If you think of US pop-cultural archetypes, few brands loom larger than Chevrolet in its own drama of stardom and nostalgia. The US automobile manufacturer has burnished its All-American image not just with millions of cars on the road, but through an equally large number on the silver screen, where its cars have picked up many a Hollywood starlet. The history of Chevy is as much about the characters that its cars have become as it is about the motor vehicles themselves. On this special petrol-filled journey and partnership with Chevrolet, we’re going to take a road trip through the decades to explore the greatest Chevys to become stars in their own right, both on screen and on the road.
CLASSIC CHEVY: The Star of "Transformers"
A Classic Transformation
Recall the excitement of watching Bumblebee morph from a ‘semi-classic’ 1977 Chevrolet Camaro into a jet-black, modern ‘warrior on wheels’? The Transformers films weren’t merely redefining the action movie for a new audience, they were also reinvigorating the Camaro as a CLASSIC, underscoring the brand’s pop-cultural history as a CLASSIC symbol of transformation and power.
The 1955 CHEVY 150: A CLASSIC Chase in "American Graffiti"
Riding Through Retro Lanes
The splashy screen time of the 1955 Chevy 150 in American Graffiti vaulted the CLASSIC car out of history and into popular culture, forever excited by its appearance in the film and its association with the counterculture of the 1970s. This Chevy wasn’t just driving down the road; this Chevy was speeding through the decade, and had cast itself on celluloid and hot-rodders alike as a CLASSIC CLASSIC.
Guy Fieri's CLASSIC 1968 Camaro SS: Cruising America's Flavors
A Culinary Road Trip
On Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, it isn’t only his crunchy burgers that viewers fantasise about; it’s also Fieri’s 1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS that sends them off on touring holidays across the US symbolised by the car.
The Lumina's NASCAR Legacy in "Days of Thunder"
Racing Into the CLASSIC Hall of Fame
Tom Cruise didn’t just drive his 1990 Chevrolet Lumina to the finish line at Talladega Speedway in Days of Thunder (1990). The fictional racecar defaced with actual NASCAR sponsorships also staked a claim on movie and NASCAR history – and on an enduring image of Chevrolet as an auto-racing institution in the United States.
Ryan Gosling's 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu in "Drive"
A CLASSIC Getaway
Ryan Gosling’s 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu was, as critics pointed out in 2011 when Drive hit cinemas, almost a co-star. There can be no better cinematic endorsem*nt for stoic, dependable reliability than Ryan Gosling literally driving off into the sunset with the Malibu in “Drive” (2011).
The Corvette: A Pop Culture Icon
The CLASSIC 'Vette Through the Ages
From its debut in 1953 through to its cameos on the big screen and placement on the wish lists of astronauts, the Chevrolet Corvette – in addition to being a car – has become a symbol of all that America has to offer in terms of innovation, luxury, and the freedom of the open road, firmly ingraining the car as an iconic piece of Americana.
Exploring the CLASSIC Essence of Chevy
But as we’ve driven Chevy down our cinematic memory lane – and then through music and the wide-open behind-the-wheel roads of our own cinematic adventures – it is evident that, long before today’s mechanical wizardry was dreamed up in automotive boardrooms, Chevy explored its pop-cultural destiny. With every CLASSIC appearance, Chevy helped weave itself into the fabric of the American identity – imagination, freedom, deep-rooted adventure, and timelessness.
And Chevy’s seemingly eternal appeal isn’t about what’s under the hood or the lines that connect that engine and everything else; it’s about the stories these cars and the men who drive them help tell, about determination, about the dream of continuous reinvention, of overcoming life’s obstacles. At the heart of every Chevy CLASSIC is a desire to do more than just get somewhere, it’s a desire to go and inspire. Whether it’s across the dirt tracks of a rural heartland or through the neon heart of a sprawling city, Chevy reminds us that every CLASSIC is actually a story. This article was created in collaboration with Chevrolet.
Thus goes the Gossage ad – so 1970s, so wonderfully soppy. But also, of course, so very right. So: cheers Chevrolet – which didn’t just make cars, it made dynasties. CLASSIC cars. CLASSIC everything.
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