When a car accelerates so smoothly that the stopwatch must be consulted before you realize that you've been driving a sparkling performer, it's a triumph of contemporary American car design.

The figures in the accompanying data panel tell the performance story, but we'd like to add one footnote: so efficient was the Turboglide at the job of torque multiplication that accelerating the car from a standstill became a problem. Several tries had to be made before a technique avoiding excessive wheelspin was evolved. Obviously, the Positraction limited-slip differential option would be most desirable with this engine-trans combo if optimum stand-start acceleration were the goal. Fuss-less performance was not the only surprise the '61 Chevy had in store for us-for the first time in many a moon, one of our testers, an inveterate "do-it-yourselfer" who abhors all powerboost accessories, did not complain about the power brakes. In fact, it was not until we reached the stage of our test routine where under-hood component accessibility is checked out that he spied the mechanism concerned and realized that for once he had experienced no problems in adapting from conventional braking. The power steering was, as usual, devoid of road feel, a failing that's apparently the nature of the beast, regardless of make or model. For those who park more than they turnpike, it's a desirable option, but for anyone intending to exploit this car's high-speed cruising ability, it may well be a good one to skip. We can't say too much about the handling qualities of this car, simply because the aforementioned lack of road feel inherent in the power steering prevents one from really knowing how close you actually are to "losing it" in a turn until you have - lost it, that is. Having an aversion to returning test cars to their point of origin in bent-up, burnt-out condition, we make it a practice never to drive them "over our head." With the Chevrolet, you can go fast enough without exceeding this margin. Your own intestinal fortitude (or lack of it) becomes the limiting factor long before the twistiness of the road. For a car designed to haul people, not to win races, that should be enough.

For those who want more in the way of a "handler's handler" than the Chevrolet offers in its strictly stock form, a switch to the 6-inch-wide rim wheels that are standard on the 9-passenger station wagons should provide additional resistance to tire roll-under, with attendant benefits in smoother cornering, and audible reduction in tire squeal. Brakes on the '61 Chevrolet are effective enough in comparison with what competitors are offering

to need no further comment, but a feature of the Turboglide transmission designed to make the brakes' job easier certainly does. We're referring to the Grade Retarder, a function of the Turboglide put into effect by simply moving the selector lever to a position on the quadrant marked "G." When this is done, the Turboglide attempts (as much as its fluid coupling will allow) to accelerate the engine speed up to a value corresponding to 2.67 times driveshaft speed. The retarding effect of this move caused us to refer to that position on the selector quadrant as "G for Grab" for the remainder of the test. The Tapley meter recorded a deceleration reading of 300 when "G" was engaged and, although we feel that a greater safety factor (particularly in mountain driving) would be attained with a device giving at least twice this figure, it is definitely a step in the right direction.

The Turboglide transmission is just one of a total of five options available to the Chevrolet purchaser, with the other choices being 3-speed manual, 3-speed manual with overdrive, 4-speed manual, and of course the perennial Powerglide. There are some interesting points about this profusion of options: the 4-speed is available only with the 348 cubic inch engines, which need its closely-spaced ratios far less than the 283 cubic inch engine; and the Turboglide is offered with engines only up to 280 bhp with a "Heavy Duty Powerglide" being the automatic trans option in the higher-powered versions.

A transmission modification for '61 that makes a lot of sense is the changing of ratios in the 4-speed transmissions for passenger car installations. Instead of the Corvette-bred 2.2:1 first, 1.66:1 second, and 1.31:1 third, these boxes will have a 2.54:1 first, run 1.92:1 in second, and carry a 1.51:1 third gear ratio. Inside, the '61 Chevrolet is as imposing as ever, with this particular series (Impala) being the most luxurious of the entire line. Addition of a 2-door sedan to the Impala series this year gives just this one series of Chevrolets full model coverage, almost like a make unto itself. This is interesting sales strategy when you take into account the fact that Pontiac's President Knudsen was quoted not

so long ago as saying their most popular car was the "economy priced" Catalina series. Perhaps Chevrolet is reaching up a notch with this expansion of the Impala line.

Instruments are now contained within a console that may be removed as a single unit for maintenance, although retaining the option of individual instrument removal in instances where that is more convenient. Aside from theoretically saving the car owner some labor charges (on an actual time basis) when such work is necessary, there's little worthy of comment about this. We'd still prefer an ammeter and an oil pressure gauge instead of colored lights, console or not. Quality of fit, finish and general workmanship still seem to be something that Chevrolet has been able to reconcile to mass production better

than many of its competitors. This, along with the "big-car feel" that always accompanies the triumvirate of power steering, power brakes, and automatic transmission, gave the impression that, unless you noticed the nameplate before entering, you could just as easily be riding in one of GM's more expensive offerings instead of one of the least. We're willing to bet that very few average car-owners could walk down the assembly lines at Cadillac and Chevrolet knowing which car was which until they got to the point where the bodies were installed. Without styling clues, it could be difficult for the layman.

Of primary interest only to the ladies, to remain competitive, color-wise, in the styling competition, Chevrolet has a total of 15 colors available for '61, of which only five (silver, red, gray, black, white) are carryovers from '60. A feature that's sure to be appreciated by both sexes is the addition of an ignition switch key position marked ACC for accessory operation with the engine shut down.

Aside from minor niceties such as these and the others already enumerated, Chevrolet for '61 continues along the same lines as have the many preceding models since days of yore - basic transportation if you so desire, yet with sufficient options available to offer a car fulfilling the American dream of luxury on wheels to an extent that shamelessly competes with its higher priced cousins.

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Last modified: January 14, 2003