The Chevrolet Chevelle is hands down one of the most successful GM cars – both in the classic muscle car era, and today as an economy midsize sedan, which it always was.

GM launched the A-body platform in 1964 and had each of its divisions, except Cadillac, develop their own midsize car. The companies obliged and created no less than 15 individual models – all using the same chassis.

The intermediates were primarily envisioned as affordable, compact and practical everyday vehicles. However, some of them evolved into performance monsters, redefining the performance car market in America forever.

Cheap mass-produced midsize bodies, massive big-block V8 engines upfront driving the rear wheels, two doors, four seats, decent sized trunk. It’s the perfect formula! The muscle car was born!

We’re talking about the Pontiac GTO, the Oldsmobile 442, Buick’s Gran Sport and the almighty Chevrolet Chevelle SS.

There’s no other intermediate or any muscle car to sell in such a volume!

GM’s A-bodies flooded the market like a tsunami.

By far the most popular was the Chevelle. Chevrolet produced 387,119 units in 1964 and the number only grew until 1970, when production peaked at 633,944 vehicles.

Sure, the majority of these have been the upscale Malibu version. But between 1964 and 1972, Chevrolet stamped out some 615,344 Chevelle SS cars, topping out in 1965 with 96,381 performance cars.

Second best was the Pontiac GTO with 515,797 produced units between 1964 and 1974.

Ford’s intermediates only exceeded the Chevelle product line in 1972 when the 3rd generation Torino hit the streets. The Blue Oval stamped out 496,645 Torinos vs 450,842 Chevelles.

Even the Mustang, which is not an intermediate, only reached 607,568 units sold in 1966. Mustang sales halved within two years as the market saw an influx of performance cars.

Mopar produced some fine muscle cars, but neither of them sold in such a high volume.

• Plymouth’s RoadRunner only reached a significant sales volume in 1969 with 84,420 cars. The number halved the following year and dropped below 10,000 by 1972.
• The Dodge Coronet topped out at 213,344 in 1970.
• Both the Satellite and Charger reached their max in 1973 with 199,148 and 119,318 sold cars, respectively.

The Chevelle was almost an undisputed ruler of the intermediate muscle car market.

Why was the Chevelle so popular?

The Chevelle was a car that fitted absolutely everybody – farmers, tradesmen, middle class families, young drivers, performance enthusiasts. You could spec a Chevelle anyway you wanted to.

It came in every possible body style – a 2-door coupe, 2-door sedan, 2-door wagon, 2-door convertible, as well as a 4-door sedan and 4-door wagon. There was even a pickup version – the 1964 Chevrolet El Camino was a chopped up Chevelle, running on the same chassis, powertrain and styling.

The exterior design was simple and clean. Sure, it was boxy, but also very hard to hate on.

The 300 series Chevelles were practically economy vehicles. You could get one new in 1965 for as little as $2,100, which, adjusted for inflation, is cheaper than the 2020 Toyota Corolla.

The upscale Chevelle Malibu featured a nicer interior with deluxe cloth and vinyl upholstery, carpeting, fancy steering wheel and other plush items.

All of these came with an extensive variety of engine options. The first generation 1964 – 1967 could be ordered with three I6 engines and three V8 engines of various displacement.

The ultimate performance variant was the SS396, powered by the 396 cubic-inch big-block V8 engine, producing up to 375 hp.

The second generation Chevelle is the definition of a muscle car

In 1968, GM redesigned all A-body cars, splitting the platform into a 112-inch wheelbase for the coupes and convertibles and 116-inch wheelbase for the sedans and wagons.

The Chevelle and other intermediates got the coke-bottle treatment with an even longer, slightly curved hood, a semi-fastback roof sloping into the trunk and rounded side panels.

Of course, each division was allowed to style their cars and produce their own sheet metal, but the general shape remains more or less the same. Chevrolet designers continued the 1966 tapered fender design, contouring an intricate V-shaped fascia.

The double headlights stayed, but received new square surrounds. A wide grille and horizontal trim lines stretch the whole length of the front end and tuck away under the fenders. The trim line continues along the fender shape and travels all the way to the rear of the car, highlighting its remarkable silhouette.

All coupes featured the absolutely massive C-pillars, which start practically at the door jamb and travel all the way to the rear bumper.

The trunk and rear window are slightly recessed between quarter panels and from a sort of flying buttress on either side. They not only look cool, but also provide a slight aerodynamic benefit. Just like the fins on a rocket, they add straight-line stability at high speed.

The 1970 Chevelle departed from the previous design with a new square front end. The quad headlights were separated from the grille into their own panels which resonated well with the shape of the surrounds. The grille still had a V in the middle, but was split horizontally into two strips and thanks to the chopped ends, appeared more rounded. The front quarter panels feature two prominent fins tapering towards the back of the hood.

In 1971, the front end was redesigned again, featuring an almost W-shaped front end with protruding fenders similar to the last year Torino. The Chevelle lost half of its headlights to gain new wraparound turn signals and side marker lights.

…It could be better.. However, the car did get an awesome rear end design. The bumper-integrated quad circular taillights look absolutely magnificently. This is a signature design for Chevrolet and it looks amazing on all of its sports cars.

Power? The Chevelle had power

The second-generation Chevelle came with just two 6-cylinder engines and a preposterous range of eight V8 engines of various displacement.

At the height of the muscle car war, the 1970 Chevelle SS454 came with Chevrolet’s biggest 454 cubic-inch big block V8 engine with 450 bhp and 500 lb-ft of torque.

The LS6 could tow boats and trailers all day long, or smoke hot shots at the local drag strip. In bone stock form, the SS454 could crush the quarter mile in 13.7 seconds. And mods could get her down into the high 9s.

That was ridiculously fast 50 years ago. And it’s still very fast today!

Another high-performance engine was the L72 427 cubic-inch big-block V8 with a 4-barrel, 800 CFM Holley carburetor, rated at 425 bhp and 460 lb-ft of torque. This one was a rare option installed through the COPO system by Don Yenko and other savvy dealers.

The beginning of the end

Starting 1971, GM put out a corporate order to redesign all engines for lower-octane unleaded gasoline. High-performance engines suffered the most, having their compression ratio cut down from as high as 11:1 to 9:1. This, of course, had an immediate effect drastically reducing horsepower.

Performance cars throughout the nation experienced a global decline, further exacerbated by the several fuel crises raging in the 70s, the Government’s charge for putting automotive emissions and vehicle safety in check, and finally, the steep rise in insurance prices for high-powered cars.

The 1971 Chevelle SS454 only came with the LS5 big block V8 – still displacing 454 cubic inches, but only producing 365 gross horsepower and 285 net. The LS6 was dropped.

Similarly, the 1971 SS396 came with 300 gross horsepower and 260 net.

In 1972, all manufacturers were forced to publish net horsepower ratings – as measured with all accessories and a full exhaust system attached to the engine. This was the same power you got with the engine installed in the car, but many buyers didn’t immediately understand the change in listed numbers.

Since performance was just dropping year on year, people just abandoned fast cars altogether.

The third generation Chevelle returned to being an practical daily driver

In 1973, the third generation Chevelle was unveiled with a radical, completely new design.

Chevrolet redesigned the A platform with stronger and stiffer body on frame construction. The engineers revised the suspension front and back and gave the Chevelle front disc brakes standard on all models.

The convertible and 4-door hardtop bodies were discontinued. The Colonnade style introduced more rigid bodies with strong B-pillars and twin-hull roof designs, which offered increased protection in the event of rollovers.

Also new for 1973 were the infamous 5-mph bumpers as per Government regulations.

Initially, the change was poorly received by the public. Pillarless hardtops were a staple body style and dropping them from the lineup just highlighted the obvious decline in performance.

The 1973 454 big block V8 only produced 245 horsepower. This was the final year for the big block V8 and the Chevelle SS.

After 1973, Chevelle returned to being an economy, practical everyday car. Ultimately, this was what the 70s market needed and Chevrolet delivered. After some incubation period, the design was accepted and became a huge success over the course of the decade.

Between 1973 and 1977, Chevrolet produced 1.3 million Chevelles.

The best selling model, throughout all three generations was the Chevelle Malibu. Since Chevelle – the muscle car – was officially dead, after the end of the third generation, the car continued over with the Malibu nameplate.

In 1982, GM redesigned the A-body as a front-wheel-drive platform and replaced the Malibu model with the Chevrolet Celebrity.

The Malibu nameplate returned in 1997 to stay as Chevrolet’s front-wheel-drive 4-door midsize sedan. The Chevy Malibu is still here today, in 2020, living out it’s 9th generation and doing well in the otherwise declining sedan market.

Even though its performance was laid to rest in 1973, the Chevrolet Chevelle remains one of the most successful and influential vehicles of the muscle car era and a much sought after classic.