The very best-selling automobile in America in 1986 was the Chevrolet Movie star, which discovered its means into 404,883 houses. To today, no different Common Motors automobile has achieved such a title since then.

“The heartbeat of America is at this time’s Chevrolet,” was Chevrolet’s slogan on the time.

There was little to get enthusiastic about when it got here to the Movie star, however it was arguably an important automobile for Common Motors that 12 months. My mother and father had been among the many many individuals who made a Movie star a part of their household.

On April 19, 1986, they traded in a 1982 Chevrolet Cavalier and drove residence in a model new 1986 Chevrolet Movie star Basic from Axtell Chevrolet in Logan, Utah. The automobile was well-equipped for its time, providing facilities like whitewall tires, wire wheel covers, bumper guards, a vinyl roof, and 60/40 break up bench seating up entrance which made for a complete cabin occupancy of six passengers. Above, I’m within the bowtie, standing with my brother Bentley.

Movie star Historical past

The Movie star at its core was a easy front-wheel drive midsize sedan that shared the Common Motors A-body platform with numerous different automobiles together with the Buick Century, the Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, and the Pontiac 6000. Its boxy silhouette and squared-off exterior lighting had been very attribute for the time.

The Movie star lived from 1982 by means of 1990 and noticed year-over-year modifications to each cosmetics and drivetrains. It was accessible in coupe, sedan, and station wagon variants. Energy could possibly be obtained from a protracted record of obtainable engines over time, starting from a 2.5-liter inline-four to a 3.1-liter V6 and even together with a 4.3-liter diesel V6 for a restricted time.

The banner 1986 mannequin 12 months got here with assured promoting. A brochure from that 12 months reads, “The 1986 Movie star. The artwork of doing every part properly. It’s a fragile matter – steadiness. The power to offer spectacular efficiency and surprising worth, to ship adept dealing with and deep-seated consolation, to mix aerodynamic form with room for six adults. A top quality aspired to by many. An attribute achieved by this automobile – Movie star by Chevrolet.”

The outside noticed design updates in 1984, 1986, and 1987 together with modifications to the headlights, grille, and taillights. A complete of 5 completely different trim ranges had been supplied, a few which tried to make this in any other case cookie-cutter sedan into one thing performance-oriented. The Eurosport package deal was launched in 1984 with black trim, purple emblems, 14-inch Rallye wheels, and a heavy-duty suspension. In 1987 and 1988, an much more dramatically styled Eurosport VR was accessible with distinctive wheels, a physique package, and a blacked-out grille.

By the late Nineteen Eighties, the Movie star displaying its age and GM’s focus shifted to the automobile’s successor, the Lumina. In some way two of the Movie star’s platform-mates, the Century and the Cutlass Ciera, continued all the best way till 1996 earlier than being discontinued. Movie star gross sales totaled 2,153,098 items as the top of manufacturing in 1990.

My Movie star

By the point the hand-me-down Movie star made it into my possession in 1997 as a newly licensed driver, it had about 140,000 miles on it. Besides, the odometer solely confirmed 5 digits, so it appeared like 40,000. Its 2.8-liter carbureted V6 wanted a number of pumps of the fuel pedal to return to life every morning, however it served me properly for my sophomore and junior years of highschool till I upgraded to a 1989 Honda Prelude.

The Movie star was the proper first automobile: Gradual sufficient to not get me into bother, snug and spacious sufficient to lug 5 mates round with, and cheap to personal with alternative elements available. I invested a good quantity of time and cash into the automobile, beginning off with a $500 Maaco paint job and an upgraded Jensen CD participant. I recall having to faucet vigorously on the dashboard to get the audio system to work typically.

The loopy factor about my Movie star possession expertise was that I owned the automobile twice. About 5 years after having offered it the primary time in 1998, I sought it out once more and made contact with the proprietor in 2003 so I may purchase it again. The automobile’s situation had deteriorated considerably, however it ran and drove decently. My drawback was parking: I used to be ending my group school training and residing at residence, so dad didn’t take care of that previous automobile taking over area. Finally my second spherical of Movie star possession was short-lived – lower than a 12 months, even. The final time I checked the Carfax report, the Movie star was despatched to the junkyard inside a number of years of this photograph from 2004.

Worthy of the Title

Was the Movie star worthy of its identify? Clearly, the automobile hit a house run with gross sales numbers in 1986, so I’d wager the reply is sure. Although the automobile was widespread, a bit mundane, and hardly rewarding to drive (despite the fact that Chevrolet tried to promote it as a efficiency automobile in some kinds), it represented an vital “win” for the model and even now, I get excited after I see a surviving instance on the highway. I’ve toyed with the concept of getting one other Movie star sooner or later for the sake of sheer nostalgia. Keep tuned!