1951 Chevrolet Ute

DIRECTORY

1951 Chevrolet Ute

Entry number 37 Ian Burke

The 1950s featured several unique innovations and technical breakthroughs, coming from Chevrolet's strategy of continuous research and development. One such technical breakthrough was the Powerglide transmission, initially offered to the customers as an optional add-on. It was the first automatic transmission offered in low priced cars.

Although the Powerglide was fully automatic, it was a pretty basic transmission. Rather than using planetary gears to multiply the torque in Drive range, it relied solely on the torque multiplication of the torque converter. While the power and acceleration did come in one continuous flow, it was a painfully slow flow.

The 1951 Chevrolet Utility Vehicle(Ute) was a grand instance of the Chevy's popularity in the commercial car segment and came with all the features associated to the brand. Being a crossover between a car and a truck, it offered certain advantages and was mainly targeted at the small businesses and farm utilizations.

Some of the technical features associated to the 1951 Chevrolet Ute include:

3.5 L, 6 Cylinder engine delivering 92 BHP at 3400 RPM (3.8 L truck engine in case of Powerglide transmission usage, delivering 105 BHP)

Displacement - 216.5"

Wheelbase - 116"

Rear wheel Drive

Bore x Stroke - 3.5 In. x 3.75 In.

New grille and the raised rear fenders

Although lacking the glamour and performance of the 1955 to '57 Chevs, the popular 1951 Chevy production line played a huge role in maintaining Chevrolet's place at the top, as North America's most favourite car.