1960 Chevrolet Biscayne Series

The full-sized Chevrolet Biscayne was produced from 1958 through 1975. It was named after a show car displayed at the 1955 General Motors Motorama, which itself had been named after Biscayne Bay, near Miami, Florida. This continued Chevy's trend of naming vehicles after coastal cities or beaches, such as the Bel Air and the later Chevy Malibu.

Although the 1958 Biscayne was offered to the general public, it was primarily produced for the fleet market. Most were sold as affordable, no-frills transportation typically as a two- or four-door sedan, although a four-door station wagon was available between 1962 and 1968. Most were equipped with six-cylinder power through the late 1960s, but by the early 1970s, the V8 engine had become more popular.

The 1958 Biscayne rested on a 117.5-inch wheelbase and had an overall length of 209.1-inches and a width of 77.7-inches. The standard engine was the Blue Flame inline-6 displacing 235.5 cubic inches, with optional 283 and 348 CID V8s available. The standard transmission was a three-speed manual, with a four-speed manual and a two-speed Powerglide automatic available for an additional cost.

A redesign for 1959 gave the Biscayne an inch-and-a-half longer wheelbase that now measured 119 inches and a length of 210.9-inches. The new 'Slimline Design' styling theme embraced the wider (79.9-inches) platform which accommodated more interior and storage space. At the front was a new radiator grille flanked by dual round headlight resting above a narrow, wraparound bumper. In the back were cat's eye taillights, and a 'Spread Wing' (tailfin) styling treatment. The two-door sedan was listed at $2,250, the four-door sedan was priced at $2,300, and a two-door utility sedan at $2,160. The addition of the 'base' 283 CID eight-cylinder engine boosted the base price by approximately $110. Standard equipment included electric wipers, an oil bath air cleaner for V8s, and rear foam cushions.

Above the Biscayne were the Bel Air and the Impala, both with additional exterior trim, styling elements, and interior accouterments. The Bel Air was priced approximately $140 higher and the Impala approximately $300 higher than the Biscayne.

The 1960 Chevrolet Biscayne

Moving even further downmarket, Chevrolet introduced a lower-priced, sparsely trimmed version of the Biscayne in 1960 dubbed the Fleetmaster. Designed for the fleet market, the Fleetmaster received a lower grade of upholstery and was devoid of many convenience items, including door armrests, a passenger-side sun visor, and a cigarette lighter. To help keep costs minimal, many parts were painted rather than chrome plated. The two-door Fleetmaster Sedan was priced at $2,230, and the sedan at $2,285.

Styling changes for 1960 included a new oval grille incorporating dual headlamps. Biscayne nameplates were positioned on the front fenders, just below the hood and before the front door. At the back, the 'Spread Wing' fin became more angular and slightly more restrained as the industry began moving away from this styling element.

The two-door sedan was priced at $2,260, the sedan at $2,315, and the two-door Utility Sedan at $2,175. The Brookwood Station Wagons were styled and trimmed similarly to the Biscayne, with the six-passenger version listed at $2,650 and the nine-passenger version adding an additional $100.

The 235.5 CID Blue Flame I6 continued to use four main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, a cast-iron block, overhead valves, and a Rochester two-barrel carburetor and delivered 135 horsepower at 4,000 RPM. The 283 CID overhead valve V8 had five main bearings and hydraulic valve lifters and delivered 170 horsepower (185 hp in other models) at 4,600 RPM. With higher compression and a four-barrel carburetor, the 283 CID V8 delivered 230 horsepower. The 348, depending on the compression and carburetor setup, delivered between 250 to 335 horsepower.

All-new styling arrived in 1961 with downsized bodies and a squarer and flatter theme. Many of the mechanical components were carried over, and the body style lineup remained unchanged. The updates would carry through, albeit with changes from year-to-year, through 1964. A larger and wider Biscayne arrived in 1965, powered by a new 250 CID inline 6. This generation of styling would continue through 1970, and the updates introduced in 1971 would continue through 1975, the final year of production.

by Dan Vaughan

The Chevrolet Biscayne was among the concepts showcased as GM's vision of the future in its traveling Motorama. The Motorama was GM's way of taking concept vehicles on tour through cities throughout the U.S. that invited viewers to 'enter the future' by viewing these amazing concepts. At the 1955 Chicago Auto Show, a young boy, Joe Bortz saw one of these 'dream car's' and later salvaged the remains in a Detroit-area junkyard. His results were later displayed at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concourse as part of the 100th Anniversary celebration of GM.

The Biscayne's chassis had been crushed, but the junkyard owner had managed to save all of the pieces from the original body. Bortz had to dig pieces out of the ground, thankfully, the body of the vehicle was made out of fiberglass, so it didn't oxidize, and many of the parts had to be glued together from all the bits and pieces.

Described by GM as 'An Exploration In Elegance', the 1955 Biscayne was Chevy's Motorama Dream Car for 1955. A four-passenger, pillarless four-door hardtop with suicide doors, the Biscayne featured front fenders that wore a gold anodized 'V' logo that indicated a V8 engine under the hood. Incorporating many Corvette design ideas, the Biscayne featured side covers on the rear quarters that appeared on the front fenders of the 1956 Corvette.

A series of automobiles produced by Chevy for model years 1958 through 1972, the Chevy Biscayne was named after a show car first displayed at the 1955 GM Motorama. The Biscayne was the least expensive model in the Chevy full-size car range that included the Bel Air, the Impala and the Delray. Also available to the regular public, the Biscayne's were produced mainly for the fleet market. The Biscayne was great for those consumers that wanted low-cost, no-frills transportation with room, power and convenience.

During the late 1960's, most Biscayne's were sold with a six-cylinder engine, while in the early 1970s, the V8 engines became the most popular powerplant. In 1970, power steering and brakes became standard, while the Turbo-Hydramatic transmission was standard on all vehicles that were ordered with a V8 engine halfway through the 1971 model year. Biscayne's were easily recognized by their two taillights per side on the rear panels.

The Chevy Biscayne featured very little exterior chrome trim and was fitted with small hubcaps, various exterior trim pieces, and upgraded wheel covers were available for an additional cost. The trim on the inside was very limited and was decorated with lower-grade cloth and vinyl or all-vinyl upholstery trim. A very standard steering wheel with a center horn button was fitted inside, along with rubber floor mats. The 1964 model came standard with a deluxe steering wheel with a horn ring, foam-cushioned front seats and deep-twist carpeting.

The Biscayne did not feature many of the prestigious features normally found on more expensive full-sized Chevy models, features such as power windows. But, any of Chevy's high-output big-block V8 engines could be purchased for the Biscayne, along with performance-oriented transmissions that included the floor-mounted 4-speed manual transmission with Hurst shifter and low-ratio final drive.

A trimmed-down version of the Biscayne was introduced in 1960; the Biscayne Fleetmaster. An inexpensive version of this vehicle, the Fleetmaster was aimed mainly at the fleet market, and included a lower grade of upholstery than the standard Biscayne. Convenience items such door armrests, passenger-side sun visor and a cigarette lighter were not included in this model. Rather than chrome-plated, numerous parts were painted. Two and four-door sedans were both offered. Economy-minded options were available exclusively to the Fleetmaster model, though performance-oriented engines and transmissions were also available. Unfortunately, the Fleetmaster was dropped after 1961.

The Biscayne was offered as a 2- or 4-door pillared roof beginning with the 1958 model year. Newly named the Yeoman and the Nomad, the station wagon versions were not called Biscaynes from 1958 through 1960. The entry-level wagon was called the Brookwood from 1959 through 1961, while the Parkwood was the high-end wagon.

From 1962 through 1968, there were Biscayne, Bel Air, and Impala model station wagons, before they were replaced in favor of the Townsman, Kingwood and Kingswood Estate. The final year of the 2-door Biscayne was 1969. The only Biscayne model available from 1970 through 1972 was a 4-door sedan, meanwhile, a convertible or hardtop Biscayne was never made available.

In 1972 the production of the Biscayne ended, though the Biscayne name survived in Canada up until the 1975 model with a 350 cubic-inch V8 engine and Turbo-Hydramatic transmission that was made standard in 1974.

by Jessican Donaldson