Chevrolet - Spirit - Brochure - 1960 - 1960

SPACE AGE STAR APRIL 2020 IN THIS ISSUE WE CELEBRATE 60 YEARS OF 1960 CHEVROLET. 1 This month begins a look back at the 1960 Chevrolet. We’ll cover passenger cars this EDITOR’S NOTES…………………Page 2 month and light trucks and Corvette in June. 1960 CHEVROLET TURNS 60……Page 3 We featured region Vice President John Mahoney’s 1960 Impala in the April 2017 EDITOR’S NOTES: newsletter. John contributed an article about the 1960 custom feature accessory Speedminder in I imagine this newsletter finds most, if not all, the same issue. We covered 1960 Corvair of you in some kind of shut-in situation. I hope extensively in the August 2015 Space Age Star, all our region members are staying well. Maybe so we won’t include it this time. this newsletter will relieve a little boredom. Russell Heim Something else to pass the time during Corona virus quarantines is watching Jam Handy films Letter to the Editor: on You Tube. In case you don’t know, Jam Handy made industrial training films. Chevrolet Morning and great job as always on the was a big client of theirs, and Jam Handy newsletter. produced many promotional and training films In response to your comment about my letter to for Chevrolet. I especially enjoy the sales force the editor in the AACA Magazine, the club is so training films and film strips. They’re a lot of 2-sided in that they want new members, but they fun, especially when they compare Chevrolet don't want them to have "newer" cars! And that products to the competition. Look for the 1962 infuriates me. I wrote another letter to West film entitled “Duel in the Desert,” as it’ll take Peterson a few years ago about how I was treated you back in time and provide a few laughs. at the Virginia Beach National meet. "That's just Laughter is important in times like this. a used car!" is what was said to me and I was so Our region has 99 members this year, the exact mad that I had to write about it. The response number we had last year. A few old members was amazing! I can't tell you how many people didn’t appear on the active roster when I told me that they received the same comments prepared the 2020 roster for national on their 25 year-old vehicle. And I don't mind headquarters. We recruited the same number of sticking up for people "my age" who don't new members as those who left, so our number have/want 20's/30's/40's vehicles. While I love didn’t change. I haven’t deleted anyone from them and they are beautiful, they don't work for the email list. If your membership lapsed and us in this time of our lives. My Wagon, like my you’ve since renewed it, contact me at the region Suburban, is my daily driver as well as my email address, and I’ll place you back on the HPOF vehicle. I will never own a "new" car. official roster. Sorry.... I hope I didn't ramble too much! And The newsletter received an “Award of I got your oh so subtle hint about an article on Distinction” from AACA for 2019. It’s always my car. I'll wait until I have some better photos nice to be recognized. Thanks to all the until I submit. members who contributed to the newsletter. Annie Goldman Actually, I was surprised that we received an award, I thought the newsletter quality was down Thanks for your thoughts, Annie. I hope your last year, mostly because I was ill and couldn’t experiences make people think before they give it as much attention as usual. speak. TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 60 YEARS OF 1960 CHEVROLET 1960 was the first model year since 1957 that Chevrolet didn’t introduce a radically restyled car. The 1960 Chevrolets bore a strong resemblance to the 1959 models. The 1958 and 1959 models barely resembled their immediate predecessors. 1960 styling was a refinement of the 1959 exterior. The front end was simpler than 1959. They removed the air intakes from the edge of the hood. The new grille was oval shaped with a large emblem in the center. The 1959 tear-drop rear lights were replaced with double tail lights on Biscayne and Bel Air and triple tail lights on Impala models. Impala and Bel Air featured bright rear cove panels surrounding the tail lights. Biscayne made due with a body colored rear cove. The rear fins were lower than last year. The 1960 side trim featured a jet plane with a contrail theme. While Biscayne had a simple wing with a thin bright stainless strip trailing behind it, Bel Air had a small plane with a larger single stainless bright strip, with Impala having a fancy airplane with two bright strips behind it. The space between the strips was painted in a contrasting color to the main body color. Impala front fenders featured slot like trim directly behind the headlights. 3 Biscayne: Chevrolet’s ad writers had plenty to say about the lowest priced series: “Thriftiest of all full-sized Chevrolets.” “For the first time in a low-priced series, you get extra luxury and convenience features, such as cigarette lighter, front arm rests, dual sun visors – all at no extra cost.” Biscaynes featured a vinyl and cloth interior color-keyed to the exterior. Only the front seats were foam cushioned. Biscayne came in three body styles – two-door sedan, four-door sedan, and utility sedan. Chevrolet built 287,662 1960 Biscaynes. Here are Biscayne’s base prices: Biscayne Utility Sedan: $2,175. Biscayne two-door sedan: $2,369. Biscayne four-door sedan: $2,423. Biscayne Fleetmaster two-door sedan: $2,337. Biscayne Fleetmaster four-door sedan: $2,391. 4 5 Bel Air: Chevrolet referred to 1960 Bel Air as: “Popular priced” and “a beautiful blend of elegance and economy.” In the passenger compartment, Bel Air offered five vinyl and fabric interior color combinations, color-keyed to the exterior. Carpeting had vinyl-coated rubber inserts. Bel Air had four body styles, two-door sedan, four-door sedan, sport coupe and sport sedan. All seats were foam cushioned. Base prices for Bel Air were: four-door sedan: $2,545, two-door sedan: $2,491, sport coupe: $2,596, sport sedan: $2,661. Chevrolet produced 381,517 1960 model year Bel Airs. 6 Impala was, according to Chevrolet’s sales brochures: “Luxury leader of the low-priced field.” “At a glance you can tell the elegance of an Impala by its distinctive side molding, bright rear end panel and triple rear lights.” “For interior beauty, there’s a brilliant new selection of pattern cloth and leather-grained vinyl upholsteries, color-keyed to the exterior, with rich floor coverings and tasteful appointments.” Impala had standard features that were extras on other models: electric clock, parking brake warning light, glove compartment light, and back-up lights. Impala offered four body styles, sport coupe, convertible, sport sedan and four-door sedan. All seats were foam cushioned. Impala base prices: convertible: $2,945, sport coupe: $2,704, sport sedan: $2,769, four-door sedan: $2,697. Impala production for 1960 was 511,925 cars. 7 8 9 Station Wagons: 1960 wagons got the sales hyperbole too: “Everyone of Chevrolet’s five wagons shares the distinctive good looks of Chevy passenger cars. That’s because Chevrolet styling for 1960 was conceived and developed to be ideally suited for both cars and station wagons.” “Chevrolet wagons ride and handle like passenger cars, too.” Chevrolet wagons offered 92 cubic feet of storage with the rear seats folded down. This year the rear window rolled down into the tailgate for easier loading. 1960 saw Chevrolet build 212,729 station wagons. Chevrolet’s 1960 wagon offerings were: four-door six-passenger Nomad: base price $2,996, four-door nine-passenger Kingswood: base price $2,957, four-door six passenger Parkwood: base price $2,854, four-door six-passenger Brookwood: base price $2,760, and two-door six-passenger Brookwood: base price $2,693. 10 11 12 13 14 Chevrolet copywriters described the 1960 models as: “Everybody’s kind of elegance.” The new cars were: “Nearest to perfection a low-priced car ever came.” They told potential customers that: “You’re surrounded by solid sturdy Fisher Body construction.” 1960 advertising focused on these features: smooth ride with coil-springs at all four wheels, quicker stopping safety-master brakes, roomier interior with a lower and narrower transmission tunnel. Popular options that year were: two-tone paint, power brakes, power-steering, Powerglide, Turboglide, white wall tires, and door edge guards. 1960 production by body style: 497,048 four-door sedans, 228,322 two-door sedans, 204,467 sport coupes, 169,016 sport sedans, 79,903 convertibles, 198,066 four-door wagons, 14,663 two-door wagons. Technical illustrations from 1960 Finger-Tip Facts courtesy of John Mahoney. Brochure and advertising illustrations courtesy of www.oldcarbrochures.com. 15 16 The Space Age Star is the official publication of the Space Age Chevrolet region of the Antique Automobile Club of America. This is a non-geographic region dedicated to the enjoyment, restoration and history of 1955 and later AACA eligible Chevrolet cars and trucks. We publish the newsletter six times a year. Region Officers: President: Russell Heim Vice President: John Mahoney, Jr. Secretary: Ana Heim Webmaster and Proofreader: Bill Pritchett Please send all articles and photos to the editor at [email protected] Our Web Address is: http://spaceage.aaca.com 17