Met a guy this evening who was a 65 Chevelle SS. What caught my eye was these moldings on the lower rear quarters that I have never seen before.
He believes that this car was a prototype or brochure photo car when it was new for GM of Canada. He mentioned that there's a SS reference book out there with the original promo ad that pictures a white with blue interior car (which this is) and it says that these louvers are a prototype molding and there called "simulated brake cooling louvers". This car is Canadian made so maybe he's got someting here. Or maybe all Canadian built 65 Chevelles SS cars came with this trim.
Does anyone know of any other 65 Chevelle that has these moldings. I've personally never seen them. Thought maybe someone with Chevelle or Beaumont interest could help clear this up.
I have seen the add with the louvers in a ownership manual. I'm not sure if there Canadian only, but my Canadian 65 Chevelle SS didn't have them. If the guy would part with them I would love to hang them on the wall. Will he sell them? Did you get a cowl tag picture?
I will need to get the vin tag info I guess. This car might be really low in the production for a 65, maybe one of the first. Wow this is interesting. Even the guy he bought it from years ago said something isn't quite correct about some of this trim.
OK, here is how it goes. I have heard of this car before, but never seen pics, it is a cool story, but i doubt it is true. There is no evedence of these on any other canadian true SS 65 that i know.
There is a promo dealer poster showing a white 65 chevelle SS with these louvers. (US car). canadian literature, used US car photos, and there is some truely canadian advertisments, but they are all line drawings. The promo photos are most often not even real cars-they are prototypes, and/or really, really retouched photos or drawings. None of these "picture" cars would have ever made it out alive at GM.
These louvers, i looked up a while back and they are the same as a certain year of buick(cant remember what model or year.) I'm sure that somewhere thruout the cars life, someone thought they looked cool, so they were added on.
IF, the story is true about a "prototype" then this car would have a serial number of less than 10, an been produced in mid august 1964. Did you get a pic of the tags??
The other possibility is they were installed on canadian cars for the first run of cars on the assembly line, (again, would have to be a very low # car) I'll dig out the poster and buick reference later.
Thats my two cents, anyone with reseach to prove me wrong, i would love to see it? It is a most interesting car.
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Beaumontguru
MY BEAUMONT HAS 4 STUDDED TIRES AND 2 BLOCKHEATERS......AND LOTS OF OIL UNDERNEATH. The other one has a longer roof.
There is a promo dealer poster showing a white 65 chevelle SS with these louvers. (US car). canadian literature, used US car photos, and there is some truely canadian advertisments, but they are all line drawings.
This car had the GM CANADA embossed on the drivers side pillar vin plate so it's not a US car.
The cowl tag on the fire wall under the hood will tell the truth. Take a picture and post it. What your looking for is a really late month build date. I really don't think it adds any value to the car but it is cool to see it. If a guy added them to match the manual photo or there original it's good to see a odd ball chevelle. Beaumont guys eat this stuff up and it's 65 too!
1960 Pontiac Strato Chief Safari 1960 Laurentian Safari 1960 Laurentian 4door(scrapped) 2001 Grand Am Traded on a '96 Suburban 2WD 2002 Hyundai Accent(SOLD) 1968 Grand Parisienne Scrapped and SOLD
OK, here it is. This is the US dealer poster(mine) showing the pre-production rendition of a 65 malibuSS with louvers.
The louvers on the car in question above are from a 1964 buick wildcat. readily available part by 1965.
Here are the pics of the poster car and a 1964 wildcat.
Again, only if this is a low # car, would this be plausible, most likely they were just added on. As, for the lower rear trim, anyone else know if this is 65 or from another car?
P.S. they are also mounted slightly crooked and lower than what the dealer poster shows. Also the ones in the dealer poster are thicker(taller)
-- Edited by beaumontguru on Monday 20th of April 2009 11:55:21 PM
Notice how the louvers on the promo ad are mounted higher than those on the 65 I took photos of?
I agree that these could have been added on. Someone may have thought these louvers were correct if they saw the promo ad, I certainly would have.
On the other hand the louvers may have been factory mounted lower on this real car, slightyly lower that the original drawing. Rendering are not always accurate representations I have found.
Agree with all that the trim tag is the only answer to this one.
These accessories are stil in good taste! The best I saw two weeks ago was a Chev Stationwagon with a Jaguar Emblem on the bonnet!
Ha, ha. Reminds me of my auto shop teacher (Mr. Johns/Johnzie) in Cobourg. He had a Jag hood ornament on his Vega! Maybe some of you Cobourg guys remember him?
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Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
We were into this same trim debate on the Yenko site a few years back and I believe the same conclusion was reached...the Buick trim most likely added at a later date..
Certainly worth checking Serial, Cowl and production info for the chance this car is indeed early enough to be factory equipped w/ it...and it'd be really neat if the tag showed something different to reflect it!.
-- Edited by Ghost Post on Tuesday 21st of April 2009 12:30:29 PM
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