Chevrolet Biscayne

Chevrolet Biscayne at a glance

Biscayne timeline

First generation (1958): the new middle Chevrolet

The 1958 Chevrolet range was all new, and the Biscayne replaced the mid-level 210. With the 1958-only Delray below it, the Biscayne was not yet the cheapest Chevrolet. It used a 2,985 mm (117.5 in) wheelbase and an X-shaped frame, and was offered as a two-door and four-door pillared sedan.

German Wikipedia lists the 1958 two-door at US$2,236 (1958) with the six and US$2,343 with the base V8; in 1958 a Powerglide automatic added US$188 and the three-speed Turboglide US$231. Hagerty counts about 377,000 Biscaynes sold in the first year, against about 532,000 Bel Airs, in the year Chevrolet's redesigned range took back first place in sales from Ford.

Second generation (1959–1960): the price leader

The 1959 redesign brought a new body and a wheelbase about 1.5 inches longer. With the Delray gone, the Biscayne became the entry-level full-size Chevrolet: it cost US$2,365 in 1959 against US$2,772 for an Impala. A two-door utility sedan without a rear seat was offered for delivery work.

The Fleetmaster of 1960–1961 was aimed squarely at fleet buyers. It had lower-grade upholstery, fewer convenience items and many parts painted instead of chromed, and fewer than 5,000 were built.

Third generation (1961–1964): the 409 years

The fully redesigned 1961 car was the first Biscayne available with the 409 V8, but only 142 of these engines were built that year, and some went into Fleetmasters meant for drag racing. In 1962 a four-door station wagon replaced the Brookwood. The 327 V8 was added for 1962, and the new 230 six of 1963 joined the older 235.

German Wikipedia rates the 6.7-litre 409 at 305 kW (409 hp gross) in 1962 and 317 kW (425 hp) in 1963.

Fourth generation (1965–1970): 427 and the street racers

For 1965 the full-size Chevrolets grew again. The Biscayne got a new 250-cubic-inch six with 116 kW (155 hp), while the V8 list ran from the 283 through the 327 and 396 to the 427 big-block. With solid lifters, the 427 of 1966 produced 317 kW (425 hp); it came back for 1968. A 1967 two-door with the 427 and a three-speed manual reached 0–60 mph in 6.1 seconds and covered the quarter mile in 14.6 seconds.

Dealers took the idea further. Baldwin Chevrolet on Long Island sold a 1968 coupé with a dealer-fitted 427 and heavy-duty suspension as the "Street Racer Special". Such cars, with floor-mounted four-speeds and Hurst shifters, were built in very small numbers and are now sought after by collectors.

Wagons used the "clamshell" Glide-away tailgate, in which the rear glass rose into the roof and the lower tailgate slid below the floor. The two-door was dropped after 1969, and for 1970 power steering and power brakes became standard, when the base car cost US$2,897 against US$3,150 for an Impala.

Fifth generation (1971–1975): the last Biscaynes

From 1971 the American Biscayne was a four-door sedan only, with 350, 400 and 454 V8s; the Turbo Hydra-Matic became standard on V8 cars during 1971. In 1972 the 454 was rated at 201 kW (270 hp net). Production in 1970–1972 totalled about 76,800 V8 and 16,700 six-cylinder cars, with V8s taking a growing share.

Three reasons ended the Biscayne in the United States after 1972. It could not meet the government's demands for better fuel economy, and it overlapped with more profitable GM models such as the Bel Air and the Pontiac Catalina. Chevrolet was also moving its effort to small cars like the Vega to fight imports. Canada kept the Biscayne until 1975, adding a four-door wagon in 1973, a standard 350 V8 and automatic in 1974 and a new dashboard in 1975.

Trim and equipment: what a Biscayne left out

The Biscayne was defined by what it lacked. It had two tail lights per side instead of the Impala's three, little exterior brightwork, and no access to many luxury options such as power windows. The Bel Air sat one step above it with more trim. That plainness made the Biscayne a fleet favourite, and it is also why enthusiasts value the rare cars ordered with big engines.

Price gap to the Impala

The Biscayne's appeal was its price, and the gap to the top model narrowed after 1959 and then held steady. English Wikipedia lists these base prices for the cheapest two-door or four-door Biscayne against the Impala of the same year:

A buyer who skipped the chrome, the third pair of tail lights and the power options saved between about 8 and 15 percent of the Impala's price. Fleet buyers, the Biscayne's main customers, valued exactly that.

Specifications by generation

Photo gallery