Secret Chevrolets which could have been the 1964 Camaro

It is automotive folklore that GM was totally caught off guard when Ford unveiled the Mustang in April 1964 and had to hurriedly develop the Camaro, which appeared in late 1966. But, as always, folklore does do not always align with reality.

In fact, Chevrolet had TWO sporty coupes in development during 1962 and 1963 which could have become the Camaro as early as mid-1964. They were the XP781 and the Chevy Super Nova.

So, what happened to them?

The Future is in the Numbers

The two sports coupe projects that Chevrolet had in development before the Mustang was released.

What happened? Both coupes were dismissed by senior GM executives who did not see the need for such a car beyond what they already were selling. They were convinced that the coupe and convertible models of the rear engined Corvair Monza and the newly released Chevy II/Nova were fully satisfying the market demand for affordable sporty cars

And selling in big numbers they were. In 1962 Chevrolet dealers shifted a combined total of 234,000 Monza and Chevy II/Nova hardtops and ragtops.

The Corvair Monza and Chevy II/Nova. The Chevy II convertible artwork was re-worked by Holden’s advertising agency for the EH brochure, as per the insert. 

Also impressed by those statistics was Ford’s general manager, Lee Iacocca. They formed the foundation of his proposal for the Mustang.

The Monza was depicted in carefree locations. 

What Iacocca and his team had identified, and GM seemingly missed, was that the Monza’s/Nova’s sales numbers revealed a growing market segment, full of young buyers with money to spend. In the business case for the Mustang, Iacocca established four criteria for that appealed to this youth market: it must be a four-seater, offer six- and V8 -engines, have attractive styling and sell at a low price.

One of more than 15 Mustang styling proposals which were evaluated by Lee Iacocca during August 1962.

The GM duo had some but not all of those criteria. Both lacked a V8. The Monza’s rear engine layout prevented it from ever having one. The Chevy II/Nova’s came with a four-cylinder engine as standard on most models. A six was optional.

The Chevy II/Nova is the visible admission by GM that the Corvair was the wrong car and a technological dead end. 

As for attractive and unique styling? The Monza had all of that. However, the Chevy II/Nova’s economy car shape was no match for the Mustang’s slinky long bonnet and short boot silhouette.

GM: occupied elsewhere

While Iacocca was championing the Mustang through Ford’s approval processes, GM was focused elsewhere. For example, Ed Cole, GM’s boss of its car and truck divisions, believed a 4-seater Corvette would be an ideal challenger of the Ford Thunderbird. Chevrolet general manager, Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen, disagreed. The story of this never released car is featured in a previous Retroautos. There’s a link at the end.

On September 10th, 1962, the final shape of the Mustang was approved. At the same time, Ed Cole was trying to convince the GM Board to approve his 4-seater Corvette.

Someone at GM who was aware of the statistics and the emerging trends was Chevrolet’s chief of design, Irv Rybicki. He was directly involved in the two projects that could have led to a Camaro in 1964.

The first project, coded XP781, began in April 1962 in semi-secrecy. The second project was the “Super Nova” concept car. It was created for the 1964 New York International Auto Show.

XP781: Secret Coupe

In an interview for the Henry Ford Museum in 1985, Rybicki recalled that the origins of the XP781 lay with the 1963 Buick Riviera.

“I was running (the) Chevrolet studio at the time… we were sitting around chatting about...if we did it (the Riviera) smaller, less expensive, we could probably sell three or four hundred thousand. We’d do something to appeal to the youth of America. Something sporty and dynamic.”

How right Rybicki was in predicting sales of 300,000 or 400,000. The Mustang would generate 680,000 sales in 1965.

One of the first tape drawings of the XP781. This shape is very similar to the boattailed 1971 Buick Riviera!

Mitchell and Knudsen supported Rybicki’s project. A GM memo dated 1^st May, 1964 says:

“The XP781 will be a special 1964 4-Passenger Coupe for Chevrolet only. It was instigated by Mr. Knudsen.”

These are the only known pictures of the partially completed XP781 clay model. The secret design studio was so small only the front, rear and left side of the car could be photographed.

To ensure secrecy, the XP781 was styled in a small warehouse across the road from GM’s design studios. Rybicki recalls Knudsen’s reaction when he first saw it:

“He walked around it, and, with a big smile on his face, he said, ‘Damned good-looking car, fellows, but I want to tell you something, the last thing Chevrolet needs is another car.’ So, the program got shelved. That ended that four place (that) would have been the Camaro program (in 1962).”

The dimensions of the XP781 were about the same as a 1968 HK Holden Monaro.

Despite having supported the project, it is easy to understand why Knudsen was reluctant to add a sixth body type to Chevrolet’s line up. The division had an over full pipeline of new models including the 1964 Chevelle, 1965 full sized cars, 1965 Corvair and 1968 Chevy II/Nova.

The right side of the XP781 remained largely unfinished. The rear end design theme was transferred to the Chevy Super Nova, as was the recessed rear window.

Quite simply, given that very few in GM appreciated the expanding market potential of a special sporty coupe, Knudsen would need to make a very persuasive argument to the GM Board to get the approval for the money, time and resources to style and engineer a completely new model range. Said Rybicki:

“He was convinced he couldn't sell another body (to the GM Board) at the time, and the 14th floor (GM’s Board) pressure was on de-proliferating.”

XP781 cancelled

The project’s file notes dated 9^th August, 1962 explain the fate of XP781:

“XP781 project was cancelled”

Additional entries in the file state:

“Program (XP781) superseded by XP796 (4 seater Corvette).”

The XP781 clay model was immediately destroyed.

This photo was taken on 1st March, 1963 and captures Irv Rybicki, in a dark suit, with Henry Haga, in the Chevrolet design studio 2, surrounded by models of the full sized 1965 Chevrolet, 1964 Chevelle and 1966 Corvair. Bunkie Knudsen thought that Chevrolet had more than enough cars to offer buyers, and did not need a sixth model range.

That’s how GM’s first opportunity to fight the Mustang ended. Ed Cole’s ultra-low volume 4-seater Corvette (XP796) was given the priority. But not for long.

Twin pipes exiting through the fender were obviously a designer’s wish that would have been vetoed for production. However, they clearly send a message that the XP781 was a sporty car.

The badge on the bonnet is a cobra snake. Work was halted before the front end could be finalised.

Cole’s pet project was terminated by the GM Board in October 1962, a mere eight weeks after the XP871 project was shelved.

By the time this photo was taken on 4th September, 1962, the XP781 had been cancelled. The wooden armature is being stripped of the clay. 

Super Nova: Significant Design Influence

In late 1963 an opportunity arose to revisit the idea. It was the Super Nova concept car.

Very little has been written about the Super Nova and its significant design influence has long been overlooked. Coded XP828, the project was instigated by Mitchell, Knudsen and Rybicki on 11^th February, 1964. The work-in-progress documents reveal that:

“The XP828 is being designed by Styling in Chevrolet Exterior Studio #2 (Mr. Henry. Haga) for use in the New York International Auto Show which opens Saturday, April 4^th, 1964.”

Henry Haga’s tape drawing of the Super Nova was transferred into clay with very little change.

To speed up the design and construction process a production Chevy II/Nova hardtop was used as the base. The overall shape hinted at the 1963 Buick Riviera.

Wonderful overhead photo highlights the deeply recessed rear window. The leading edges of the front fenders paid homage to the 1963 Buick Riviera. This aligned with Rybicki’s idea that Chevrolet’s smaller sporty coupe ought to be a smaller Riviera.

Many of the Super Nova’s styling themes would find their way onto GM cars in the next couple of years. The roof line was reflected on the second-generation 1966-67 Chevy II/Nova coupe. The recessed C-pillars appeared on the 1966-67 Chevelle coupe and its Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Buick siblings. The rear end design is similar to the 1968 full size Chevrolet. The dashboard was used as the template for the Camaro.

The 1968 full sized Chevrolet coupe and 1966/67 Chevelle reflect the Super Nova’s design.

The 1966/67 Nova also takes styling cues from the Super Nova, especially the coupe’s roof line. Is this the interior of a 1967 Camaro RS/SS? No. It is the Super Nova.

Super Nova was paraded at the New York International Auto Show. Then came Ford’s announcement of the Mustang. And we all know the amount of publicity it attracted.

Before it was shipped to the New York Auto show, automotive design guru Pininfarina was given a VIP viewing of the car at GM’s design Centre. 

At first, GM’s executives did not think the Mustang would sell in profitable numbers. Opinions changed rapidly when sales reached 100,000 in the first six months. The numbers yelled out that Chevrolet had to have another car.

And so, a new project was instigated, XP836. It would become the Camaro. The first proposals, were shown to GM executives in August 1964.

Four proposals for the Camaro. All were based on the existing Chevy II/Nova platform and never made it beyond this stage.

Then the financial and development realities intervened. To save costs and speed up the time from design to driveway, the decision was taken to base the Camaro on the second-generation 1968 Nova. That meant the Camaro would share many of the new Nova’s inner structures, firewall and cowl height.

The 1969 Chevrolet Nova. Its platform set the “hard points” for the Camaro in the same way that the Falcon underpinned the Mustang.

These new parameters excluded the Super Nova because it had been based on the existing Chevy II/Nova dimensions. The larger XP781 had long disappeared. It was only photos in a file. Rybicki recalled that the options were limited:

“We didn't have the flexibility. We couldn't reach (back to) the car we were doing at the warehouse.”

By January 1965 the Camaro shape was close to finalisation.

Evaluated against the Mustang in GM’s Styling dome on 10th November, 1964, these two proposals incorporate the 1968 Nova “hard points”.

So close, so far.

The XP781 and Super Nova highlight how close GM was to creating an affordable sporty car and yet failed to progress the idea. Had the XP781 been approved it too would have been on the street in mid-1964, just after the Mustang. Had the Super Nova been approved, then an appearance in late 1965 was possible.

From when this clay model was photographed in January 1965 it took only 18 months to develop the production Camaro. By then Ford had sold close to 1.8 million Mustangs.

When asked about having been so close yet so far, Rybicki took a relaxed and long-term view:

“Those things happen in the industry. They have the Mustang. We created vehicles like Corvettes and Rivieras and Toronados. They have a first, and we have some firsts. We do one, and they copy it. They do one, and we jump off and do something along those lines.”

He then offered an insight into the world of styling cars:

“You can't stand still in this business. You don't dare look back because somebody might be chasing you.”

A special thanks to John Kyros, at GM’s Heritage Centre in Michigan, who searched the Centre’s extensive archives for the photos and documents used in this story.

Retroautos is written and published with passion and with pride by David Burrell. Retroautos stories and images are copyrighted. Reproducing them in any format is prohibited. Retroautos is a registered trademark. Reproducing it in any format is prohibited.