Chevy’s greatest hits
Chevrolet was founded in 1911 by a consortium which included Swiss brothers Louis and Arthur Chevrolet, as well as the recently deposed head of General Motors, William C Durant.
Since then, it has become one of North America’s largest and most successful brands. However, of the many models it has produced in over a century some are, of course, more memorable than others.
Here we take a look at 24 of the marque’s 20th-century hits, without which Chevrolet would not be nearly as famous as it is today.
1. Series C Classic Six (1911)
Chevrolet’s first car was an elegant and rather expensive machine with a 4.9-litre six-cylinder engine.
It was just the sort of thing Louis Chevrolet wanted, but William Durant had other ideas. As we’ll see, this soon led to a split, and a change of direction for the company.
In later years, Chevrolet went back to producing high-end models. The Series C Classic Six is, in a sense, the common ancestor of them all.
2. Series H (1914)
What William Durant wanted to build was a rival to the Ford Model T – and the Chevrolet Series H was exactly that.
Smaller and much cheaper than the Series C, it had a 2.8-litre four-cylinder engine which the company would continue to use throughout the 1920s.
Although Chevrolet would later be known for high-performance vehicles, the Series H was the first sign that its greatest success would come from producing budget models.
3. Series 490 (1915)
The Series 490’s name was inspired by the fact that it was initially priced at a very low $490.
The car was an even more serious rival to the Model T than the Series H, and did so well that Durant was able to buy his way back into a controlling interest at General Motors.
Louis Chevrolet, unhappy with the way things were going, pulled out of the company named after him, and went on to pursue other interests.
4. Series D (1917)
Although Louis Chevrolet had by now left the scene, he would probably have approved of the Series D, which was far more powerful and luxurious than the Series 490.
It was also much less popular, and remained in production for only two years.
However, it is significant because it was the first Chevrolet sold with a V8 engine – a 4.7-litre unit producing 36bhp. V8s were oddities back then, and would remain so for a long time. Chevrolet did not return to the layout until the mid 1950s.
5. Superior (1923)
The Superior nameplate first appeared on the 490 in 1922, but was used for a new model the following year.
Although it was discontinued just a few years later, in 1926, it had a big impact.
Annual production was always well into six figures, there was a wide choice of body styles, and regular updates kept customer interest high.
6. Carryall Suburban (1935)
Suburban is the longest-running nameplate in automotive history, and is currently applied to the long-wheelbase version of the Tahoe SUV.
Chevrolet first used it for the Carryall Suburban in 1935. This large vehicle had enough space for up to eight passengers, along with yet more for their luggage.
Although the term was not used at the time, there is a case for describing the Carryall Suburban as the world’s first MPV, and a predecessor to today’s non-off-road SUVs.
7. Advance Design (1947)
Almost from the start, trucks have been crucial to Chevrolet’s success.
One of the company’s most dramatic developments in this field was the introduction of the Advance Design series, which was also sold in rebranded form as the GMC New Design.
By previous standards, these trucks had comfortable and roomy interiors, and there was a suitably large variety of models within the range. The passenger version was sold as the third-generation Suburban.
8. Bel Air (1950)
Chevrolet produced the Bel Air across seven generations from the middle of the 20th century to 1975.
The first four generations in particular could reasonably be thought of as icons of 1950s North American motoring. The second was one of the earliest vehicles fitted with the famous Chevrolet smallblock V8, which is still in production in ‘crate’ form.
The smallblock was partly responsible for a Bel Air winning the NASCAR Cup Series in 1957.
9. Corvette (1953)
The original Corvette, offered only as a convertible, was less popular than Chevrolet had hoped until the smallblock V8 became available in 1955.
Customer interest rose rapidly from then on, and the Corvette remained in production for nine years.
This was the start of a very big story. Chevrolet has continued to manufacture Corvettes to this day. All current versions are V8-powered, but the layout recently changed from front- to mid-engined.
10. Task Force (1955)
Following the success of the Advance Design, Chevrolet moved the truck game still further forward in 1955 by launching the Task Force series, also known as the GMC Blue Chip.
Immediately recognisable thanks to its hooded headlights (mostly one but sometimes two per side), the Task Force also featured a wraparound windscreen.
Combined production of the Task Force and the almost identical GMC Blue Chip trucks exceeded 300,000 per year on average. An unusual variant was the more car-like Cameo Carrier pick-up, a spiritual successor to the later El Camino.
11. El Camino (1958)
Unlike the Cameo Carrier, the first-generation El Camino was a car-based pick-up (related to the Bel Air and similar models) rather than a converted truck.
It was produced for only two model years, but the basic idea was strong enough for Chevrolet to bring it back in 1964, and to continue using it for a further three generations up to 1987.
12. C/K (1959)
Marketed by both Chevrolet and GMC, the C/K series initially retained the wraparound windscreen of the Task Force trucks, but very little else.
No individual vehicle was ever marketed as a C/K. Models were known by a letter and a number, C being used for rear-wheel-drive trucks and K for four-wheel drive.
Several body styles were available, along with a variety of six-cylinder engines plus the smallblock V8. C/Ks also formed the basis of the Suburban for several years.
Production continued through four generations until 2002. Mid-sized Chevrolet trucks built after that have been named Silverado.
13. Corvair (1960)
The Corvair may at first seem an unlikely example of Chevrolet getting it right, since the first version was the subject of Ralph Nader’s book, Unsafe At Any Speed.
The cause of the trouble was the swing-axle rear suspension, which could make the car unstable in some circumstances.
However, other cars used a similar system, and the Corvair is believed in some quarters to have been less dangerous than Nader said it was.
By the time his book was published, Chevrolet had brought out an updated Corvair with a different type of independent suspension (but using the same rear-mounted 2.7-litre air-cooled flat-six engine). This model was praised for many reasons, including its fine handling.
14. Chevy II/Nova (1961)
Chevrolet replaced the Corvair with the more conventional Chevy II, which was offered initially with front-mounted, water-cooled engines of four or six cylinders, and later with V8s.
The first-generation car was warmly received, and was sold by Canadian Buick and Pontiac dealers under one of GM’s shorter-lived brands, Acadian.
Four more generations followed until production came to an end in 1979. Another, produced in the mid- to late-1980s, wasn’t really a Chevrolet at all, but a slightly reworked Toyota.
The Nova name was initially used only for certain models in the range, but by 1970 it had completely replaced Chevy II.
15. Corvette (1963)
Corvette history began a dramatic new chapter when the nameplate entered its second generation in 1963.
Unlike the previous version, this one was available as a coupe (though convertible enthusiasts were still catered for), and offered with nothing but V8s, including the 7.0-litre big block.
Perhaps more importantly, it looked awesome, with a long bonnet and a purposeful appearance which were carried over to the third-gen Corvette, even though its styling was different in many other ways.
This was the first Corvette to be given the name Sting Ray, which was later shortened to Stingray and is still used for the current, eighth-generation model.
16. Chevelle (1964)
One size larger than the Chevy II, the original Chevelle was Chevrolet’s answer to the fourth-generation Ford Fairlane, which had been launched in 1962.
It quickly became a hit. Before its four-year lifecycle was complete, annual production was over 400,000, or about 100,000 greater than that of the rival Ford.
Straight-six and V8 engines were available, but it was when Chevrolet started fitting a 6.5-litre big block to the SS 396 version that the Chevelle truly became a muscle car.
17. Impala (1965)
With occasional gaps, Chevrolet produced the Impala over 10 generations from 1958 to 2020.
In terms of popularity, the outstanding model was the fourth, which went on sale in the 1965 model year and reportedly found more than a million customers in the US alone, then went on to hit seven figures again the following year.
Today, that Impala seems like the poster child for excessive American cars, with big engines, lots of chrome and an enormous rear overhang. At the time, though, it was a demonstration that Chevrolet really knew what its customers wanted.
18. Caprice (1966)
The Caprice name first appeared in 1965 on an optional luxury package for the Impala.
A year later, the Caprice became a model in its own right. It was the ultimate full-size Chevrolet of its day, available as a coupe, a four-door hardtop or an estate, and with a variety of V8 engines.
Sales were lower than those of the Impala, but that wasn’t saying much. Sales of everything were lower than those of the Impala.
The 100 millionth General Motors car built in the US was a first-generation Caprice, which left the Janesville assembly plant in Wisconsin in April 1967.
19. Camaro (1966)
GM was a relatively late entry to the pony car market which is generally agreed to have been established in 1964 by the Plymouth Barracuda.
When it arrived two years later, the first Camaro was typical for the new class, being a compact but sporty model available as both a coupe and a convertible.
The Camaro immediately became a serious rival to the conceptually similar Ford Mustang. Today, more than half a century and many generations later, it still is.
The ultimate version in the first generation was the Z28 (pictured), which had a 4.9-litre V8. Maximum power was officially 290bhp, but this is believed to be some way short of the actual output.
20. Camaro (1970)
A second, all-new Camaro arrived in 1970, and remained in production until 1981.
Far more modern-looking than its predecessor, but with no convertible option, this version is one of the most celebrated American sports cars of the 1970s, though possibly not to Mustang enthusiasts.
It was less popular than the first Camaro for a while, but annual sales later came close to 300,000, and in some years it even outsold the Mustang.
21. Cosworth Vega (1975)
The regular Vega, manufactured from 1970 to 1977, was highly favoured at first, and never lost its reputation for good handling, but it quickly became known for serious quality issues.
The Cosworth version, which had a short run from 1975 until 1976, was another matter. Its engine was a 2.0-litre four-cylinder with an advanced twin-cam, 16-valve cylinder head designed by UK-based Cosworth.
In a country familiar with thundering V8s, there was some criticism of its power output, but the Cosworth Vega performed superbly for a car in its class, and handled even better than the standard model.
22. S-10 (1981)
Chevrolet’s compact truck of the 1970s was the LUV, which was little more than a rebadged Isuzu.
The S-10 was almost entirely Chevrolet’s own work, though it was sometimes powered by an Isuzu engine.
In most forms, the S-10 was a very capable pick-up, ideal for people who didn’t need to carry large loads. A special version with a turbocharged 4.3-litre V6 was extraordinarily quick, with acceleration (up to the point where aerodynamic drag became an issue) comparable with the Corvette and the Ferrari 348, but it was marketed as the GMC Syclone.
The third-generation was replaced by the Colorado pick-up, though this was still sold as an S-10 in Brazil.
23. Suburban (1992)
The eighth-generation Suburban was the last of the series sold entirely in the 20th century.
It was based on a variant of the GM400 truck platform, and was therefore a close relative of the Tahoe (see next slide).
However, it wouldn’t have been a Suburban if it didn’t offer a great deal of interior space. Sure enough, it was nearly two feet longer than either the Tahoe or its corporate cousin, the GMC Yukon.
By the end of this generation, annual Suburban sales in the US were approaching 140,000. The current model is doing well if it reaches half that.
24. Tahoe (1995)
Named after a lake which extends on both sides of the California/Nevada state border, the original Tahoe was known from 1991 as the Blazer until Chevrolet changed its name.
Like all subsequent Tahoes up to the current, fifth-generation model, it was a sister vehicle to the GMC Yukon full-sized SUV, and was always powered by some sort of large V8 engine – usually running on petrol but sometimes on diesel.
Chevrolet is a much more popular brand than GMC in the US, so it should come as no surprise that the Tahoe was outselling the Yukon by well over two to one by the time both models were replaced in 2000.
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