Chevrolet · 1981–1990

Chevrolet Celebrity

The Chevrolet Celebrity is a front-drive, mid-size passenger car line, manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet for model years 1982–1990, over a single generation. Marking the transition of the mid-size Chevrolet range to front-wheel drive, the Celebrity succeeded the rear-drive Chevrolet Malibu line. Initially marketed between the Citation and the Impala within the Chevrolet model line, the Celebrity was later marketed between the Corsica and Caprice sedans. The Celebrity shared the front-wheel drive GM A platform with the Buick Century, Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, and Pontiac 6000 in two-door notchback coupe, four-door sedan, and five-door station wagon body styles. After the 1989 model year, the Celebrity sedan was replaced by the Chevrolet Lumina; the Celebrity station wagon was discontinued after 1990, with the Chevrolet Lumina APV minivan serving as its replacement. The Celebrity and its A-body counterparts became widely known as one of the most transparent examples of corporate product rebadging in the American automotive industry. The four model lines were highlighted on the August 22, 1983 cover of Fortune as examples of genericized uniformity. Hemmings Motor News would later cover the effect of the Fortune article, relating "how a single magazine cover photo changed the course of auto design at GM in the Eighties." Embarrassed by the incident, GM subsequently recommitted to development of divisional brand identity.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Chevrolet Malibu · Successor: Chevrolet Lumina|Chevrolet Beretta

All Chevrolet Celebrity data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Model overview

General Motors first used the Celebrity nameplate in the early 1960s, denoting a pillared sedan version of the Oldsmobile 88. Introduced in January 1982, the Chevrolet Celebrity was offered in two-door and four-door notchback sedan body styles. Chassis. The Celebrity is based on the GM A-body platform, introduced for 1982. The successor to the rear-wheel drive A-body intermediate chassis (renamed as the G-body), the A platform was the first mass-market American mid-size architecture to adopt front-wheel drive. To maximize development and production efficiency, the chassis was a derivative of the compact GM X platform, with the Celebrity sharing its 104.9 wheelbase with the Chevrolet Citation. While not as extensive of a downsizing as the 1977 Impala/Caprice, the 1978 Malibu, or the 1980 Citation, the 1982 Celebrity lost approximately 4 inches in length and 2 inches of width over the Malibu. Though derived from the X-body chassis, the A-body platform would not share entirely in its controversial recall issues. There were drivability problems with the computerized engine control system in 1982 models, and deterioration of the upper engine mount (also called a dogbone) caused engine/transaxle vibration. Powertrain. For its 1982 launch, the Celebrity was offered with three engines. A 90 hp (67 kW) 2.5 L inline-4 was standard, with an optional 112 hp (84 kW) 2.8 L V6; an 85 hp (63 kW) 4.3 L diesel V6 (effectively, 3⁄4 of the Oldsmobile diesel V8) was also offered as an option. All three engines were paired with a three-speed automatic transmission. For 1984, the standard 2.5 L engine was retuned to 92 hp (69 kW), with the 130 hp (97 kW) 2.8 L H.O. V6 (from the Citation X-11) becoming an option. A four-speed manual was offered with both the 2.5 L I4 and the H.O. V6; a fo

Production

During the 1980s, within Chevrolet, the Celebrity competed with the Cavalier as the highest-selling car of the brand. Along with becoming the highest-selling Chevrolet car for 1986 and 1987, the Celebrity would be the highest-selling car in the United States for 1986. As of current production, this remains the last time a Chevrolet vehicle (or any GM-brand vehicle) has done so.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Chevrolet Celebrity
Manufacturer: Chevrolet (General Motors)
Production: 1981–1990
Model years: 1982–1990
Class: Mid-size
Platform: A-body
Body style: 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan, 4-door station wagon
Engine: gasoline:, 2.5 L LR8 I4, 2.8 L LE2/LH7/L44/LB6 V6, 3.1 L LH0 V6, diesel:, 4.3 L LT7 V6
Transmission: 3-speed 3T40 automatic, 4-speed 4T60 automatic, 5-speed Getrag manual
Assembly: Canada:, Oshawa, Ontario (Oshawa Car Assembly: 1982–1987), Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec (Sainte-Thérèse Assembly: 1987–1990), Colombia: Bogotá, Distrito Capital (Bogotá Assembly), Mexico: Ramos Arizpe (Ramos Arizpe Assembly: 1982–1989; 1987–1989, export), United States: Framingham, Massachusetts (Framingham Assembly: 1982–1988), Fremont, California (Fremont Assembly: 1982), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Oklahoma City Assembly: 1983–1989), Venezuela: Valencia, Carabobo (Valencia Assembly)
Length: Coupe & Sedan: 188.3 in, Wagon: 190.8 in
Width: Coupe & Sedan: 69.2 in, Wagon: 69.3 in
Height: Coupe & Sedan: 54.2 in, Wagon: 54.3 in
Layout: Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive
Wheelbase: 104.8 in
Predecessor: Chevrolet Malibu
Successor: Chevrolet Lumina, Chevrolet Lumina APV (station wagon)
Related: Buick Century (fifth generation), Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, Pontiac 6000