The 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air is the most famous car that almost never happened.

Chevrolet’s chief engineers sought an entirely new design for the 1957 model year but production delays thwarted this dream.

Instead, the designers made a series of changes out of necessity and created an American icon.

These changes included a new dashboard, sealed cowl, and the relocation of air ducts to the headlight pods, resulting in the distinctive chrome headlight peaks.

These peaks were carried to the rear-end design with the all-new, sky-high tailfins clad in anodized aluminum beauty panels and wrapped in chrome trim.

The 1957 Chevrolet was sometimes called a "Baby Cadillac" because of the many styling cues borrowed from Cadillacs of the day.

Chevrolet’s V8-optioned cars were fitted with a large "V" under the Chevrolet script on the hood and trunk lid, with the "V” finished in gold for the Bel-Air trim level.

Another Chevrolet icon debuted in 1957: the Rochester Ramjet, fuel-injected “Fuelie” ...