Chevrolet Celebrity

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The Chevrolet Celebrity was a mid-size car built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. The Celebrity was introduced in 1981 for the 1982 model year. Sales were strong — the Celebrity was the best-selling car in the United States in 1986. All Celebrities were built at the Oshawa Car Assembly in Ontario, Canada; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Framingham, Massachusetts. Production ended on July 7, 1989 with the 1990 model year, replaced by the Chevrolet Lumina.

The Chevrolet Celebrity was based on the front wheel drive A-body shared with the Buick Century, Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser and the Pontiac 6000.

Engines:

1982-1985 2500 2.5 L (151 in³) I4
1982-1986 2.8 L (173 in³) V6
1990 2500 2.5 L (151 in³) I4
1990 3.1 L (182 in³) V6

Part of GM's mid-size A-body quartet, The Celebrity used the same engines as one of its siblings, the Pontiac 6000. The interior space and running gear were the same as the Chevrolet Citation, but the Celebrity was trimmed and equipped better. Power steering/brakes and an automatic transmission were standard equipment in 1982 and 1983; the automatic became optional later on. A roomy 4-door station wagon debuted for 1984, as did a Eurosport handling/appearance package.

The base 2.5 L four-cylinder engine was criticized for being underpowered, but a high-output fuel-injected V6 became optional for 1985. The diesel engine departed after 1985. The Generation II engines, reworked for 1987, now had fuel injection, and a new Getrag-designed 5-speed manual transmission became available with the V6. Balance shafts were added to the Tech IV engine for 1988. The 4-cylinder engine received a 12 hp (9 kW) gain late in the 1989 model year. The coupe model sold poorly and was dropped for 1989. Only the station wagon remained for the 1990 model year, with a new optional 3.1 L V6 engine. The station wagon was replaced by the Lumina APV for 1990.

The Celebrity, at the time, was more spacious than the bigger Malibu, with front wheel drive traction and responsive handling. Gas mileage was no better though. Workmanship was good, so these cars have bettered the dismal recall record of their X-body parents. There have been some driveability problems with the computerized engine control system in 1982 models, and deterioration of the upper engine-torque strap (also called a dogbone) causes engine/transaxle vibration.

External links

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