Don't confuse the old brush type generator on your 53 Chevrolet with the "generator" on modern Boeing aircraft. I don't know exactly why Boeing calls them generators, but perhaps because they are "self exciting", unlike the ones on your modern auto. A typical "alternator" requires a source of power, like a battery, to excite the field windings. That's what you have on your new car.
On an airliner the "generator" is actually three phase, brushless, alternator with a small DC generator built in. This small DC generator excites the field and that makes it different from the alternator on your new car.
By using high frequency (400hz) AC power, modern aircraft can save weight by using smaller wires and smaller motors.