The Classic Chevy’s
Chevrolet’s old advertising campaign read, “Baseball, apple pie, and Chevrolet.” It was supposedly General Motor’s chief division attempted to program consumers into believing that a Chevrolet was as normal as Main Street, USA. In a number of ways, this campaign worked. For generations now, the Chevrolet distribution has been dishing out cars that have been lapped up by Americans, in particular those buying their first car. Let us now take a look at three Chevy classics that have created the respected US automaker.
Corvette – In 1953, the Chevy Corvette was released and since then the auto market has not been the same. This two seat ragtop paved the way for greater and lesser cars to enter the US market including Chevy’s own Camaro first, and followed by the Chevelle; Pontiac’s Firebird and GTO; Ford’s Thunderbird and Mustang; the Dodge Charger; Plymouth ‘Cuda; AMC Javelin; Datsun 240Z; and a multitude of other cars. For over 50 years, the limited production Corvette has been the “halo” car for Chevrolet and is now a much loved of the baby boomer set.
Camaro – One of the new “pony cars” was the Camaro which, along with the correspondingly designed Pontiac Firebird, was GM’s answer in 1967 to the Ford Mustang. After the 1964 introduction of the Mustang, GM badly needed a response! Pony cars were famous for compact size, speed, and 2+2 seating. Add in a convertible and you had a true California cruiser. After 35 years of production, Chevy discontinued their Camaro while the Mustang is still being made even today. Good news for Camaro fans: A new Camaro is reportedly set to debut later this year or early 2010.
El Camino – Which is it; a car or, is it a truck? How about: car/truck? Half car and half truck, the El Camino is basically a car with the rear section converted into a truck bed. Introduced in 1959, the original El Camino was based on the Impala platform, then on the Chevelle, and later on the Malibu chassis. The El Camino was released as Chevy’s response to the 1957 introduction of the Ford Ranchero, the first production car/truck. Although not meant for heavy duty truck use, the El Camino when equipped with adjustable shock absorbers, was able to carry its share of weight in its back bed.
Other cars from Chevy that have been unforgettable include: the Venture, Nova, Caprice, and Chevelle; while some easily forgettable models include the Chevette, Monza, and Vega.
Chevrolet’s existing line up is a far cry from their former times fleet, but with over 25 cars, trucks, vans, and SUVs models being marketed today, the Chevrolet name continues to impact and shape the American automotive industry.