January 2019 - Westphal Chevy Blog

Throwback Thursday: Chevrolet Built An Impala Four-Door Convertible

The Impala is both a muscle car and family car. But do you know that Chevrolet toyed with the idea of a four-door convertible. Find out more.

The XP-834, is built upon a 1965 four-door sedan body. According to an internal memo, the body incorporated several modifications.

Throwback Thursday: Chevrolet Built An Impala Four-Door Convertible

The convertible has been the focus of countless songs, movies, and even television shows, but in 1964, General Motors had an idea to build a convertible that was ahead of its time. On June 4, 1964, Chevrolet started outlining a program that would see a four-door, 1965 Impala become a convertible. The car was to be a design-study piece, meant for display at the November 1965 Detroit Auto Show. Dubbed project XP-834, the Chevrolet Caribe convertible sedan was to be completed by December 4, 1964. Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts and even a strike at the Fisher Body Works plant caused that deadline to be missed.

The car is built upon a 1965 four-door sedan body, that was procured from the Fisher-Janesville plant. According to an internal memo, the body incorporated the following modifications: no roof panel, rails or bows, no rear window, and would incorporate the front end and windshield from a convertible. The car also required rocker panel reinforcements, the use of heavier-gauge metal to create the inner and outer lock pillars, and finally, provisions for air conditioning.

With the program taking longer than anyone anticipated, on May 6, 1965 it was announced that management was losing interest in a four-door convertible, but the project would be able to continue. On July 9, 1965, another internal document states that the car was to be updated using 1966 Impala parts, and in October of that year, the transformation was still underway.

On September 29, 1965, with 99-percent of the work complete, it was decided that the car would not be shown at the Detroit Auto Show. There is no explanation why, just that focus was switching to the 1966 Chicago Auto Show. That plan was soon nixed, as on February 15, 1966, the car was withdrawn from the Chicago Auto Show at the behest of Mr. Elliot (Pete) Estes. Unfortunately, that’s where our paper trail grows cold, as the last entry states that on March 1, 1966, the car was not used at the Chicago Auto Show.

There is not a lot of information that can be found about the car. In fact, a source says that the car was probably scrapped, but no one at the GM can recall exactly what happened after it was built. We were able to find out that a Mark II 396 cubic-inch engine and a three-speed automatic transmission was destined to power the car.

In regards to the interior, the work order/document outlining the project lists that a 1966 “E” Astro bench seat (model 1796-391), and 1965 Chevrolet six-way power adjusters were to be used for the front seat. Upon further inspection, it appears that in actuality, the Stratoback seat option was utilized. This seat not only gives a sporty look, but with a fold-down armrest, allows the car to carry six persons. Fisher Body Works was integral in the design and implementation of the windshield, windshield header and latches, modification of the doors, and the Infora folding top. The top was designed to fold flush into the body and then get covered by a hard boot.

Thanks for reading about Throwback Thursday: Chevrolet Built An Impala Four-Door Convertible.

For more view Source: Throwback Thursday: Chevrolet Built An Impala Four-Door Convertible

New color Kinetic Blue Metallic on 2019 Chevrolet Blazer

Check out this new color called Kinetic Blue metallic on the all-new 2019 Chevrolet Blazer. This is an extra-cost exterior color but don’t you think it’s worth it?

blazer-kinetic-blue — What do you think of this bold hue?

Want to see it in person? Call our Customer Care Team at 630-898-9630 to arrange a VIP demonstration drive. Or, visit our webite 24/7.

The Perfect Chevrolet Caprice Is Up For Sale

A Jalopnik reader turned up this for-sale listing of what appears to be the perfect 1980s Chevy Caprice. So how much is it worth?

There are a couple different years of the full-size Chevrolet that you could argue are the very, very best. (The fishbowl coupes from the first downsized years of 1977-1979 are a personal favorite, as are the gruff 1965s and bubbly 1961s.) But it’s hard to argue that any of them offer a more stylish experience in the present day. And what is that experience? The 1980s Caprice represents courage in the face of adversity, or at least enough coke to cover it up.

Here’s how the seller starts this specific car’s eBay listing:

Hi, I’m selling my 1983 Chevrolet Caprice Classic. This is the ultimate testament of the bygone era. If this car could be any more ‘80s it would be wearing leg warmers and snorting cocaine off a picture of Ronald Reagan.

Under the skin this Box Chev is as normal as conceivably possible, with a small block and an automatic running power to the rear with body-on-frame construction.

It is simple. It is tough. It is The Car.

The car is for sale in LA showing a very tidy 66,000 miles, 600 away from being perfect. The roof has a chunk of missing paint but the AC, reportedly, blows cold.

At the moment, bidding is at $8,000 and the buy-it-now is 10.5, which both seems like a lot for an ordinary car, but nowhere near enough for what is, in a way, a true classic.

If you’re looking for something a little newer, check out our new Chevrolet Impala models or call our Customer Care Team at 630-898-9630.

Source: The Perfect Chevrolet Caprice Is Up For Sale

Rare Chevrolet Options You Likely Never Knew Existed.

Rare Chevrolet Option: Liquid Tire Chain

Listed in the Chevrolet annals was RPO V75, Traction Compound and Dispenser. At a cost of $23.20, the device placed a spring-loaded canister mounted behind each of the rear wheels. A button mounted near the driver would be depressed, directing manifold vacuum to the canisters, and the “ice-melting aerosol” was sprayed on the tire. In theory, this would help traction by removing unwanted build-up of snow in the tire tread. This was a short-lived option, and was only found on 1969 and some early 1970 models. Imagine having one of these now, and adapting it to spray VHT traction compound on the tires when racing.

Selling options are one way a car dealer makes money,. But over the years, some Chevrolet options weren’t very popular. That can make them valuable today.

Rare Chevrolet Option: Flameout Ashtray

For many years, smoking was considered a normal activity. Many smokers even have the bad habit of flicking the used cigarette butt out the window. If the weather was nice, quite often all of the car’s windows were down, and many car fires were started when the driver flicked their cigarette butt out the window, only to have it come back in the car and smolder on the rear seat or carpeting.

To combat this issue, Chevrolet developed the Flameout Vacuum Ashtray. This accessory used a glass jar that was mounted under the dash, on the driver’s side of the car. The glass jar was hooked to two lengths of tubing. One piece of tubing was connected to a butt receptacle mounted to the dash, and the other connected to the engine for receiving manifold vacuum. When the driver or passenger was ready to discard their cigarette butt, they placed it in the dash-mounted receptacle and depressed a spring-loaded valve. Depressing the valve would allow engine vacuum to suck the butt into the jar, extinguishing the hot end.

Rare Chevrolet Option: Electric Shaver

We all seem to think that life was a little slower paced “back in the day,” but every once in a while, we come along an item that makes us realize that time has always been a concern for people. Take for instance the electric shaver option offered from Chevrolet, primarily from 1951 through 1959. Listed simply as an “electric shaver,” the car buyer could choose from the Remington Roll-a-Matic, Schick, or Norelco Sportsman shavers. Each of these were powered by a cord that plugged in to the cigarette lighter in the car. It was a novel idea, as dad could save time by shaving while he drove to work. At least he wasn’t texting.

Rare Chevrolet Option: Heritage Editions

Patriotic themed items have always been big sellers. Let’s face it, were a nation of prideful people. So, when the Heritage interior was optioned on 1976 Monzas, Chevettes, and limited Vegas, Chevrolet felt they had a huge-selling idea. The option (code 1776), added $182 to the Chevette, between $111 and $143 to the Vega, and just $45.00 on the Monza.

Source: Rare Chevrolet Options You Likely Never Knew Existed.

Neither snow nor rain

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. While the Postal Service has no official motto, the popular belief that it does is a tribute to America’s postal workers.

This motto could also could apply to our salespeople. They are here everyday, ready to serve you-no matter the weather.

Neither snow nor rain keep Ron Westphal Salespeople from their duties

Introducing Brian Crunican, Rick Jacobsen, Robert Ithier and Chris Loftus. These are just 4 of the 10 salespeople we employ. And they are willing to brave the elements to pull up any vehicle you desire to investigate. We will happily bring any vehicle inside our heated service entrance so you can inspect your potential next vehicle in comfort.

Today, it’s gonna be a below zero windchill for sure. We sometimes see an increase in sales and service business when the temperatures drop so low. Many vehicles don’t start or start sluggishly. Sometimes your car just needs a new battery but sometimes it’s much more than that.

If you are looking for a vehicle you can depend on, we stock over 400 brand new Chevrolet models. Or, if pre-owned is more your style, we offer over 100 late-model pre-owned and/or GM Certified vehicles on any given day. We inspect every used vehicle prior to sale and the GM Certified vehicles come with 2 GM warranties at no additional cost to you!

Neither snow nor rain will keep our salespeople from serving you! Hope to see you soon.

The Delorean is Back – select one of 300

The Delorean is Back

The speedometer climbs as we race down a straightaway in Humble, Texas. As the needle edges to 60, 70, then 80 miles per hour, the 36-year-old automobile rattles and the wind whistles through the windows. Finally the DeLoreaon zooms up to 88 miles per hour and we feel, just for a moment, like we’ve gone back to the future.

Then, a series of loud honks from the other side of the road, followed by animated waving, awaken us out of our speed spell. “We get that all the time,” says DeLorean Motor Company CEO Stephen Wynne, sitting shotgun. “That doesn’t happen with any other car.”

After our speed reverie, we pull back into DMC’s Texas headquarters, located in this Houston suburb. It’s a wet November day and DeLoreans line the parking lot. “It’s the only lot in the country where you see this many DeLorean at any given time,” Wynne says.

DMC’s headquarters doubles as a restoration garage and storage for thousands of original three-decade-old DeLorean parts. Soon, it will become an assembly hall for the revamped DeLorean.

The open garage door reveals cars in different stages of repair, some exposing their rear engine and others with their gull-wing doors open, steel birds ready to take flight. In all, three dozen DeLoreans are scattered in and out of Wynne’s DMC headquarters, all in the midst of being repaired and restored to their former glory.

The DeLorean DMC-12 is more than a movie prop or simple automobile; it’s a long, strange legacy wrapped in stainless steel. That legacy, buoyed by the ongoing love for the Back to the Future films, keeps the car in the public imagination, and gave Wynne the ammunition to pursue a plan that’s much more ambitious than simply getting a 36-year-old car back on the road. He wants to build a brand new DeLorean, one created in the present using the roadmap of the past.

“I’m fiercely proud of DeLorean, but the car they put out could have been better,” says Wynne, “We’ve had thirty plus years of [research and development] and nine thousand prototypes that were made, all so I can make 300 really nice cars a year.”

Looking for something a little newer? Visit our website 24/7.

The Delorean is Back – Read More at Source: Read More

Meet our new salespeople

Meet our new salespeople!

We’ve recently hired 3 new salespeople to help keep up with all the traffic we have been receiving lately. Maybe you know one of them?

View our Staff HERE

We are proud to welcome Rick Jacobsen, Brian Bubak and Chris Loftus to our sales team.

Rick Jacobsen Ron Westphal Chevrolet salesperson Meet our new salespeople — Rick Jacobsen

Brian Bubak Ron Westphal Chevrolet salesperson Meet our new salespeople — Brian Bubak

Chris Loftus Ron Westphal Chevrolet salesperson Meet our new salespeople — Chris Loftus

Chevrolet Debuts Full-Size Silverado Trail Boss Built Entirely of Lego at Detroit Auto Show

Have you ever looked at the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT Trail Bossand thought, “yes, but what if it was made out of Lego?” Well friends, wonder no more. Debuting at this year’s Detroit Auto Show is a full-size Lego reproduction of the new pickup truck from the General.

The replica Silverado is constructed from 334,544 bricks that were each hand-selected by a specially trained builder. When assembled, the truck weighs 3,307 pounds. For reference, the base weight of a Silverado crew cab is 5,008 pounds. It took 18 builders over 2,000 hours to assemble the truck, which is longer than it takes for a Silverado to roll down the assembly line in Fort Wayne. The most common component used in the assembly of the model was a red 2×8 stud brick.

It’s like the real thing, just with interlocking plastic bricks instead of steel and aluminum.

Source: Chevrolet Debuts Full-Size Silverado Trail Boss Built Entirely of Lego at Detroit Auto Show

Is This The Return Of The Chevrolet Trailblazer Name?

At the General Motors Capital Markets day, a little piece of nugget has been caught, and it looks like a teaser sketch of the upcoming Trailblazer.

It might suffer the same fate as the Blazer nameplate, though.

Car manufacturers bringing dead names back from the grave isn’t relatively new these days. Mitsubishi is among the latest to recycle old names, although absurdly, by re-using Eclipse on a crossover and butchering the Evolution nameplate on an all-electric performance SUV. It’s a huge move for the Japanese brand and frankly, we’re not sure how to feel about it.

Chevrolet followed the trend of reincarnating dead car names with the Blazer. Although, just like Mitsubishi, the Bowtie brand reused the name differently, as the Blazer is now a midsize crossover, far from the full-size, body-on-frame SUV that it once used to be.

But Chevrolet doesn’t plan to stop there – at least that’s what the latest rumor says. It looks like Chevy is bringing back the Trailblazer name with the latest sketch teaser below. And yes, it’s going to be a crossover.

Caught by MotorTrend, this sketch teaser was taken from a slideshow that was presented during the General Motors Capital Markets day. According to MotorTrend, this teaser is indeed the new Trailblazer and it coincides with their sources pointing towards the return of the nameplate.

The car magazine also had the chance to talk to Chevrolet marketing director Steve Majoros and ask him about the Trailblazer sketch. The executive answered with a smile and refused to comment.

While we don’t have the Chevrolet Trailblazer in stock yet…we do have the all new 2019 Chevrolet Blazer.

You are welcome to visit us online or in person. Our dealership is located in beautiful Aurora, IL near Oswego, Plainfield and Naperville.

Thanks for reading about the upcoming Chevrolet Trailblazer.

Source: Is This The Return Of The Chevrolet Trailblazer Name?

10 things about the 2019 Chevy Blazer

1. Unibody foundation: Unlike the previous-generation Blazers, the new 2019 Chevy Blazer will not be an old-school body-on-frame SUV. Instead, it’s based on a unibody platform that’s also used for the GMC Acadia.

View our 2019 Chevy Blazer inventory

2. Three trim levels: Entry-level versions will simply be known as Blazer. The sportier-looking RS will occupy the middle of the lineup, while the Premier will be the most luxurious, range-topping example.

10 things about the 2019 Chevy Blazer in stock ron westphal chevy

3. Two engine options: A 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 193 horsepower and 188 pound-feet of torque will be the Blazer’s base engine, while customers will be able to upgrade to a 3.6-liter V6 making 305 horses and 269 pound-feet.

4. Nine-speed transmission: Both the four-cylinder and V6 will be mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox.

5. Front- and all-wheel-drive versions of the 2019 Chevy Blazer will be offered.

6. Towing: Chevy says a V6-equipped Blazer is estimated to have a 4,500-pound tow capacity.

7. Sporty looks: Design influence from the Camaro is evident in the new Blazer with a big grille, tall hood, skinny headlights, sculpted sheetmetal, high beltline and strong rear haunches. Inside, the center stack and round air vents are also taken from the Chevy muscle car.

8. Cabin features: Sliding rear seats and dual-zone climate controls are standard. A panoramic roof and hands-free power liftgate will be options on the Blazer.

10 things about the 2019 Chevy Blazer — In stock now – 2019 Chevrolet Blazer

9. Technology: Chevy’s latest MyLink system will handle infotainment with an 8-inch touchscreen, Bose audio, 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and offer up to six USB ports. Available safety technologies include adaptive cruise control and rear camera mirror.

10. On sale: The all-new 2019 Chevy Blazer will go on sale in January and will start at $29,995. That puts it on par with the Ford Edge, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Nissan Murano.