For Australian large car buyers, 1960 marked the end of decades of locally-assembled Chevrolets lumbering along to the monotone drone of their big inline sixes. Chevrolet styling may have set the pace but until the small block V8 arrived in 1960, local Chevrolets were dismissed as old man’s cars against the Ford V8 competition.
The romance and emotion that the icon 1955-57 models generate today just didn’t happen in Australia at the time. That all changed in 1960.
To be fair, the old 235.5 cu in/3.9-litre six even in its last year here in 1959, delivered almost double the power of a Holden. For double the price of a Holden, a local Chevrolet delivered conservative Aussie buyers more of what the Holden offered, in almost every area. As the 1950s drew to a close, this included a well-located coil spring rear axle and an automatic option.
Although the 1960 model was a facelift of the 1959 series, it introduced several firsts for the US range and the local version.
1960 Chevrolet Bel Air
Along with the 1960 XK Falcon, the locally assembled 1960 Chevrolet Bel Air was the first to offer front styling determined by the height of the headlights.
The “batwing” 1959 Chevrolet was considered outrageous in Australia at a time when the current FC Holden was still locked into 1955 styling. The 1960 Holden FB which did little more than bring Holden into line with US 1956-57 styling trends looked even older against the 1960 Chevrolet.
Although the local 1959 Chevrolet/Pontiac duo provided a hint of this new look, the 1960 updates were dramatic as the single-level grille and headlights defined a new air-piercing look. Chevrolet’s masterstroke was to add a side flash that replicated the vapour trail of the new jetliners filling the skies. The batwing rear now highlighted four large round tail lights, in a slender setting below the “wings” that encouraged comparison with the fiery thrust of the four jets on the new Boeing 707. Local advertising proclaimed: “The Nearest Thing in Motoring to the Thrill of Jet Age Flight”.
This had a profound relevance to Australians no longer isolated by the tyranny of distance following the first QANTAS Boeing 707 flight in July 1959. The arrival of the Chevrolet V8 was perfectly timed. These separate round lights would define local Chevrolet tails until 1966 before reappearing in 1968. The Corvair and Corvette reinforced the theme.
It was also the first Chevrolet that Australians could imagine on the race track, ready to take the battle to the smaller and more agile Holdens and Jaguars that were dominating local competition. Although big, even by today’s standards, these early V8 Chevrolets were much lighter than today’s full-size family cars, at under 1600kg or 100kg heavier than the much smaller Jaguar Mark II.
It was an impression almost backed by reality. Although the tamest in the US context, the new 283 cu in/4.6-litre small-block V8 packed 170bhp/127kW versus the 136bhp/100kW of the old six. The big block V8 in Ford’s 1959 “tank” Fairlane which held the fort until 1962 in Australia was seen as too much of a good thing locally when fuel economy was still a priority and it overheated so easily.
Although 1960 tyres, brakes and transmissions were some time away from matching Chevrolet’s advanced casting technology for its small block V8, NASCAR racing would soon fill in the gaps.
Enhanced by quality Australian leather trim, woollen plush pile carpet, two speed wipers and washers, big wheels and tyres along with the RHD version of the current US dash, the local 1960 Chevrolet Bel Air set a new benchmark. Painted in some of the FB Holden’s more unusual pastel two-tone colour combinations, it caught the imagination of Australians.
1961-64 Chevrolet Bel Air and Impala
Local Chevrolets were grouped after 1960 by the RHD dash they shared. Factory deliveries of RHD 1961-64 Chevrolets shared a RHD version of the 1961 Pontiac dash. For the 1961-62 models this was not a disadvantage but for the 1963-64 series, it robbed local cars of the new assymetrical LHD Chevrolet dash that was more sculptured and intimate than most 1961 designs.
The 1961 Chevrolet, a total restyle under Bill Mitchell, is sometimes dismissed as the “plain one” which it was, but only in terms of the excess of that came before it. It retained the same footprint as the previous model then lost enough in length and width to make it look classy and agile. It was ripe for the Super Sports treatment and the monster 409 cu in/6.7-litre option early in 1961.
The local Bel Air carried over the same interior upgrades as the previous model and shared the US Bel Air sedan’s fancier body with the wraparound rear glass and overhanging roof of the 1960 sport sedan hardtops. It was the first in many years to lose the heavy triangulated rear pillar look of local Chevrolets. The new sickle-shaped windscreen pillars spelt an end to the water and dust leaks that came with the dogleg windscreen pillars of previous models. An extra layer of grille added depth at the front, similar to the 1959 model, but the angled front and downward sweep of the side strip still made it look fast.
Less overhang, trimmer flanks and the usual luxury made the local Bel Air a star release in 1961. It encouraged a trickle of US-built wagons and Impala imports as local restrictions were eased. After the 1959-60 models helped set a new high of 1849 sales, both the 1960 and 1961 models were soon hit hard by the Credit Squeeze, bringing sales down to 1337 making them the rarest of the local V8 models. Yet the greatest value to Holden of the 1961 model was setting the context for the all new Holden EJ, its fresh new Chevrolet-inspired styling buying Holden a vital extra year to replace its antiquated engine.
The 1962 facelift is regarded as an icon model after Chevrolet returned to a grille depth defined by the headlights but this time with even more forward rake than the 1961 model.
The new styling seemed to emphasize the rear quarters for a longer, leaner look yet it was still shorter than the 1960 model. Although the local interior was carryover, the leather trim was now two-tone and a six tail light bootlid was lifted from the Impala so that reversing lights and separate indicators could be offered.
Even if a clock was now standard, the local Bel Air’s overall presentation was well below the new Holden EJ Premier which offered heater-demister, whitewalls, centre armrest, full wheel trims and metallic colours. A new locally-assembled Vauxhall Cresta with generic Chevrolet styling and Ford’s compact Fairlane also added pressure from below pegging local sales to 1541 in a buoyant market. The local Bel Air’s stagnant specification left plenty of room for supplementary imports of the 1962 US Impala Hardtop as the fundamental design had so much appeal.
The 1963 Bel Air upgrade was critical to arresting the slide against a competitive and stylish new Dodge Phoenix and a more powerful compact Fairlane. A new local Valiant Regal was also offering comparable styling and performance in a cheaper, more compact package. The local Bel Air’s power was boosted for the first time since 1960 up to 195bhp/145kW as a proper fresh-air heater/demister and power steering became standard.
The cabin was carryover 1962 Aussie Bel Air and colours were still pegged to the Holden Special’s more basic non-metallics. Extra length and a more formal appearance in combination with the latest Impala six-light bootlid made it the best-selling of locally-assembled Chevrolets. Because the sleek, sharply raked nose of the 1962 model survived, it looked less of a Yank Tank than its size suggested.
A sales resurgence for carryover stocks of the 1962 model and acceptance of the 1963 upgrade pushed annual sales over 2000 in both 1963 and 1964, figures that would never be achieved again. Special order Impala imports also grew, placing pressure on Holden to include them in the official mix. The presence of Norm Beechey’s imported 1962 Impala on racetracks around the country added a dynamism to the Chevrolet name never experienced in Australia before and was almost certainly a factor in the renewed interest in the local Bel Air range.
The 1964 upgrade, the final in this series, saw Chevrolet revert to a more formal vertical front relying on a dogbone-style grille to add some sleekness to the front. Up against a local Ford Galaxie and a revised Dodge Phoenix it was showing its age and needed the Impala Hardtop version to look its best.
Power brakes and the metallic colours from the EH Premier along with single tone leather were important changes. The turgid grey of previous 1961-64 dashes was replaced with livelier metallic colours. Sales were slow. Its mid-1964 local arrival and the delay of its replacement until mid-1965 account for the slip to 1500 sales during this period although Impala Hardtop and Wagon imports were still steady.
1965-68 Chevrolet Bel Air/Impala
As roads improved and the prestige market was under heavy attack from a new and more powerful Ford Galaxie, an all new Dodge Phoenix, a luxurious Chevrolet V8-powered Studebaker Cruiser and slicker Rambler models all with local upgrades, Holden added the Impala Hardtop to its locally assembled range. The Bel Air continued as the centre-pillar sedan. The Impala arrived as Australia’s first locally assembled pillarless hardtop. A new Caprice had since replaced the Impala as the top US model keeping Australian Chevrolets in line with mid-range US models. Only the Dodge Phoenix Hardtop would match its body-style but not until 1967.
Although the Bel Air still featured local leather and carpet, the Impala Hardtops featured the US-style nylon fabric trim. The Bel Air continued with the previous 195bhp/145kW engine but the Impala introduced the 327cu in/5.4-litre with 230bhp/172kW. Local experience with this engine in the Chevrolet/Pontiac duo would later prompt Holden engineers to fit the new engine to the Monaro GTS, creating an instant Bathurst winner.
A new RHD dash, the first since 1961, was a mirror version of the 1965 US item made in fiberglass, not steel, except for the glovebox. Still a dull grey in the Bel Air, the dash and other cabin fittings were co-ordinated to the trim in the Impala for a much brighter cabin. The parking brake reverted to the US foot-operated type, not the local underdash style of previous models.
As the first Chevrolet to feature GM’s signature curved sides and “coke bottle” hipline, it set the styling agenda for virtually every Holden for the rest of the decade. It was also the last to feature the six-light tail styling of recent models, the local Bel Air again sharing its rear styling with the US Impala. Under the extra competition from local six cylinder models and better-finished locally-assembled US models, sales struggled to exceed the 1500 mark. The first Valiant V8 highlighted how rapidly local alternatives were about to change.
Chevrolet’s 1966 upgrade featured a squarer, more conservative front. The shift to rectangular tail lights forced a return to add-on turn indicators locally. As the Bel Air and the Impala faced competition from a bigger and more powerful local Falcon V8 plus slick Ford Galaxie and Dodge Phoenix upgrades, 1966 was not the year to cut corners as sales slipped below 1500 despite the two body styles and powertrains.
The 1967 re-style brought a sleeker front and more heavily curved sides. The three piece tail lights made a return, only this time they were rectangular and integrated in one unit, allowing the return of a matching amber rear indicator section.
Also for 1967, the local Bel Air sedan was repackaged as a centre post Impala sedan with a unique Australian specification that included imported Caprice seat frames with centre armrests and local trim that was a combination of local cloth and vinyl. The local 1967 Impala Hardtop pillarless version for the first time shared the sedan’s interior including local carpets. Although the 1965 RHD dash continued, the full colour co-ordination of previous Impalas ended as most cabin fittings were finished in black regardless of trim or body colour.
Local cars were also fitted with the bigger 15 inch US Rally One wheel option, with appropriate rim bands and centre caps separated by body colour. The 283 V8 was dropped and both Impalas shared an upgraded 327 with 240bhp/179kW, an increase of 7.5kW. Although stylish and a great context for the coming HK Holden range and the first Torana, the 1967 model was under pressure from new local alternatives such as the Rambler Rebel, Ford Fairlane and Valiant VIP which helped sales plummet to well under 1000.
The 1968 upgrade would be the last locally-assembled Chevrolet passenger model and one of the most spectacular looking, even if the cost-cutting continued. An imposing front with block pattern grille and six separate lights in the rear bumper, pre-dated the HQ Holden by three years and were pure extroverted Chevrolet.
The switch to a silver-grey wheel colour regardless of body colour, deletion of some exterior brightwork and the loss of the twin interior lights in the Sport Sedan were backward moves. Thicker carpet, boot carpet with a spare wheel cover and extra brightwork on the 1965 dash were showroom incentives dictated by a market encouraged to expect more in luxury cars. The 327 engine gained another 7.5kW for a total 250bhp/187kW.
Yet the day of the full-chassis Yank Tank was almost over in Australia as a big new quad headlight Holden HK Premier and the sleek pillarless Monaro GTS coupe new for 1968 and both available with Chevrolet V8 power, vied for the wallets of diehard and wealthy General Motors fans. And if that wasn’t enough, Holden introduced the Brougham. Compromised by its standard wheelbase and extra rear overhang, the Brougham still boasted an interior as luxurious as any Chevrolet and its size was better suited to Australian roads.
Although the floating feel of the big Chevrolets was once appreciated on Australia’s rough roads, it was also becoming too obvious on vastly improved mid-1960s road surfaces that US handling and braking were not keeping pace with the sharp new styling.
Sales of the 1968 Impala range trickled into 1970, the year that Holden had planned to launch the long wheelbase Holden HQ Statesman replacement for the Brougham. Delayed until 1971, the HQ Statesman with the optional Chevrolet 350/5.7-litre V8 and only a hint of Holden branding, became the new local GM-H flagship. As the Statesman evolved over the next three decades from a Holden Kingswood-based luxury model to a Commodore offshoot, it survived as the only Australian long wheelbase prestige model to keep pace with global trends.
The only V8 available in a Statesman after 1974 was Holden’s own V8 but in 1999, the Statesman was re-united with the latest Chevrolet small-block V8. Chevrolet-badged exports commenced.
Its evolution into a standalone global replacement for Chevrolet’s mainstream rear drive passenger car started in 2006 with the WM series and was complete by 2010. As the Statesman name was dropped, all versions were called Caprice, exactly 50 years after the first Chevrolet Bel Air V8 was launched in Australia.
References: Carl L. Kelsen from Chevrolet Car Club of Vic Inc, Chevrolet Chronicle by Consumer Guide, Wheels 1960-68.
