We’ve visited a number of dealers in the last few weeks, from Buick to Ford, to Oldsmobile. But we haven’t visited a Chevrolet recently, and it’s time to check out a few. Locations are missing in some, but I’m sure CC readers will probably help with those. We start with Courtesy Chevrolet, AZ.
Mirak Chevrolet, Arlington, MA.
Courtesy Chevrolet, Phoenix, AZ.
1960 Showroom.
1961 Showroom.
Phelps Chevrolet, Greenville, NC.
Phelps Chevrolet, Greenville, NC.
Just Chevrolet Co., Delano, CA.
Courtesy Chevrolet, Phoenix, AZ.
Wow – nice photos!
Same dealership too!
Those Chevrolets look so nice – right up to the Vega, and then – um – not so much. Really, which Chevy would you like in the last photo? The Citation, Chevette, Camaro? There is a reason folks left American cars for Toyota, Datsun, Honda and VW. Tough times! Glad that era is over.
Clearly they made some good ones, that ’81 Citation you pictured has been worthless enough to be one breakdown from the junkyard since about 1990 and is, or at least fairly recently was, still on the road.
One thing my “Citation” didn’t do much of was “rust”.
My Citation didn’t last long enough to rust. It was garbage after 15 months.
Got my Mom into a new Citation X-11 in 1980. What a mistake. The dealer had the car more than we did. Long story short that headache was gone by `82.
Véga already had holes on the front fenders from the first Qc winter…meanwhile a Corolla was maybe good for 2 more winters without holes.
Was the Chevette really so bad? They were humble and cheap and crude, but at least they functioned well for a reasonable time didn’t they?
Yes, Brian ;
they were basic and crude but they also were good little econo boxes .
We had one in our fleet as an errand car and it went, and went, and went….
-Nate
Great pictures! Amazingly, Courtesy Chevrolet is still in business at the same location, and still has the same mid-century neon sign. Here’s a picture of it lit up at night:
Great sign! I’d stop there for a Sting Ray
I’m liking the ’64 Malibu at Phelps Chevy!
Me too!! (and the gold “Camaro” in “Phoenix”!!)
I’m tempted to look up Doc Brown and Marty to see if they could help me go back to pick up a ‘61 Impala bubble top.
Remarkable is the use of so many different typefaces and signets. Even the use of the bow tie seems to be arbitrary.
Was corporate identity unknown in those days?
My first thought was “Hey, we used to have a Courtesy Chev-Olds here, I wonder if …” but then the sight of the palm tree disabused me of that notion.
I had a battered old ’62 Chevy II, which some years previously would have looked a lot like the one in the first shot.
That ‘58 Belair hardtop at Courtesy looks a bit dirty. A used trade-in? Wonder why this pic was even taken.
It’s a dirty Impala. Which I’d love to have, dirt and all.
A couple of dealer pics from 1957, in Ottawa (Vanier) Canada. I remember visiting this dealership regularly when I was a kid, where my dad brought his 1957 Chevy Biscayne (and later his 1964 Chevy Impala) for maintenance.
I don’t recall being with him when he actually purchased the cars – I suspect he didn’t need the distraction of a four-year old (in 1957) while negotiating a deal and trade-in.
Maintenance visits were frequent – oil changes, chassis lube and tune ups were much more frequent back then. Always on a Saturday morning.
I remember being particularly excited to visit the showroom when the new model year cars would show up around mid-September. The local newspapers were full of multi-page ads introducing the new models, but the opportunity to accompany my dad to this dealer to actually see the new cars was a treat.
This dealer is now an Audi franchise, since about 2015 (I believe).
That should be 1957 Chevy Belair, not Biscayne.
Chevy made some nice looking cars, although I’m not a fan of the 58 Impala, but then came the Vega and it seems they kind of went into a slump.
That 1958 Impala in the third photo looks very dusty and in need of a good detailing job. It’s hard to believe it would have been presented to the customer in that condition, even if was being bought as a used car.
Perhaps it was the vehicle being traded for a new Chevrolet?
Mirak Chevrolet is still in business. Here’s a link to the location on Google Maps:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/1125+Massachusetts+Ave,+Arlington,+MA+02476/@42.4223146,-71.1731084,17z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x89e376391349f9c7:0xf7f56d5a9a4f61e5!8m2!3d42.4225942!4d-71.1730262!16s%2Fg%2F11bw3yzp5_?entry=ttu
The address is: 1125 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA 02476
Note that the W.T. Grant’s department store in the background of the vintage photo is long gone!
P.S. Locals never use the full name of Massachusetts Avenue. It’s always “Mass Ave.”!
Mirak Chevrolet (founded in 1936) is still operational, just not in the original location shown in this picture. That site was redeveloped in the 1980s, and the Chevy dealer moved a mile or two up the street. I read that at the time, Mirak was the “largest Chevrolet dealership in New England”. I have no idea if that’s true, but I doubt that it’s the case now.
The current dealership (there’s also an associated Hyundai dealer next door) is a rather uninspired looking building. Certainly the signs at the old place were better.
Yes, the trend now is for all of the dealers to build the dealership buildings using a uniform corporate “look”, which is a shame! There’s something about the “good old days” where the dealers had individual styles that, love ’em or hate ’em, you knew exactly whose business it was! Now, if it weren’t for all of the shiny new cars parked out in front of the building, the showroom could just as likely be an office park or supermarket, and that’s a shame!
Locally famous Bob Peck in Arlington VA. Recently torn down, but the replacement high rise uses its diamond motif.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/28/94/77/289477f98c396ec505fda1bb002dd491.jpg
They may or may not be locally famous, but the names of two related DC Metro area (MD) car dealerships never fail to amuse me: Pohanka Honda and Pohanka Hyundai.
Pohanka Oldsmobile came to my mind, but that may not have been their first. Successful DC-area dealers tended to have several makes as the suburbs exploded and foreign cars became popular in the 70s.
Last I knew, Mirak was still around. I have to qualify that comment by saying that we’ve been away from the “Bay State” for over a decade now… but I remember the name from my days working in Cambridge (and elsewhere in MA). 🙂
Take me to the 2nd picture @ Mirak Chevrolet ~ I don’t know which I’d choose but one of those used Chevies would do nicely .
-Nate
I’d choose the ’51 Mercury. But parked next to it to the right is a ’53 Chevy Business Coupe with whitewall tires. I’d choose that one too.
Dig it Stuart ;
I don’t care for those big Mercs, never did .
But a Bow Tie Ride with a 6Banger……
-Nate
What year did Chevy have the most models? Could it have been 1967?
The now-gone Pellini Chevrolet in Sebastopol CA had no new Chevrolets on display in its tiny showroom. Insteaf, it had some of the owner’s collection of old Chevrolets, among other cars. Pete Pellini closed the dealership, not trusting a reorganized GM under an Obama-directed bailout from bankruptcy. The collection was sold and Pete died two years ago.
I regret never having visited to take some photos but often drove past to see what was on display.
Webpage about the collection and dealership;
https://insomniacgarage.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-lost-collection-of-pellini-chevrolet.html?m=1
4th photo down ….
Behind the ’60 Chevy wagon ….
How about that showroom Corvette rear!
^What year did Chevy have the most models???
1999ish would be my guess
Malibu
Lumina
Cavalier
Metro
Tracker
Prism
Suburban
Tahoe
Silverado(all new pickup for that year with new name)
C/K series trucks
Express
Camaro
Corvette
Kodiak
Lemme know if I forgot any. Also gimmie that white 1960 4 door Bel-Air in the background of that one showroom pic. Love the wild styling on the 59-60 4 doors with that crazy rear window