Chevy Centennial Part 4: Growing Up With Chevy

Chevrolet Centennial week continues with an album of random family photographs. Not even sure who everyone is- but guess who is in the background of each photo?

We grew up with Chevy. I think America did too.

1949 Chevrolet Deluxe

1955 Two-Ten

1956 Bel Air Convertible

1964 Bel Air

1956 Two-Ten

1957 Two-Ten

1963 Impala Sport Coupe

1964 C-20 Camper Special

1967 Camaro SS/RS 350 Convertible

Another shot of the 1967 Camaro.

Chevy Centennial Part 3: Ten Chevrolets

On this 100th Anniversary of the incorporation of Chevrolet, I thought I would recognize the occasion by taking a look back at some of the truly significant models on the Chevy timeline. I'm not prioritizing them, just listing them in chronological order. And I'm NOT claiming that these are the ten best, or the ten worst- just Ten Significant Chevrolets as my way of saying Happy Hundredth to an old friend.

1916 Chevrolet 490- Chevrolet entered the marketplace with large, high priced six cylinder cars and struggle. The 490 represents the first low priced Chevrolet and an instant hit. Four cylinders, three forward gears and a more substantial car feel than a Model T for $490.00. This one put the Bowtie on the map and positioned Chevrolet as a volume producer.

The 1929 Chevrolet Six introduced the venerable "Stovebolt Six" engine which powered Chevy for a generation to come. It was marketed as "A Six for the Price of a Four" and allowed Chevrolet to displace Ford as the number one automaker, a position that Chevrolet held on to for the next twenty eight years.

The first Corvette in 1953 sold only a few hundred units but started the long line of a legend. Originally a fiberglass roadster with side curtains, the sole powertrain was a six Cylinder with Powerglide. It is more significant for where it led than what it was- the first "sports car" by an American Manufacturer, and the glory days would come.

Chevy bet it all on the 1955 models and won big- a fully new car - frame, suspension and body and - and with a brand new engine. That 265 small block V8 was a brilliant engine that moved Chevrolet into the modern era. The 1955 is a masterpiece of restraint in an era of excess. Shown is the Golden Jubilee- the Fifty Millionth GM car, produced during the 1955 model year. It was the star of shows and parades across the country.

The Corvair was a revolution for Chevrolet- a fully modern compact car. The success of the Monza paved the way for the pony cars to come and the second generation was one of the finest engineered compacts in Chevrolet history. A sporty and much liked car, although the first generation- like other sporting cars- required an attentive driver.

The beautifully styled full sized 1965 Chevrolet was totally new and rode on a brand new frame as well. Many consider this to the the height of Bill Mitchell's styling success. Hugely successful and well loved, the 1965 model saw the introduction of the big block 396 engine, Turbo-Hydramatic Automatic Transmission and at mid year, the elegant Caprice Hardtop Sedan. The Caprice was a big hit and became its own series the following year.

The Camaro was Chevrolet's response to the Mustang, and was introduced for the 1967 model year. It was a hit from the start, combining oustanding styling with a wide range of power- from a sensible Secretary six all the way up to an SS396. The Z/28 option appeared at mid-year. Camaro did more to put performance at an affordable price point than probably any other car in their line up.

The 1976 Chevette was the smallest Chevrolet since the model 490. It was based on a European design, and represented Chevy's first real attempt to enter the real of the subcompact. Launched with a 1.4 litre base engine and a full range of options, Chevette was a cross between a European minicar and fully equipped Chevrolet. Certainly a more serious attempt than the seriously flawed Vega, Chevette sold very well and earned a reputation as a reliable- albeit unrefined- method of transportation.

Another risky move was the downsized Caprice and Impala of 1977. Almost 12 inches shorter and some 800 pounds lighter than their predecessors, and with fresh new styling, the gamble paid off and the cars were a smash hit. "The New Chevrolet" as they were called, were introduced to a theme song that sang "Now that's more like it." Beautifully in tune with the times, the New Chevrolet won the Motor Trend Car of the Year award in 1977.

And that brings us to the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. A Hybrid Electric Car with a back-up Generator, the Volt represents Chevrolet's greatest Engineering Gamble since the 265 V8 of 1955. The Volt has experienced serious production delays and is only offered in a handful of markets, so combined with the high price has been unable to rack up impressive sales, but the reviews are phenomenal and the owners are ecstatic. The recipient of Motor Trend's 2011 Car of the Year Award, Volt has been criticized in the media but like teh first Corvette, I wouldn't call this one out. Volt is defining Chevrolet as a technology brand to be reckoned with.

La Belle L'Universelle- Workhorse at the Waldorf

There was certainly a lot to talk about in the 1955 General Motors Motorama. That annual convention of glitter, girls, and gladiolas, the celebration of the superiority of General Motors products was at its zenith in 1955. The show opened at the Waldorf in New York in January, as was its tradition, and then moved on to Miami in February, Los Angeles and then San Francisco in March, and on to a final stop in Boston in April.


In addition to showcasing the "Golden Jubilee" Chevrolet- representing the 50 Millionth GM vehicle- there were a host of concept cars on the stage for 1955. Chevrolet showed its Biscayne pillarless sport sedan, Oldsmobile unveiled a low slung coupe called the Delta. Pontiac showed its futuristic Strato-Star Coupe, and Buick its red Wildcat III sport convertible. Cadillac showed its futuristic La Salle II in sport sedan and roadster forms, and the fabulous Eldorado Brougham which would lead to a production car in 1957.

Oh, and GMC showed a panel truck.

Stop the presses. Yes, GMC did show a panel truck in 1955, but that is about one-hundredth of the story. GMC created their only Motorama concept vehicle for the 1955 show, and it was far from any ordinary truck. Named L'Universelle, the truck was a long, low, sleek vehicle with 13 inch wheels. a mid mounted V-8 engine, and a revolutionary front wheel drive system.

It was drawn by legendary GM designer Chuck Jordan and represented the most stylish and though provoking cargo hauler GM had ever imagined. A wrap around windshield and streamlined side glass, unique bi-folding cargo doors on the side and the rear, and an extremely roomy cargo area were some of the special features. And lowness- extraordinary lowness resulting from the chassis design which incorporated front wheel drive and 13 inch wheels.

Finished in copper metallic with a copper leather driver's compartment, it was the most exciting and glamorous GMC truck ever conceived, which is why the story did not end after the Motorama. The public loved it. GMC dealers were clamoring for it. And so by late 1955, GM announced plans to produce it. Almost as soon as the glamour girl made its debut at the Waldorf, chassis engineers in Detroit began building a running prototype chassis out of a Buick Roadmaster. With the fiberglass nose of a L'Universelle attached to the body of a Roadmaster, the beast was hideous to look at but before long they had the chassis dialed in and the ride and handling were nothing shy of impressive.

Unfortunately, by that point they had realized that the production projections would not pay for the unique driveline they had created, so the lovely L'Universelle was quietly shelved. Many of the styling cues appeared a few years later in the Corvair based Corvan in 1961, and it was a popular and well liked little van.

But imagine what the L'Universelle could have been...

L'Universelle in the ballroom of the Waldorf for the 1955 New York Motorama

L'Universelle in Golden Gate Park

Cutaway drawing showing the unique FWD driveline of L'Universelle

Overview of the 1955 Los Angeles Motorama. Golden Jubilee 50 Millionth Car on Lower Right.
(Originally created for the Reynolds Buick GMC Blog)

Happy Halloween!

The little black kitten is perched atop the jack-o-lantern, his chartreuse eyes wide open. He is surrounded by gourds and pumpkins and stalks of corn. A picture perfect Halloween Greeting from Buick for the cover of their October 1954 issue of Buick magazine, a monthly lifestyle magazine for Buick's many devoted drivers and a highly collectible issue today.

The magazine also introduced the exciting new 1955 Buick line up, including this Halloween-appropriate 1955 Super hardtop coupe. Look carefully and note how the BUICK lettering on the masthead precisely matched the block lettering on the hood of a 1954 or 1955 Buick. Also fun to remember that although this issue is fifty-seven years old, the picture still works today!

To each and every one of you, Happy Halloween!

Chevy Centennial Part 2: Chevrolet's Bewitching Bonanza

The presenting sponsorship is not a new concept. It dates back to the days of radio, when a program would have a single sponsor. Often the sponsor would be mentioned in the name of the program itself. The idea translated itself into television smoothly into the early fifties, and created a new opportunity for advertising called the "Roll-In".

The idea was simple- create a commercial that the program flows into seamlessly. The set, the actors in costume, all was continous. Generally the characters remained in character. "I Love Lucy" was a pioneer in this arena, with the Ricardos and the Mertzes seamlessly breaking into praise of Philip Morris and Hotpoint products.

Chevrolet was particularly adept that this as well. They broke into Prime Time Television with the Dinah Shore Chevy Show in 1953, and not only did Dinah share billing with Chevy, she also sang the Chevy jingle each week and appeared in the commercials as well.

By the early sixties, the concept was changing. The sponsorship tended to be shared by two or three different advertisers, so their name no longer appeared in the show's title. The concept of the rerun had also complicated the whole naming issue, but the roll-in advertising was alive and well. Also, some advertisers were beginning to sponsor several programs, so rather than "own" one program they became affiliated with several.

Chevrolet took an extremely prominent role in Bewitched- in addition to being one of the presenting sponsors (along with Quaker Oats,) Chevrolet furnished cars for the program and utilized its cast in roll-in commercials. You will note that there were different animated opens and closes for Bewitched that rotated weekly and bore the logo of that week's presenting sponsor.

But I've never seen anything quite like the spectacular Chevrolet created to launch their 1965 line up- they created a Super Commerical that blended the casts of three different Chevy-sponsored programs appearing together in a five minute announcement commercial. Bonanza, the Man from U.N.C.L.E and Bewitched were all Chevrolet sponsored shows and remarkably all took part in an unforgettable commercial.

The spot was called "Chevrolet's Bewitching Bonanza" and aired on Sunday, September 27, 1964 at the conclusion of that week's Bonanza. It opens on the set of Bonanza with Lorne Greene introducing Pernell Roberts as the latter drives a red Corvette onto the Bonanza set. Then Robert Vaughan appears along with a Corvair,and then the cast of Bewitched pop in- literally- ALL on the Bonanza set of Virginia City.

It is literally unheard of in advertising to mix the cast of the three shows in one five minute commercial and speaks to the emerging power of the television advertiser.

In this case, it is notable that all the actors use their real names versus their characters' names, but there is no mistaking the setting or the fact that they are all presented in character. Pernell Roberts for Corvette, Robert Vaughan for Corvair, Elizabeth Montgomery for Chevelle, Dan Blocker paired with Agnes Moorehead to introduce the Chevy II, and a young Michael Landon unveiling the full sized Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe. And the parade at the end of new Chevrolets through Virginia City is not to be missed.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Chevrolet's Bewitching Bonanza, presented by Chevrolet and your Chevrolet dealer:

Chevy Centennial- Part 1: The Sixties

Chevrolet celebrated its Centennial with a special commemorative commercial on last night's World Series broadcast. It's a fun spot showing photographs from the past and present. I enjoyed it, partially because I have so many pictures of Chevrolets in my family's album. I'll be sharing some of them soon.

But I thought it would be fun to highlight Chevy's big 100 by showing some of my favorite Chevrolet commercials. Here in the first installment, we'll look at the swinging sixties. Chevy is at the top of its game, and the advertising clearly isn't limited to what is physically possible.



Sister Division Pontiac was showing renderings of its cars in exotic European locations, painted by renowned artists Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman. Chevy went for a little one-upsmanship, and a live action commercial involving driving a new 1963 Impala convertible through the canals of Venice. No Photoshop in those days, so I'm wondering how they did this one. Submerged pontoon? Nuclear Submarine? However they managed to do it, I'm sure it was a budget buster.



The following year they decided to show a little American scenery instead. The helicoptered a new 1964 convertible (sans engine, transmission, and anything else heavy they could jettison) up to the 2,000 foot summit of Castle Rock in Moab, Utah. The hood, trunk, bumpers and doors were sent up on a second trip. Then the model (who was literally tied to the seat) and a production assistant who was concealed in the trunk. The result, named "Pinnacle," was a breathtaking spot which indeed put Chevrolet at its pinnacle. Still a legendary ad.



And some fun from the set of Bewitched. These three ads, all from the 1965 season, are "roll-ins" typical of the ere. Chevrolet was a presenting sponsor, and so they were able to use the talent and sets from the program and create ads in which the actors remained in character. The third one, for the 1965 Impala, is my favorite,

Congratulations to USA1 on 100!

Buick made them go slow, too

The 1984 Buick Riviera Torch Relay Car




Certainly Buick in the 1980's is best remembered for creating two of the fastest production cars in history- the Grand National and the legendary GNX. These two rocket ships challenged the traditional view of Buick and along the way managed to embarrass a lot of Ferrari buyers. Darth Buick, as they were nicknamed, is the stuff of legends.




But Buick was a bit more versatile than that, and also managed to engineer a fleet of cars to go slow. Yes, slow. It's a fun story and it turns out there's a lot of engineering involved in making a slow car.







Buick's Offical Olympic Sponsor Logo




Buick signed on to be be a major sponsor of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. It would be the first hosting of the Summer games on American soil since 1932, which coincidentally were also held in LA. Buick felt that the publicity of the Olympics would bring enormous new exposure to its fine line of cars.







The Torch Relay Route included 33 states




One major part of the buildup to the games was the Torch Relay. For the games of 1984, an enormous 84 day relay was planned, beginning at the United Nations in New York and ending up at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles some eighty-four days and seven thousand miles later. And the pace car for such an event would be a very special Buick.




Actually, more than one. Three Turbocharged 1984 Riviera Convertibles were prepared as Torch Relay Pace Cars. Powered by the same basic engine as a Grand National, these cars were modified not for speed, but for slow endurance. They had enormously advanced computer controlled cooling and electrical power output systems- they were designed to be able to traverse all kinds of terrain smoothly and at speeds of 2 to 12 mph. The Rivieras were accompanied at all times by a fleet of two new front drive Electra sedans, and affiliated GMC support vans. In all, a total of 32 specially prepared slow moving vehicles were constructed for the special Olympic fleet.







Period advertisement touting Buick's involvement in the Torch Relay







The Torch is carried through the Buick Plants (from All Things Buick)



The white Buick Torch Relay fleet performed flawlessly as it traversed the country at a speed averaging 6 mph. The route traversed the United States in a series of zig zags reaching major cities in 33 of the 50 states. In deference to Buick, the Torch Relay traveled right through Buick's Headquarters in Flint, MI where Buick employees carried the Olympic Flame between the plant buildings while their coworkers cheered them on.







The Torch passes through Northridge, CA




All told, over 3,600 runners were part of the historic event. Gina Helphill, granddaughter of Olympian Jesse Owens was the first torch bearer and Rafer Johnson was the last, carrying the Torch into Memorial Coliseum on July 28, 1984.







The Torch is carried through the City of Orange, CA



The Torch Relay pace car for that final leg was car number 31, one of the three Riviera convertibles. At the comclusion of the games, the car was presented to the Los Angeles Natural History Museum as a momento of the games from Buick. It remains in their collection today, in as new condition, and can be viewed once a month when their vehicle fleet is open to the public.













Torch Relay Riviera #31 in the basement of the Natural History Museum.