In the 100 years since its founding, Chevrolet has been responsible for a wide range of iconic vehicle designs, covering everything from family sedans to high-performance sports cars to hardworking full-size trucks. That meant it was quite a challenge when Chevy decided to honor its 10 most important designs as part of this year’s 100th anniversary celebration—but luckily, Ed Welburn was up to the challenge.
GM’s global vice president of design recently took a look back at the brand’s long history, and here are his picks for the 10 most noteworthy Chevrolet designs of all time:
Chevrolet Classic Six (1912)—Designed by Louis Chevrolet and the very first car to wear the Chevrolet name, the Classic Six was unveiled late in 1911 and went on sale early the following year as one of America’s most powerful and luxurious cars, with the biggest engine Chevy was to offer until 1958.
Chevrolet Deluxe Sport Coupe (1932)—This curvy compact was an early example of Chevrolet’s efforts to design cars that offered contemporary styling and affordable pricing. According to Welburn, “Customers felt they were getting a lot of car for their money, something that still holds true today.”
Chevrolet Suburban (1936)—To come up with the Suburban, Chevy designers mounted a station wagon body on the chassis of a small truck, and the result was what many consider to be the world’s first SUV.
Chevrolet Pick-Up (1948)—Setting the tone for its ongoing commitment to the truck industry, Chevrolet made this pick-up its first vehicle to be fully redesigned after World War II. Said Welburn: “The shape was just beautiful, but it still did its job well.”
Chevrolet Corvette (1953)—Harley Earl’s classic design boasted an early use of fiberglass construction and an unforgettable appearance. It was launched to compete with the sudden flood of European sports cars that started reaching the U.S. market in the post-war years.
Chevrolet Bel Air (1955)—Leveraging what Chevy called its “Motoramic” design language, the Bel Air was a flamboyant performer offered in coupe, convertible and station wagon body styles.
Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963)—With its hallmark split rear window and electrically operated pop-up headlamps, the Sting Ray was based on a show car designed by Bill Mitchell. “Every Corvette since then has been influenced by it, even the current models,” according to Welburn.
Chevrolet Pick-Up (1967)—Showing off a powerful, more purposeful design for the new model year, the ’67 Chevy pick-up was one of the first to be marketed as a daily driver and not just a work truck.
Chevrolet Pick-Up (1989)—As more and more customers began turning to pick-ups as “lifestyle” choices, Chevy began turning out the rugged 1989 models with features like stacked headlamps and a customer-satisfying “sports” package.
Chevrolet Camaro (2010)—Welburn himself owns a 1969 Camaro, but he put the re-born 2010 version on the list because “It connected with people worldwide. When we introduced the car as a concept, there were grown men and women with tears in their eyes.”
Of course, that’s still the case now—only with the success of Chevy’s modern-day muscle car, it’s the competition that’s doing the crying.
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