Here’s a rare bird; a car that wasn’t even listed or shown in the 1971 Chevrolet brochure. For that matter, the Biscayne was already missing from the 1970 brochure; its last appearance in those hallowed books was 1969. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t available. Whether it was fleet only all those years, or you had to just ask nicely, I’m not quite sure, but one (or more) of our commenters here will know. But theory is not the same as seeing one in the (ample) flesh, and CC Cohort That Guy 1960 did just that.
It has Washington plates, very apt vanity ones at that. But seeing that it’s from Washington makes me wonder: is this a Canadian car that was imported? Because I know that Biscaynes were made (and marketed for retail sale) in Canada for several more years.
The Encyclopedia of American Cars lists the Biscayne through 1972, so was that really the end, at least in the US?
Speaking of brochures, the Bel Air in the 1971 brochure looks decidedly odd, like it was “photoshopped” in the old-school way from an older car or something. The front end is ok, but it looks less than faithful from the front doors back. And it looks like it has less chrome trim than our featured Biscayne. Which makes me wonder even more if it wasn’t a Canadian car.
This “Biscayne” has the same window trim as the Impala sedan (in red). It appears this Biscayne somehow got ordered with Impala-type window trim.
How about the wagon equivalent? 1972 Chevrolet Brookwood station wagon. From what I understand Brookwood was the wagon equivalent of Biscayne. I saw this one a year or two back so hopefully it still lives.
Here is the rear. Canadian car for sure this time.
Yeah, Brookwood, Townsman, Kingswood, and Kingswood Estate lined up with Bis, Bel, Imp, and Cap.
I was so glad when Chevy went back to the sedan names for 73 up!
That has to be one of the UGLIEST Chevrolet header panels ever.
It reminds me of the “Wagon Queen Family Truckster”.
O.K. I HAD to show this image of the Wagon Queen Family Truckster. For those not familiar with the station wagon in the 1983 comedy movie “National Lampoon’s Vacation”, staring Chevy Chase. The wagon you mentioned was based on a 1979 Ford LTD Country Squire. Neat, eh?
AMERICANS HAD TO SETTLE FOR THE TOWNSMAN BECAUSE FLEET CARS WEREN’T AVALABLE TO THE PUBLIC (THEY DON’T SELL)
It looks like the photo was originally a coupe. As an avid brochure collector I can tell you that these things happened frequently, especially with GM and Chrysler publications. Ford ones seemed a little truer to form.
Also, I don’t see any obvious signs of holes anywhere, usually a sure fire tipoff of police car duty. It may have been an unmarked. Be interesting to get a look into the interior, for police package clues.
GM, specifically Chevy and to a lesser extent, Pontiac, seemed to have a larger share of the law enforcement market in Canada back in those days, compared to the US. This is strictly from empirical observation from what I remember as a kid.
Chevy wasn’t really a force in the US market until the late 70’s, after the 9C-1 Novas got thier foot in the door.
This reminds me of one of the all-time classic photoshop blunders – the 1971 Dodge Challenger T/A. Chrysler took a front perspective photo of the previous year’s 1970 T/A (which had been published in black & white), brought it back in color, and air-brushed in (that’s what it was known before photoshop) a ’71 Challenger grille to create an ad for the ’71 T/A,
The only problem was there was never a 1971 Challenger T/A built.
I think that ’71 was Canadian as well.
Also I remember a number of doctored Chevy ad/brochure pix in the early 70’s. That BelAir is one of the most obvious ones. That must’ve been a hardtop or convertible that got retouched.
That must’ve been a hardtop or convertible that got retouched.
Yes that b-pillar looks quite strange…
I know it’s not a Chrysler product but that picture screams “cousin of the Bluesmobile.”
It is indeed a rare bird. Production was 22,000 and change (5800 with a six-banger) according to the editors of Consumer Guide. Fleet only? Nothing denies or verifies, but it makes a lot of sense.
Mainly for fleet, police car or taxicab. Oldcarbrochures just posted the 1971 Chevrolet taxicab brochure featuring a Biscayne.
I don’t know if the photo was retouched or not, but the car in the photo is strangely attractive after all these years, and those sedans, whether two or four doors, did not seem to be designed that way.
The pillarless hardtop was the style leader in those days and the post models looked to be an afterthought.
True or not, that’s how it appeared to me. The last Chevy sedan of that era I liked was my 1961 two-door, which had that unique roof which made it special. The rest? Blah…
I can’t look at a cheapo big Chevy of this vintage without thinking about the 1973 James Bond flim, Live and Let Die, they must have smashed half a dozen Bel-Airs during the filming.
It was way more than half a dozen.
Chicago Police Dept. bought a bunch of new ’71 Biscaynes, suddenly appeared on streets that summer. Even at 10 y/o, I was like ‘they already have BelAir, what’s difference?’ I also think they were fleet only, but I saw many eldery couples driving NW side of Chciago in early 70’s “Bay of Biscay specials”.
1972 was the last US Biscayne, my dad had a CPD ‘take home’ one for work. Then CPD had ‘more upscale’ BelAirs til ’75. Switched to ‘BluesMobile’ Dodges in 76-77*, and when they went back to Chevy in 79, the Dodges were trashed in “BBros”, at only 2-3 years old!
*Maybe in `76, the fleet buyers thought “Oh we cant afford Impalas”!
The Chevys were the first of the working squads with power steering. I tried to get one every chance I got, after trying to push 68 Fords through city streets in rush hour in winter without power steering and about four turns lock to lock . The air conditioning was a bonus. I must be as old as your father…..
The Biscayne was last sold in the U.S. in 1972, but it continued to be available in Canada until 1975. Similarly, the Bel Air was dropped in the U.S. after 1975, but it remained in the Canadian Chevrolet lineup until 1981.
I’ve never seen any indication that the 1970-72 Biscayne was fleet only, but its absence from the brochure after 1969 suggests that little attempt was being made to market it to retail, even if it wasn’t offically fleet-only. IIRC, after steadily declining through most of the ’60s, Biscayne and Bel Air sales both fell off sharply around 1970 and never recovered. Probably a combination of Chevy deciding to de-emphasize them (dropping the Biscayne from the brochure is certainly consistent with that) and the B-bodies finally becoming sufficently large and “luxury car-ish” with their 1971 restyle that the Biscayne/Bel Air concept just didn’t work on them anymore. It made more sense for their traditional buyers to seek out an intermediate instead.
If that photo of the ’71 Bel Air in the brochure is a 2-door hardtop that was retouched, that’s very interesting, because there was no such model in the U.S. The Bel Air was never sold as a 2-door after 1969, when Chevy dropped the 2-door pillared body style from its fullsize lineup (the same was true of the Biscayne). There hadn’t been a Bel Air 2-door hardtop since the early ’60s. From a recent discussion here on CC, however, Chevy introduced a Bel Air 2-door hardtop in Canada in 1970 to replace the 2-door pillared model, and there continued to be 2-door Bel Airs in Canada through at least 1980. So if the car in that photo is really a Bel Air, and it’s a ’71 2-door, it’s a Canadian car.
The most interesting part of that brochure “photo” of the green car is that the rear quarter panel up through, maybe, the B-pillar looks suspiciously like the rear quarter panel of a Cadillac.
I was thinking the same thing!
Can anyone explain why the Canadian market got different cars than the USA market? Other than needing winterizing packages how different were the conditions?
Were the market conditions that much different?
There were a number of reasons why the Canadian market sometimes got different cars than in the U.S., but I think the one coming into play here is that the Canadian market has historically been a bit more slanted towards cheaper/smaller cars. As a result, GM Canada may have felt that there was enough demand for Biscaynes and Bel Airs to keep selling them even after their U.S. counterparts were gone.
Hi, I’m a Canadian automobile enthusiast, allow me to explain.
1) Auto Pact
http://www.lexum.com/ca_us/en/cts.1966.14.en.html or if you want it explained (reading Int’l Trade Law is fun! At least for some of us)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada%E2%80%93United_States_Automotive_Products_Agreement
Prior to this tarriffs forced goofy local production.
2) Dealer networks
Because how the brands came to Canada (production JVs – McLaughlin Buick) we didn’t get all the different “brands” each of the big 3 had at the same time, this led to differences in how the sales territory was divided up there were (and to a small extent post-restructuring) different types of dealers combinations.
Once upon a time it was Pontiac-Buick-GMC versus Chev-Olds (and maybe Caddy) dealers, stand alone Mercury-Lincoln dealers, Plymouth-Fargo, etc… And you would see them down the road from each other. Baffled me as a kid when I knew that under the skin the Tempo and Topaz were the same, etc…
This had the effect of creating a need for local models when dealers whined – “Dear Pontiac Dealers, you now sell Asunas, shaddup about the Geo thing”, ibid the Pontiac Acadian. Recently the Ford Grand Marquis.
3) Market conditions
We’re a tad more restrained, historically wages have lagged the US somewhat and there is a productivity gap. Cheaper, less flashy cars sell. We now have a lot of oil and banks that didn’t go tits up. F-150 in Triple Platinum please!
Further, fuel taxes are higher.
Disclaimer, I could be talking out of my ass on some of this.
E.O. & E.
That BelAir ad could have even used a Station wagon pic and retouched it! Looks like those Pontiac ads that were paintings.
Also interesting [funny] in the ad is “now on a smoother 121.5″ wheelbase”
The car in Paul’s pics has too much chrome even for a Bel Air. The side moldings look aftermarket, which was a fairly common thing to do, but the thin edge moldings around the door frames are from an Impala sedan. Maybe it’s wearing some borrowed parts? I’d like to see a shot of the rear of the car.
You’re right. It looked way too nice to be a Biscayne, below the austere Bel Air. Unless someone can prove that the Canadian Biscayne came this way, I’m calling BS: it’s an Impala with a Biscayne emblem.
Is there a shot from the rear?
That would be the dead giveaway, the number of tail lamps.
It could be a Biscayne with some sort of optional trim, I’m sure that somewhere within the option scrolls there was an obscure VK5 option code that added bright trim to the windows of a Biscayne.
He just posted one in the comments: two taillights per side. Your hunch is apparently right.
That door stainless trim was an option on the Bel Air and Biscaynes when ordering. I ordered them when I ordered my new ’70 Bel Air. About a $14.00 option as I remember.
Well, this car does have a lot of chrome around the windows for a Biscayne, but the rear of the car has two lights per side, like a Bel Air or a Biscayne would have. I wonder if this car was special ordered as a Biscayne with a bit of extra trim? That would make the most sense to me.
Nice mudflaps…
The 1971 Biscayne in the photo was purchased buy my uncle, new, at Curtis Chevrolet in Washington, D.C.. It was originally Copper in color. He was the only owner, he recently passed away and left the car to me. I have the original bill of sale and all of the documentation. Feel free to e mail me with any questions. It has a 250cu in 6 cyl engine with a powerglide trans.
This Biscayne may have dealer/customer ordered for certain with a “bright trim” package that would’ve been standard on an Impala. I remember seeing Chevy accesory folders (at least from the late 60s) that had Biscaynes dressed up with dual mirrors, wire wheel covers, bright window trim and all kinds of doo-dads.
My real life experience with Biscaynes as a youth saw most of these very plain on the outside; no bright trim except around the windshield and rear window. At least they came with color keyed carpet (unless fleet special ordered). I remember a kid I worked with as a youth in high school at a McDonald’s had his folks’ hand-me-down ’69 Plymouth Fury I two-door sedan; six, three-on-the-tree, no power nothing, no radio, vinyl bench seats one step above police plain, and rubber floormats.
My recollection of any ’71 or ’72 Biscayne on the street was that they were taxis or cop cars . . . .
Hopefully, I’ll see that Biscayne some time soon and get to talk to the owner. Anybody who drives a Biscayne with vanity plates must be a pretty interesting fellow.
I now own that 1971 Biscayne with the vanity plate “frugal”, it was left to me by my uncle who recently passed away. He was a very interesting fellow. He purchased the car new in Washington D.C. and was the only owner. Feel free to e mail me with any questions.
I would love to find a Bel Air Or Biscayne from this generation (76 Caprice gets a pass too, that nose was pretty aggressive) in spite of my dislike for the 71-76 Chevrolets.
Here’s a 71 Bel Air I found for sale a few years ago in Connecticut. Sea Aqua paint, black vinyl interior, 350 2-bbl under the hood. Believe the seller was asking around 5k, which didn’t seem unreasonable given the better than average condition.
Interesting post. I do love those old full-size Chevrolets. Apparently this Biscayne was optioned with some sort of window-frame brightwork, but I am not familiar with Canadian products, though. I noticed it had a rocker panel molding, also. I can’t recall how to tell a ’71-’72 Biscayne from a Bel Air, other than the stitching of the seats. I really like this car. I considered the ’72 Chevy to be one of my all-time favorites. I owned a ’71 Impala 4-door hardtop, and a ’72 Impala 4-door sedan, both with the 400 small block. That ’71 would do “spirograph” donuts under the right conditions, it was amazing. I drove it to the junkyard, but the ’72 had to be towed after a few months of “garbage-can-bruising” duty. They were tough, but not indestructible.
I LOVE THE CHEVY C-10 HUBCAPS ON THIS BEL AIR
It appears from the additional photograph that this is a non air conditioned car as I do not see the extra right side dashboard vent of an a/c equipped car.
A good friend of mine drove a ’71 Biscayne during his college years. It was a 6 cylinder model with a manual transmission. I’ll ask him if he can tell me the history of the car. I’m wanting to think this car was purchased from the original elderly owner who was not only old school about matters such as a “straight drive” transmission, but also very frugal.
Mr. Bill
Hamlet, NC
The front of the ’71 Chevrolet kind of leaves me cold. I think the car would look better with a bowtie in the grille instead of the block CHEVROLET emblems across the header panel. Those delicate grilles on these cars ended up almost always damaged.
I like this example because it’s still correct, down to the dog dish hubcaps. Seeing it in everyday driver status instead of “restored” is also nice. Those mystery side-view mirrors would have to go though.
Wow these posts are old . Is there any body still out there ? Any way I presently own a 71 Biscayne . Bought it from the original owner , they bought it straight from the dealer , not a fleet car .
Got any pictures of it?
Yeah some where .I’ll try to dig them up.
Biscaynes were available to the public in 1971. This particular car has an option called “Accent moldings”, which added body side, roof drip, and side window frame bright trim.
In 1971 Biscaynes differered from Bel Aires in few ways. Bel Aires had carpeting and fuller foam seat cushions, as well as a few more pleats in the seat covers, and slightly nicer door trim panels. The 2 cars looked identical outside except for their name plates.
Bel Aires were offered in 4 door sedan and 2 door hardtop “Sport Coupe” models in 71, 72 and 73 in Canada. Biscaynes were 4 door only.
Biscaynes were available to the public in 1971. This particular car has an option called “Accent moldings”, which added body side, roof drip, and side window frame bright trim.
In 1971 Biscaynes differered from Bel Aires in few ways. Bel Aires had carpeting and fuller foam seat cushions, as well as a few more pleats in the seat covers, and slightly nicer door trim panels. The 2 cars looked identical outside except for their name plates.
Bel Aires were offered in 4 door sedan and 2 door hardtop “Sport Coupe” models in 71, 72 and 73 in Canada. Biscaynes were 4 door only.
My dad bought a brand new 71 Biscayne from local Denver dealer. It was a much nicer car then the Biscaynes of previous years. It had the 350 V8, PS, PB, AM radio, carpeting and vinyl seats with buttons sewed on. It rode very smooth and very quiet car. The big new feature which was standard on most GM large cars in 71 was the Astro Flow Through Ventilation system The front end styling was awesome at that time.
The only downside he experienced was carb problems, it would stall out from time to time like many GM cars of that vintage.
I just purchased an all-original 52K mile one-owner ’71 Biscayne. Seems to be a rare car. It has the 250 inline 6 with a 3-on-the-tree.
It is solid white and was last driven on 2004. It needs very little though.
That’s quite a find. So, how does it move with the 250 straight 6? I had a 58 Biscayne with the 6 but I think by the late 60’s the big Chevys were even bigger.
It will not win any drag races, but there is enough torque to get it moving. I can’t bring myself to swap drivetrain as this thing is a time capsule. The radiator was replaced by me with a stock looking aluminum one, but I kept the original to be repaired.
I bought a set of used front coil springs to cut one coil and drop the front end, likely this year, yet. It sits like a gasser, and rear coils are new.
From the rear.
Living in Canada I was used to seeing Biscaynes & Bel Airs (dad owned 4 different Biscaynes 1961 – 1974).
In the summer of 1972 I remember traveling to Disneyland in California (you guessed it, in our 1970 Biscayne). While there I saw a brand new Sequoia Green (dark green) Biscayne with wheel covers, whitewalls, radio & a/c. It may have been a rental. It did have blue California plates with yellow lettering.
As for the window moldings, there were a number of different options that could be combined or ordered separately on that generation (and earlier ones). Dad’s 1974 Biscayne had optional Bright Drip Rails (as opposed to none at all). I think the R.P.O. code was B96. Dad also had optional B84 Full-Length Body-side Moldings with vinyl insert. I do recall seeing one 1974 Biscayne with all those moldings, plus the B90 Window Reveal Moldings that were standard on Impala and Caprice. It was a legit option that could have been added to Biscaynes & Bel Airs. Prior to the 1971 models & that generation, B90 gave completely chrome window frames. Back in the 1970s I had seen a 1970 Bel Air sedan that had all chrome window frames like an Impala yet the car was an untouched old man’s car. It also had a vinyl roof cover.
The picture posted above of Trevor Kehoe’s 71 Biscayne looks exactly like the first 71 Big Car I had ever seen with a straight six. I saw it as a new car coming home from the dealer and continued to see it for the next 4 years.
To address how they moved with the six, I guess it is based on your own expectations & requirements. The sixes had surprisingly strong low-end for such a puny engine and had no trouble keeping up with traffic, but they ran out of steam north of 60. Perfectly adequate for normal driving unless your normal is hanging out at 80 mph on the highway. We achieved that in our 6-cylinder 70 Biscayne while visiting California back in 1972 when the highway limit was 80. It felt like it was straining, but more likely it just couldn’t breath through the 1-barrel carb & 6-into-1 exhaust manifold.
The perimeter frame 1965-70 generation was heavier than the X-frame cars of 1958-64. The 1971-76 cars were heavier still.
I love this thread. My 1st car was the green 1971 Bel Air you see in that photograph. My grandfather purchased it new in ’71. Many years later I inherited that car. I don’t think that photograph was retouched, as it looks *exactly* like the green Bel Air I drove & loved. 250 V6, automatic, no A/C, crank windows….a real basics car… but perfect. I wish I still had that car!
Old post I know but I noticed this Chevy for sale, I’m not familiar with this model (I’m in Australia) and as it’s described as an Impala I became more inquisitive, having once owned a 65 Impala, I thought I’d show it and see what you think.
Seller’s description
1970 chev ss impala , worked 454 big block
priced at $15,500.usd
Not a 1970 . It’s at least a 1971 . It should also have louvres/ vents in the trunk ( boot ) lid . Also no SS option after 1970 until 1995 .
Thanks for your reply, Peter.
Showing what looks like chrome skirts and bumper mouldings.
4 door pillarless,
My Dad bought a brand new 71 Biscayne from Gibson Chevrolet, in South Holland, Illinois. Green with a white painted top. I bought it from him as my first car in 1980, rusted as hell. Ran like a beast with that 350. Put a FM converter in it.