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100 years of Chevrolet
Chevrolet's first car pulled onto the auto scene like a decked-out debutante. Race-car driver Louis Chevrolet imagined an upscale dream car based on the racing cars he loved. The first Chevy engine was a large, liquid-cooled, 299-cubic-inch, six-cylinder cast-iron block. In fact, it would remain Chevrolet's biggest engine until the late '50s. The Series C Classic Six had a T-head configuration, produced 40 horsepower and could go a whopping 65 miles an hour, competing with the high-performance cars of its time. The son and daughter-in-law of Billy Durant (Chevrolet's cofounder) even drove a Classic Six prototype an unheard-of 2,500 miles from Detroit to San Francisco. For the first couple of years, it was simply called "the Chevrolet." And while Durant would quickly shift the company toward affordability, performance would stay at the heart of Chevrolet for a century to come.
1932 Deluxe Sport Roadster
Styled with spirit and cuter than a button, the Deluxe Sport Roadster is considered by many to be one of the prettiest cars Chevy has ever made. It was also affordable?drivers got a lot of car for their money, which may have helped Chevy keep its #1 position in sales even as the Great Depression raged on. The Deluxe model sparkled as it drove by with chrome-plated hood vent doors. It also carried double spare tires, one mounted ever-so-stylishly in each front fender. Add the sport package, and you could actually fold down the windshield for wind-in-the-face driving. And though the cab on the Sport Roadster was roomy enough for only two or three people up front, you could pop open a rumble seat off the back and let two more friends hitch a ride about town.
The 1936 Suburban
In 1936 Chevrolet invented the "Carryall," a
utility vehicle for families. At the time, the most popular
long-distance transportation was rail. But passengers arrived with loads
of luggage and needed to continue their trip to the suburbs. For the
first time, drivers could transport up to eight people comfortably.
Priced at just $685, the 1936 Suburban launched an impressive 75-year
career. It is the longest-lived continuous auto nameplate still in
production, and GM estimates that up to 2.4 million have been built.
These days, the Suburban is used for everything from fire and police
vehicles to converted limousines for VIPs.
As the boys came back from World War II, they were soon greeted with some familiar equipment. Chevy restyled their "Vehicles of Victory" based on successful war designs and debuted these beauties to the general public. Although, with a lot more attention to comfort. The cab sported "Unisteel Battleship" construction, larger in every measure?larger doors, larger glass area and three-across bench seating. Both versatile and practical, the '48 pickups found a new level of popularity among drivers whose needs went beyond simple transportation. They were workhorses for American families who worked just as hard. It was a heritage that was built to last. Many farm communities and service vehicles still depend on descendants like the Silverado to get the job done.
1962 Impala
As the drag-racing wars escalated, so did the competition. And that meant lighter cars and bigger engines. By 1962 Chevrolet had turned its heart-stopping Impala into a drag-strip legend, embodied by the Beach Boys' new hit single, "409." The added muscle of the new 409 engine launched the Impala from 0 to 60 in four and a half seconds and inspired battles of speed from coast to coast. Not surprisingly, the Impala took off in popularity too. And it was this streak of fame that led to the infamous Z11 cars of '63, making the Impala a permanent fixture in hot-rod garages for decades to come. To this day, collectors still drool over the early '60s Impalas' crisp lines and pointed fenders and dream of drag races gone by.
Ten years after the first Corvette, Chevrolet turned the model on its head with the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray. This exciting, eye-catching design was the brainchild of legendary General Motors design chief Bill Mitchell. The colorful Mitchell had a new vision for the Corvette, led by his hobby of racing personal prototypes. Together with stylist Larry Shinoda and chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, they built the new Sting Ray with an independent rear suspension. It was a first for any modern American car, on the level with more expensive European cars of the time. It also had hideaway headlights to keep it as streamlined as humanly possible, and a unique vertically split rear window. It offered more comfort options too, including power steering, power brakes, air conditioning, leather seating and an AM/FM radio. But it wasn't just gorgeous. Maybe the true brilliance behind the '63 Sting Ray was its surprising affordability. "America's sports car" was now within reach for America's working class.
1964 Malibu
"Everyone has a bit of swashbuckler in him," declared the sales catalog for the new Chevrolet Chevelle, and the new "Malibu" trim was considered top of the line. It proved so popular it quickly earned its own nameplate. Named for Malibu, California, the new frame was a perfectly proportioned design that seemed "right" from every angle. You could buy the crowd-pleasing Malibu almost any way you wanted it?convertible, hardtop, sedan or coupe. And its four-barrel carburetor, small-block V8 engine got a respectable 300-horsepower rating. It was a midsize, versatile player in an age of big, powerful machines like the Bel Airs and Impalas. And their immense popularity offered proof that America was ready for something a little zippier. Even twenty years later, it would be a '64 Chevy Malibu that everyone's trying to get their hands on in Alex Cox's cult classic Repo Man.
1969 K Blazer
Ladies and gentlemen, the SUV that started the craze. More buckin' than the Bronco, this boulder-hopping landmark was only available as a 4x4 with fully removable tops. Yet it still had available "luxuries" such as air conditioning, bucket seats and a newfangled Turbo Hydra-Matic® automatic transmission. It was enough to make the Blazer's stripped-down peers, including the Scout and Jeepster, look downright silly. This trailblazer (hence the name) was built through 1994 and remains a popular playmate in the off-roading world. But it all started in '69. And if you look closely, the Blazer's rowdy soul is still alive in the Tahoe, the Traverse and just about any truck worth its salt.
1969 Camaro
By 1969 the Camaro was extremely popular. And though this was the final year of the Camaro's original iconic design, it went out with flying colors. The '69 Camaro paced the Indianapolis 500® for the second time. It was the first and only year the legendary aluminum ZL1 engine was offered, and the Z28® SS/RS performance package qualified the '69 Camaro to compete in the Trans-Am racing series. It's still considered one of the hottest-looking rides of the classic muscle car era. It had a 290-horsepower rating but tested at close to 400. This four-wheeled icon has graced the silver screen many times. In Almost Famous, a young William Miller watches his sister drive off with her boyfriend in a blue 1969 Camaro coupe. And a slightly earlier version stars as the famous black beauty in Better Off Dead.
1970 Chevelle SS
Funny what people considered a mom and pop car in the old days. Even today, this so-called family sedan is parked at the top of anyone's muscle car list. The legend grew when GM temporarily lifted its displacement ban on midsize cars, and gave the Chevelle SS a barbaric 450-horsepower V8 engine. No production car had ever sported a higher factory horsepower rating?the "rock crusher" four-speed transmission easily helped the SS reach 100 mph in under 13 seconds. So while it may have started off as the perfect ride for Sunday drives with the kids to grandma's house, anyone under 30 is more likely to recognize the Chevelle from The Fast and the Furious. It stole the show with a gravity-defying "wheel stand." You know, family stuff.
1989 Pickup
This was the fourth generation of the legendary bowtie pickup, and it didn't disappoint. By the late '80s, America was driving trucks not only to haul heavy loads, but also as a lifestyle and personal statement. It was cool to drive a truck. And options flooded out of the factories. The new '89 pickup turned into a 10-plus-year build-o-rama for the pickup, featuring the Cheyenne, the Scottsdale and the Silverado, with trim and towing packages galore. To this day, the Z71 4x4 Sport Package is still running strong, whether it's on the road or in a foot of mud. Accessories and styles come and go, but in 1989, the red-blooded Chevy pickup truck re-earned its status as a timeless American icon.
In true Corvette fashion, the ZR1® was built to live up to its high-performance family name. And to prove it, this little speed demon won the 2010 Car and Driver Lightning Lap competition, beating out Lamborghini and Porsche (Car and Driver, Jan. 2010). Not to be outshined by these Europeans, the new Centennial Special Edition of the ZR1 features a coating of Carbon Flash Metallic paint and a VIP treatment when you buy one. New ZR1 buyers can opt for the "Corvette Engine Build Experience," where they get to help assemble the actual engine in the factory. At 205 mph, it's GM's fastest production vehicle of all time.
2010 Camaro
When Chevrolet launched its first Camaro
commercial in the '60s, the car emerged out of a flaming, red-hot
volcano. The launch of the 2010 Camaro was no less explosive, thanks to
its stunningly futuristic yet retro design. The new look turned heads as
a 2006 concept car and rocketed into the 2010 market as its nearly
identical twin, much to the delight of Camaro enthusiasts everywhere.
Then there was the engine. This beloved street treat boasted all the
throaty horsepower you'd expect, but sipped its fuel instead of guzzling
it, especially on the open road.1 It's no surprise this
Camaro began its reign easily outselling the Mustang. After all, how
many other cars can upstage multiple Hollywood vixens and a gazillion
pounds of pyrotechnics in TRANSFORMERS®?2
2011 Volt
In 2011 alone, the Volt won 2011 North American Car of the Year, Green Car Journal's Car of the Year®, and AUTOMOBILE Magazine's Automobile of the Year.
