1961 Chevrolet Biscayne Series

1961 began a new era for the Biscayne, a model that had been part of the Chevrolet production lineup since 1958. The bow-tie brand had used the 'Biscayne' name prior to this - in 1955 - for the Biscayne XP-37 concept car that was shown at General Motors Motorama. Throughout its existence, the Biscayne was a full-size, low-cost, no-frills means of transportation. During most of the 1960s, the majority of Biscayne's were powered by six-cylinder engines; by the early 1970s, the V8 engine had become the more popular engine.

The full-size 1961 Chevy Biscayne rested on a 119-inch wheelbase and had an overall length of 209.3 inches. Body styles included 2- and 4-door sedans, a utility sedan, and a 6- and 9-passenger station wagon. Styling features included small hubcaps, a pair of round headlights on either side of the full-width grille, circular taillights, no bodyside molding along the bevel line, and 'Biscayne' nameplates on the upper rear fender tips. Standard equipment included a six-cylinder engine, 7.50 x 14 black tubeless tires, front armrests, electric windshield wipers, dual sun visors, and a cigarette lighter.

The Fleetmaster and the three-passenger, two-door Utility Sedan remained part of the Biscayne lineup, but sales had diminished significantly. The series numbers 1100 and 1200 represented the six- and eight-cylinder Biscayne, respectively. Series numbers 1300 and 1400 were for the six- and eight-cylinder Biscayne Fleetmaster. Introduced in 1960, the Biscayne Fleetmaster was an even lower-priced version of the Biscayne with few amenities, a lower grade of upholstery, and many components were painted rather than chrome plated. Available body styles on the Biscayne Fleetmaster included two- and four-door sedans. 1961 was the final year for the Biscayne Fleetmaster; fewer than 5,000 examples were made during its final year of production.

The standard six-cylinder overhead valve engine had a cast iron block and head, five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, a two-barrel Rochester carburetor, 8.5:1 compression, and a displacement size of 283 cubic inches. It produced 170 horsepower at 4,200 RPM and 275 lbs.-ft of torque at 2200 RPM.

Optional V8 engines included a 283 and a 348 CID V8 with outputs that ranged from 230 hp to 350 hp. Both engines had overhead valves, cast-iron block and heads, and five main bearings. The 283 CID V8 had hydraulic valve lifters; the 348 CID V8 had either hydraulic or solid valve lifters.

The 348 CID 8 with a Rochester or Carter four-barrel carburetor and 9.50:1 compression produced 230 horsepower at 4,800 RPM and 300 lbs. ft of torque at 3000 RPM.

The 348 CID V8:

- with a Carter four-barrel carburetor, dual exhaust, hydraulic valve lifters, and 9.50:1 compression produced 250 hp at 4400 RPM and 355 lbs.-ft at 2800 RPM

- with three Rochester two-barrel carbs, 9.5:1 compression, hydraulic valve lifters, and dual exhaust produced 280 hp at 4800 RPM and 355 lbs.-ft at 3200 RPM

- a Carter four-barrel carburetor, dual exhaust, hydraulic valve lifters, and 9.50:1 compression produced 305 hp at 5200 RPM and 355 lbs.-ft at 3400 RPM

- a Carter four-barrel carb, dual exhaust, solid valve lifters, and 11.25:1 compression produced 340 hp at 5800 RPM and 362 lbs.-ft at 3800 RPM

- three Rochester two-barrel carbs, dual exhaust, solid valve lifters, and 11.25:1 compression produced 350 hp at 6000 RPM and 409 lbs.-ft at 3600 RPM - this engine was only available on the Impala SS. (Albeit, a total of 142 examples of the 409 V8s made its way into the Biscayne Fleetmaster for the purpose of drag racing).

Six-Cylinder Biscayne (Series 1100)

- 2-door Deluxe Sedan $2,260

- 4-door Deluxe Sedan $2,315

- 2-door Deluxe Utility Sedan $2,175

Eight-cylinder Biscayne (Series 1200)

- 2-door Deluxe Sedan $2,370

- 4-door Deluxe Sedan $2,425

- 2-Door Deluxe Utility Sedan $2,280

Fleetmaster Six (Series 1300)

- 2-door Sedan $2,230

- 4-door Sedan $2,285

Fleetmaster Eight (Series 1400)

- 2-door Sedan $2,390

- 4-door Sedan $2,335

Brookwood Station Wagon Six (Series 1100)

- 4-door Station Wagon, 6-passenger $2,645

- 4-door Station Wagon, 9-passenger $2,755

Brookwood Station Wagon Eight (Series 1200)

- 4-door Station Wagon, 6-passenger $2,760

- 4-door Station Wagon, 9-passenger $2,865

The styling applied to the 1961 Biscayne would continue through 1964.

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