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(17) Vehicles that defined the Chevrolet brand (1911-1976)

1914 Chevrolet Royal Mail Roadster

In late 1913, just two years after its founding, Chevrolet introduced the 1914 "Royal Mail" Roadster. It was the first Chevy to wrap almost every Chevrolet-specific attribute into one car. Contemporary and jaunty, the Royal Mail had great visual appeal. Its reliable 171-cid 4-cylinder engine had overhead valves, a premium design that contributed to its relatively high power rating. The car's moderate $750 list price included a top, windshield and speedometer – items that had been accessories on more expensive cars just a few years before. In retrospect, it seems fitting that the Royal Mail was one of the first models to carry the Chevrolet bowtie badge.

The four-cylinder "Royal Mail" roadster and "Baby Grand" touring car models Durant introduced at $750 and $875 respectively in mid-1913 set Chevrolet on the road to achieving this goal.

1932 Chevrolet Sport Roadster

Arriving in the midst of the Great Depression, the 1932 Chevrolets were advertised as, "The Great American Value." The cars' styling and chrome accents echoed GM's more expensive 1932 Cadillac models. Priced at a low $445, the Chevrolet Sport Roadster included a "rumble seat" for two, built into the rear deck. Chevrolet's 6-cylinder overhead-valve engine, introduced in 1929, provided smooth, economical power. Upgrades for 1932 included a synchromesh transmission that helped eliminate embarrassing gear clash. Without a doubt, the styling of the '32s helped make Chevy America's favorite car that year. Even today, many collectors point to the 1932 Chevrolet when asked to name their favorite Chevy of all time.

1932 Chevrolet Deluxe Sport Coupe

Adversity sometimes results in greatness, and that was truly the case with the 1932 Deluxe Sport Coupe. Launched amid the Depression, in a year when Chevrolet sales had dropped 50 percent compared to the previous year, the Sport was one of Chevrolet's prettiest pre-WWII cars, an attractive yet compact vehicle with a curvaceous rear that lived up to its title with sporting looks and performance. The car was a strict two-seater... well, inside at least. If you wanted to carry more passengers, they had to make do with the rear rumble seat in the trunk. Lots of fun in the sun, rather less so in the rain. "It was a cool design," believes Ed. "It says so much about Chevrolet: a lot of the words you can use to describe it also relate to current cars. It had spirit, was affordable and contemporary. Customers felt they were getting a lot of car for their money, something that still holds true today."

1936 Chevrolet Suburban

The early Suburban was the grandfather of the modern SUV. However, the steel-bodied, truck-based Chevy Suburban "Carryall" originated as a more robust and accommodating alternative to 'woodie' station wagons when it was introduced in mid-1935. Continuing into 1936 with few changes, the first generation Suburban was often put to work carrying up to eight persons, plus their gear and luggage, to rugged and remote locations –where work, play, or the pursuit of adventure awaited. During the past 76 years, many of the more than 2 million Chevy Suburbans built have continued that original mission, while others have taken on new roles, such as serving as VIP limousines. Along the way, the Suburban has become the longest-lived, continuous production, automotive nameplate in the United States.

1948 Chevrolet Pickup

Chevy's new Advance Design trucks for 1948 were the first completely restyled General Motors vehicles introduced after World War II. From the start, people loved the new Chevy pickups. (And they still do – the Advance Design generation trucks are cherished by collectors as classics today.) The new, roomier cabs for '48 provided spacious three-across seating. The Chevy truck driveline, which had proved itself in every possible way during the war, hadn't needed – or received – much tweaking. Reliable and versatile, the Chevy half-ton pickup continued as the farmer and tradesman's four-wheeled friend. With the advent of the '48s, more families began to consider a Chevy pickup for a second car.

1949 Chevrolet Canopy Express

During the decades since the first Chevy trucks rolled out in 1918, some once-common uses for Chevrolet trucks, and the special models that served these needs, have fallen by the wayside. Open-sided panel trucks called Canopy Express trucks were once common, and used for many types of delivery services. Before supermarkets came along, "hucksters" commonly vended fresh fruits and vegetables curbside in neighborhoods from such trucks. The GM Heritage Center collection has one of the last 1949 Canopy Express trucks in existence.

1953 Chevrolet Corvette

In 1952, GM styling head Harley Earl and a small team of designers set out to create an American sports car using innovative fiberglass body construction. Crowds thronged the resulting roadster – the Chevrolet Corvette – at the 1953 GM Motorama. A production version, powered by a warmed-up Chevy six, followed. A few years later, GM engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, a Russian-born ιmigrι who knew his way around European sports car racing, gave Corvette its high-performance heart. Duntov massaged Ed Cole's elegantly simple and lightweight 1955 Chevy small-block V-8 into a racing engine competitive in most any arena. By 1956, a Corvette race car with the right factory authorized parts could give nearly any car in the world a good run. And that was just the beginning.

1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe

Occasionally, a new car arrives at just the right moment – and history is made. One such standout in the 100-years of Chevrolet is the 1955 Bel Air. Chevrolet had a "durable, but dull" image in the early 1950s that cried out to be re-energized. The 1955 Chevy, especially in top-level Bel Air guise, did just that. Debuting just as rock n' roll was about to shake America to its cultural roots, the longer, lower and often two-toned 1955 Chevy exuded American optimism. A sizzling new "Turbo-Fire" V-8 – the engine that launched Chevy's legendary small-block engine family – was optional. Chevy ads called the '55, "The Hot One," an allusion both to its V-8 performance and record-breaking sales pace.

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad

The strikingly sleek Chevy Nomad of 1955-1957 brought mid-century modern design to the utilitarian station wagon. The Nomad got its name, along with its unique roofline and rear body treatment, from a 1954 GM Motorama Corvette concept wagon conjured up by GM design chief Harley Earl – father, as well, of the 1953 Corvette roadster. Encouraged by the show car's reception, and mindful that America's burgeoning suburbs were absorbing ever more station wagons, Chevrolet developed the Nomad into a premium Bel Air-level "halo" model for their 1955-57 regular wagon lines. The Nomad two-door sport wagon design was produced through 1957. Each of the three model years still has its passionate followers – the original Nomads have never gone out of style.

1963 Chevrolet Impala

The Beach Boys sang harmonies to Chevy's 409-cid big-block V-8, rated at a thumping 425-hp for 1963. The hardtop '63 Impala Sport Coupe, with its convertible-look roofline, crisply tailored flanks, and pointed fenders, beautifully showcased the big brute of an engine. The sleek 1963 Impala could also be had with a Chevy 283 or 327 small-block V-8 engine, and was even available as a six-cylinder model. The popular Super Sport package included special SS exterior details and front bucket seats with a console. Collectors drool over '63 Impalas today – especially when there is an original 409 V-8 under hood – and the '63 is also a favorite with hot rodders and customizers.

1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray "Split-Window" Coupe

By 1962, the Chevy Corvette had earned global respect for its performance prowess and was on its way to becoming the favorite, if never official, car of America's astronauts. It even starred in a hit TV show about a couple of guys on a perpetual road trip on Route 66. Then came the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray. Based on a one-off sports racer penned by GM design chief Bill Mitchell, the Corvette Sting Ray "Split-Window" Coupe was quite possibly the most exciting production car America had yet experienced. Beyond its superbly tailored form, the Sting Ray had a new and effective independent rear suspension, offered extra-potent, fuel-injected small-block V-8 power, and, best of all, was surprisingly affordable.

1967 Chevrolet Pickup

The 1967 Chevy trucks led truck design into a new era. Leaner and cleaner in every line, the new models appeared lower and longer – somehow managing to look both car-like and rugged at the same time. Their large, rounded wheelhouses added a design touch evocative of several popular GM cars of the era. The '67s were more durable than ever, and were to their core tough machines designed first of all to get the job done. Many features of the new pickup – and the Suburban that shared its styling – were designed to appeal to the still relatively small, but growing, number of customers seeking comfortable and capable trucks for recreational use or personal transportation.

1969 Chevrolet Camaro

Providing a spectacular grand finale to the first generation (1967-69) Camaro, the freshly restyled '69s raced through a year of unprecedented exhilaration. Chevy's hot four-seat sportster was turning up at the head of the pack everywhere, it seemed. The Z28 was headed for a Trans Am racing championship, several dozen specially produced ZL-1 aluminum-engined Camaro coupes were providing thunderous thrills at drag strips, and a specially detailed RS/SS 396 Convertible popped up just in time to pace the 1969 Indy 500. No 1969 Camaro would ever become just another used car. The spirit of the now-iconic '69 is subtly evident throughout the forward-looking 2010 Camaro.

1970 Chevrolet El Camino SS

The El Camino "passenger-car pickup" first appeared in 1959 and was, along with the '60 edition, based on the full-size Chevy. Following a three-year hiatus, the El Camino returned for 1964, as a derivative of the new intermediate-sized 1964 Chevelle. The restyled '68 El Camino was as sleek as any vehicle with a pickup bed could be. That same year, the El Camino was finally available with Super Sport equipment, and buyers could fully partake of the additional muscle-car options offered for the Chevelle SS. The 1970 El Camino SS, stuffed with 396- or 454-cid Chevy big-block power, is the ultimate El Camino of the muscle car era.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS

The muscle car era peaked in 1970, and leading the way to the summit was the SS 454 Chevelle. Chevrolet's 454-cid big-block, the largest displacement production Chevy V-8 ever, was new for 1970. That same year, GM first permitted engines larger than 400-cid in its intermediate-sized cars. One result was perhaps the most legendary of all Chevy Super Sports, the SS 454 Chevelle. The available 450-hp LS-6 big-block could launch the SS 454 to 100 mph in about 13 seconds. Original, unmodified LS-6 SS 454s are rare, investment-grade, collectibles today. However, many enthusiasts build their dream Chevelle SS from Chevy's Performance Parts catalog – the GM Heritage Center's '70, with its modern 505-hp, LS7 427 V-8, is a sterling example.

1971 Chevrolet C/10 Cheyenne Pickup

The trend had been building for years and in 1971, it became impossible to ignore: Mainstream America was falling in love with Chevy trucks. The 1971 trucks helped Chevrolet set a new car and truck calendar year sales record of more than 3 million vehicles that year. On a model-year basis, Chevy truck production for 1971 totaled 739,478, also a record at that point. Of all the Chevrolet truck models offered for '71, by far the most popular was the 2WD C/10 pickup, with more than a quarter million built. Spurring the half-ton's acceptance was the new-for-1971 Cheyenne premium trim package, which raised Chevy pickup interior style and comfort to new levels.

1976 Chevrolet C/10 Stepside Pickup

Tradition counts in the truck business, and wise truck makers stay mindful of the past while moving ahead. When Chevy launched its smooth-sided, double-walled Fleetside pickup box in mid-1958, it kept the Stepside box in the lineup as well. It would remain available, one way or another, for another 45 years. The classic Stepside design had a small step – really a vestige of the old-time running board – mounted ahead of each rear fender. These were useful for reaching items collected at the front of the bed. Convenience aside, some Chevy pickup buyers just plain liked the look of a Chevy Stepside. The dealer-added paint striping and aftermarket wheels on the Stepside shown provided an individualized custom appearance.

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