1955 Bel Air RPO 410

Coral 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air hardtop with a dark roof, seen from the front three-quarter on grass at a car show — 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air two-door hardtop in two-tone coral and charcoal Photo: Sicnag, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Factory statusFactory configuration

Body styleSport Coupe, model 2454

Trim / packageRPO 410 Power Package

Engine265 cid Turbo-Fire V8, RPO 410

InductionCarter WCFB 2351S four-barrel carburetor

Published power180 hp · Chevrolet factory gross

Also published160 hp · Chevrolet factory net

Published torque260 lb-ft · Chevrolet factory gross

Forward gears3

Transmissionthree-speed manual

Matched period road testUnknown

What this record proves

The badge is only the beginning.

RPO 410 is the documented power package: Chevrolet's 265-cubic-inch Turbo-Fire V8 with a Carter WCFB four-barrel carburetor, dual exhaust, and a three-speed manual. The option code carries the identity on this page, not the badge on the fender.

Chevrolet published two ratings for the same engine — 180 horsepower gross against 160 net, and 260 lb-ft gross against 240 net — under separately defined test conditions. Both are kept, because silently choosing one would make every later comparison dishonest.

One tempting shortcut is refused. RPO 450 in the inspected information kit is air conditioning, so it cannot be read as evidence for a late-season 195-horsepower revision. That claim stays out of the record until a source establishes it.