolet Corvette 1973 images
Lincoln Continental Mark IV 1959 images
Buick Special 1956 images
AC Cobra carbon fiber replica images
Chevrolet Camaro SS 1969 images
