Text by Patrick Bell.
Chevrolet’s were hard to beat in the 60’s. They capitalized on their success from the ’50s and offered the same style and quality with increasing model lines and horsepower. They had something for everybody. Today we have a great gallery of them in their prime, so let us proceed.
The lead image shows a happy-looking man — perhaps a Navy man, going by his arm tattoos — leaning on a clean 1962 Impala Sport Coupe from Oregon. From the badges, it was equipped with a 283 cubic inch V8 and looked good in white over black with a red interior. In the background was another Sport Coupe, this one a 1951 Bel Air in green. It was a sunny late spring or early summer day.
The woman in the above photo is leaning on another Impala Sport Coupe with Oregon plates, this time a 1960 model that was dressed out very nicely. It had a great color combination, dual fender-mounted mirrors, at least one rear-mounted antenna, full wheel covers, and whitewall tires. There was one unusual feature: The grille emblem indicates it was a six cylinder model. It appears like the owners were stopped at a roadside motel.
It was a winter day when this 1962 Corvair Monza Club Coupe was photographed. It looked ready to go for a drive. This was Chevrolet’s first compact, but it met with limited success as an economy car. Their line of thinking was to build a European-style car, but it turned out the buying public wanted a small version of an American car, like the Ford Falcon or later Chevy II.
1961 was the first year for the Impala Super Sport, which was a trim option until ’64. For ’61 only, it was available on any Impala model, but I doubt many four-doors were produced. The package included a 348 V8 with an optional new for ’61 409 V8, four-speed transmission, power steering and brakes, various trim items, and narrow-band whitewall tires, which this one does not have. In the right lower corner was a 1963 Corvette Sting Ray.
Basic transportation was just as important to Chevrolet’s mission as sporty cars. The young family pictured above are standing by a 1962 Chevy II 300 four-door sedan, whose badges indicate it has the optional 194 cubic inch six. This was Chevrolet’s second compact, introduced after the Corvair failed to beat out the more conventionally engineered Ford Falcon. This one was a mid-level trim version, a nice, inexpensive to operate car, but not a bare-bones, bottom-of-the-barrel model.
The car pictured above WAS a bare-bones model, a 1962 Biscayne 4-door sedan. This was a favorite in fleet service and thrifty households. The absence of an engine emblem on the fender indicates it was equipped with a six-cylinder engine. It looks like it was getting decorated for an event of some sort. Down the street was a wagon household, with a 1966 Rambler Classic in the driveway and a 1956 Studebaker at the curb.
Next, we have a Pennsylvania car, a sharp 1962 Impala Sport Coupe with the optional bumper guards. Ahead of it was a 1961 Chevrolet two-door sedan. The photo was taken in early spring, with piles of dirt by the house and to the left. Maybe the homeowner was putting a lawn.
Here’s a 1966 Chevelle Super Sport 396 coupe with tire and wheel modifications, hanging out at a Phillips 66 service station. Perhaps it belonged to the owner or one of the employees. This was a restyle of the original Chevelle, which was introduced for the 1964 model year. In the left background, there was a 1963 Plymouth Belvedere wagon, and to the right a black 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 or LTD two-door hardtop and a tan 1961 Chrysler two-door hardtop.
A load of tourists in a 1964 Impala Sport Coupe stopped along the highway to visit with a deer. The car was V8-equipped, with a shaded windshield and rear mud flaps. The license plate was not a state-issued type, but one that was advertising 100 of something.
This slightly blurry 1965 Malibu Super Sport hardtop had one of the Turbo-Fire 327 V8s and 1964 wheel covers. It was still in nice condition for its age. Parked across the street was a 1973 Capri, imported by Lincoln-Mercury.
The base powerplant for this lady’s 1967 Chevy II 100 two-door sedan was a 153 cubic inch four-cylinder, although two sixes and two V8s were optional. With the four, the Chevy II was the least expensive Chevrolet for the year. The lady standing next to it seemed to be the proud owner. On the other side of it was a 1963 Chrysler Newport sedan, and there were two Impala Sport Coupes across the street at the Mobil station, a red ’59 and a black ’61.
This B&W shot shows a 1965 Bel Air four-door sedan with Ontario license plates. I don’t know how different the badging was on Canadian full-size Chevrolets, but on a U.S. car, the badging would indicate a six-cylinder model. I don’t see a radio antenna, suggesting a stripped-down basic transportation model. Behind it was a 1964–1966 C-series pickup, and to the left a battered-looking 1959 Meteor Niagara 300 four-door sedan.
The Camaro was Chevrolet’s entry into the ponycar market. The 1968 Super Sport model pictured above was a nice example of a basic go-fast car. I don’t recognize the car parked directly behind it, but the one in the driveway was a 1960–1962 Ford Falcon Fordor sedan.
I looked at this image of a 1968 Chevelle SS 396 sport coupe three or four times before I realized there was a person lying under the front end. The front wheels were on ramps to make room to crawl underneath. For some reason, it had wheel covers (which I don’t recognize) only on the front wheels, with wider custom wheels and RWL tires on the back. In the background, you can see a 1963 Rambler four-door and a 1964–1966 Chevrolet Suburban Carryall on the street and a 1966 Ford LTD four-door hardtop in the driveway.
The car in the woods above is a 1967 Impala Sport Sedan (four-door hardtop) with the Turbo-Fire 327 V8, vinyl roof, aftermarket wheel covers, and rear snow tires. It looked like a late spring day, with just a little bit of snow remaining.
It is hard to tell from this angle which trim level and model this 1968 full-size Chevrolet was, but I am guessing an Impala Sport Sedan. I see a fender molding on the left side and two door handles, plus it has a vinyl roof, which was available only on hardtop models. It also had the fender lights, which were part of the Auxiliary Lighting option. And it had a full load of people and stuff.
Thanks for joining us and good day to all!
Chevrolet sure had their styling together in the 1960’s, not a miss in this bunch.
Today my favorite is the 62 Impala. The red strips sure pops on the black. Lovely!
The license plate on the 1964 Impala (with deer) is a Manitoba Centennial booster plate. The province’s centennial was 1970, though these plates became available in 1968 (a different version was available in 1967).
I believe the slogan “The First ‘In’ Province” refers to Manitoba being the first province to join the confederation after the first four.
I was about to say the same thing! A friend of mine whose family moved here from Manitoba had one of these plates hanging on his garage wall. Those tires with the double white stripes were something of a fad circa 1970. My Dad put a set of them on our ’64 Beaumont wagon, looked pretty good.
The car behind the ’68 Camaro looks like a ’65-’66 Studebaker Daytona.
I don’t think so. Studebakers had hood ornaments, and didn’t have a valance panel like that. More likely a mid ’60’s European car.
Pretty sure it’s a circa 1969 Ford Cortina. The grille, bumper overriders, and three slots below the bumper are a match.
The ’60 and ’61 Impalas are downright beautiful, but I always root for the underdog. One of my friends in high school drove a hand-me-down Chevy II 300 that was the perfect teenager car. Easy to work on and almost indestructible. We had some great times in that thing. Chevrolet really did rule in the ’60s.
The gentleman in the 5th photo (Nova) and 6th photo (Biscayne) looks to be the same.
However, the lady standing next to him the 6th photo is a lot shorter as compared to the pregnant lady in the 5th photo.
Also, the Biscayne in the 6th photo appears to be decorated, maybe a wedding get away car!! Has he met someone new?!?! ==;-)
No one said anything about the American Motors wagon, and studibaker wagon behind the biscayne
This post reminds me of two cars from my family’s past.
My Dad bought a used 1962 Chevy II 300 four-door sedan, in white. It was the worst car my family ever owned. It was noisy inside but that was surpassed by the hollow knocking sound that occurred when the car was driven over 6-8 miles (I knew what it was). When he sold it, Dad figured he could get a few dollars more in a private sale rather than trading it to the Chevrolet dealer.
The new owner drove it from San Francisco to San Mateo. It threw a rod.
His younger brother bought, brand new, a 1967 Chevrolet Impala four-door hardtop. It served him well until 1984 or so, when it broke down in Reno, NV. It was decided that it wasn’t worth fixing so he and his wife took the train home. The title went to the repair shop by mail, and his wife, who was tired of the Impala, chose for their next car, a Cadillac Cimarron. It was a later model with a V6, and no matter what you’d say about it being a gussied-up Chevrolet Cavalier (all true), it really was not a BAD car, not like the Chevy II.
So many sweet Chebbies ! .
-Nate
Nice selection here! My faves are the 1961-62 Impala Sport Coupes and the ’67 Impala Sport Sedan. That lavender shade on the ’67 doesn’t appear to be a factory color.
It looks like the car parked behind the 68 Camaro is a 67-70 Ford Cortina. The front wheel cover on the red 68 Chevelle is from a 70 Chevelle.
Good eye, Jimmy!
When Chevrolets Ruled The Road.
While not driving, I was alive in that era. I’ve driven a number of Chevy’s and Fords from that era, and looked at a whole bunch.
You want a good looking car, absolutely. But if you test drive it and it drives like a dog, I dunno about you, but I’m not going to buy it. It doesn’t have to be fast, but at least sort of peppy? I had some VW bugs way back when, 40HP bugs. Of course they were slow, but they had a decent torque to weight ratio and while you rowed the gears they felt ok. Yeah, you looked at the speedo and you weren’t going very fast, but they felt ok.
I remember my Mom’s ’63 Ford Galaxie. 289 with a Fordomatic. What a dog. I’m sure it would have smoked my VW Bug across the intersection, to the 1/4 mile or top speed, but it felt like a gutless dog. The Chevies I’ve driven for that era felt kind of ok with a 283 and downright quick if they had a 327. With a Powerglide. Which from my readings wasn’t nearly as power sapping as the Fordomatic.
63 Ford. I thought that was a good looking car. Clean, not busy. 64 I didn’t like, but after that they seemed ok. Chevy. 65-66 maybe, the 2 doors, fastback, they were good looking cars for the time. But if I put my foot down and it doesn’t feel like anything is happening, guess what, I’m not buying it.
Now, at least on cars of that era, dramatic changes could be made with little effort. Tighten up that cable between the throttle and the A/T and bam, it’s not upshifting up at 1500 anymore and feels better. Diff ratios. You’ve got to drive them. In real life. Depending on the curve of the engine, a modest change in the diff can make a huge difference in driveability. It doesn’t matter what the stopwatch says, you have to drive it.
Sorry if I got a little off topic, but maybe not, it relates.
So many great cars at such a great time!
Unfortunately when I think back on that era i think of the Vietnam War. We failed to deal with the major issues and as a nation we kicked the can down the road. Who could have imagined that the muscular GM of the ‘60s would become the emasculated “gm” of today?
The Chevrolets of the ‘60s made a powerful impression on my mind, as did all GM cars in that era. GM was run by car guys; Ed Cole, Bill Mitchell, John DeLorean, Pete Estes, et al. Yet the seeds of GM’s destruction had already been sewn and were now germinating. Soon there would be the Vega and the poorly-built, bloated 1971 model year cars that looked like someone had taken the previous cycle models, put a Schrader fitting in the side and bloated the thing. The course for GM was laid out.
What role did Roger B. Smith play in the planting of the seeds of destruction??
My first car was a 1960 Chevy impala 2door hardtop. I yanked the 283 out and put a 348 in. I thought bigger is better! But that 348 was a dog, truck motor.
The 68 impala is a 4dr hardtop impala custom with vinyl hardtop. It was not the fast back model. I had the 2dr model just like it with a factory installed 65 396ci 375hp turbo 400. What a scat pac.
Love 60’s chevies, mainly the big ones. (Especially with the right number of taillights). But really, like em all.