Chevrolet Biscayne - Overview

Overview

At its introduction for the 1958 model year, the Biscayne was available as a 2- or 4-door pillared sedan. A Biscayne station wagon was available from 1962 to 1968. The station wagon models used a different series of names than the other models from 1958 to 1961, and again from 1969 to 1972. The 2-door sedan was dropped after 1969, and consequently from 1970 to 1972 the only Biscayne model available was a 4-door sedan. In 1958, the Delray was priced below the Biscayne, but was discontinued the following year. In 1959, the car was redesigned.

Biscaynes were produced primarily for the fleet market, though they were also available to the general public — particularly to those who wanted low-cost, no-frills transportation with the convenience, room and power of a full-size automobile. While most Biscaynes were sold with a six-cylinder engine through the late 1960s, the V8 engine became the more popular powerplant by the early 1970s.1. Power steering and power brakes were made standard in 1970, while the TurboHydramatic transmission was standard on all cars ordered with a V8 engine starting midway through the 1971 model year.

Like the slightly upscale Bel Air, Biscaynes were easily identified by the use of two taillights per side; the only exceptions to this were in 1959 and 1972. The more expensive Impala (and later Caprice) had three taillights per side. The Biscayne was largely devoid of exterior chrome trim and was normally fitted with small hubcaps, though several exterior trim pieces and upgraded wheel covers were available at extra cost. Interior trim was spartan, with lower-grade cloth and vinyl or all-vinyl upholstery trim, a standard steering wheel with center horn button, and rubber floor mats. Slight upgrades were made throughout the life of the series — for instance, the 1964 models came standard with deluxe steering wheel with horn ring, deep-twist carpeting and foam-cushioned front seats.

Many of the luxury convenience options available on the more expensive full-sized Chevrolet models, such as power windows, were not available on the Biscayne. However, customers could purchase a Biscayne with any of Chevrolet's high-output big-block V8 engines and performance-oriented transmissions, including the floor-mounted 4-speed manual transmission with Hurst shifter and low-ratio final drive. Original production numbers of cars built this way were very low, and examples of these high-performance cars are highly sought after by collectors today. Notably, Baldwin Chevrolet of Long Island, New York, became famous for offering the "Street Racer Special," a 1968 Biscayne coupe with dealer-fitted high-performance 427 cubic-inch V8, and heavy-duty suspension components, turning the Biscayne into a serious drag car. Biscaynes with high-performance equipment were often nicknamed "Bisquick" by enthusiasts.

The 1965-70 GM B platform is the fourth best selling automobile platform in history after the Volkswagen Beetle, Ford Model T and the Lada Riva.