Car Life wasn’t hugely excited about the 1964 Chevrolet Chevelle. Even so, the magazine tried to present the new nameplate in a positive light: “At this writing, Chevelle accounts for 18% of Chevrolet sales and the percentage is on the rise.” The market this new mid-sized car catered to “is larger than that of the enthusiasts” (1964, p. 20).
This would prove to be lucky for Chevrolet because even a Malibu equipped to be more sporting “doesn’t have much to offer” those who “take their motoring seriously” (1964, p. 20).
Unlike the exotic Corvair, the Chevelle was a meat-and-potatoes kind of car that Chevrolet dealers could understand — and move the metal. Or at least that’s what Chevrolet expected. What was unexpected was that the even more meat-and-potatoes Chevy II continued to sell well. Here it’s worth quoting Car Life at length:
“The Chevelle was conceived as a bigger car, completely divorced from the austere economy image, which would allow Chevy II customers to move into a larger car at a time when the pendulum of public taste was swinging back toward largeness and luxury. The top series in the Chevy II line had been dropped, only to be returned to production as 1963 drew to a close and the strong demand for the Chevy II line continued. It was a late decision last spring to continue an emasculated Chevy II line as a hedge on the Chevelle bet and production continued with negligible appearance changes.” (1964, p. 14)
Am I reading correctly that Chevrolet at one point intended the Chevelle to be an upsized replacement for the Chevy II? That doesn’t sound right because the Chevy II likely wouldn’t have generated a high enough production over only two years to pencil out. Nevertheless, Car Life’s narrative does illustrate how Detroit assumed that bigger, glitzier and more powerful cars were back in vogue.
The Chevelle epitomized Detroit fare in the mid-60s
The Chevelle illustrates Detroit’s remarkable spurt of product proliferation of the 1960s because it was Chevrolet’s third new car line in only five years. The nameplate sported trendy features such as curved side glass and an increasingly large selection of V8 engines, but suffered from a two-speed automatic transmission, mediocre handling and brakes, and lots of manufacturing defects.
Also see ‘Ford got crushed in 1960s mid-sized field despite early entrance’
The defects in Car Life’s test cars included misaligned trim, electric wipers that didn’t stop running and a hood that refused to latch securely. Yet the magazine concluded that “the Chevelle will sell — and sell well” (1964, p. 20).
More than 338,000 Chevelles were produced in 1964, overshadowing the Ford Fairlane (almost 224,000 units) and Rambler Classic (almost 207,000 units). The Chevelle’s two-door hardtop was the most popular body style, topping the more traditionally popular four-door sedan. That summed up the car’s appeal — it looked kind of sporty but functioned as rather basic transportation.
NOTES:
Production figures and specifications are from the auto editors of Consumer Guide (1993) and Flory (2004).
RE:SOURCES
- Auto editors of Consumer Guide; 1993. Encyclopedia of American Cars. Publications International, Lincolnwood, Ill.
- Car Life; 1964. “Chevelle, Chevelle, Chevelle.” March issue: pp. 14-21.
- Flory, J. “Kelly” Jr.; 2004. American Cars, 1960-1972. McFarland & Co., Inc.
ADVERTISING & BROCHURES:
- oldcaradvertising.com: Chevrolet (1964); Chevrolet Chevelle (1964)
The Chevelle’s size and overall concept were right. But, in retrospect, it appears as though some aspects were phoned in…most likely because Chevrolet figured people would buy it because it was a Chevrolet.
The complaints about the workmanship are interesting, because Chevrolets had usually scored well in this regard prior to this. Supposedly the transfer of assembly plants from Chevrolet to GMAD triggered a decline in build quality, but that transfer process didn’t begin until the 1965 model year.
I have seen late pre-production photos of Chevelles wearing Nova badging, so perhaps the Chevelle wasn’t initially considered as a replacement for the Chevy II, but rather as part of an expanded Chevy II lineup.
This is the approach taken in Canada with the Acadian sold by Pontiac-Buick dealers. The Beaumont nameplate, which had been the top trim Chevy II-based Acadian in 1962-63, was transferred to a series of Chevelle based models when they were introduced for 1964.
That’s interesting. The Chevy II in the U.S. could have become a sub-brand with multiple lines?
I read the statement not as an elimination of the Chevy II but only a stop on the top trim level of the Chevy II with the expectation of that potential buyer moving up to the Chevelle instead.
That’s how I read the first part of the quote but the last sentence brought me to wonder if they were implying something more: “It was a late decision last spring to continue an emasculated Chevy II line as a hedge on the Chevelle bet and production continued with negligible appearance changes.”
I think “Car Life”‘s journalist / reporter attended the same cocktail parties as ex-Chrysler President William C. Newberg had done in 1960, when Newberg allegedly heard that G.M. was downsizing its cars for 1962. Now I remember as a young teenager in the summer of 1961 in “The Indianapolis News” a photo of the rear fender of what would be a 1962 Chevy II, featuring the nameplate, “Nova”! (Must have been a slow news day.) Further, for the Chevy II to offer a 283-cu.in. V-8 for 1964 for the Nova SS, Chevy would have had to planned for the engine upgrade including testing as late as early 1963.
I remember the first “Motor Trend” road test of the 1964 Chevelle: It was uncommonly critical (for “Motor Trend”) of the quality (body trim and paint) of the test Chevelle. The only praise was for the powertrain and the sensible size, comparing the Chevelle to the 1955 Chevrolet.
Talk about a coincidence, later when Collectible Automobile did an article about the 1964-67 Chevelle, it was titled: “The 1955 Chevrolet re-invented”.