The Chevrolet Celebrity is a mid-size car produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. The Celebrity (a name originally used by Oldsmobile in the 1960s) was introduced in 1981 for the 1982 model year. The Celebrity was the best-selling car in the United States in 1986. Although sold for only one generation, it received its first facelift in 1984, and another in 1986, which included a facelifted front end and restyled taillights. The Celebrity's last facelift was in 1987, when composite headlamps replaced the quad rectangular sealed beam units. The coupe was discontinued after 1988. Celebrity sedan production ended on July 7, 1989, while the wagon was discontinued in early 1990, with the new Lumina line replacing it.
The Chevrolet Celebrity was based on the front wheel drive A-body platform shared with the Buick Century, Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser and the Pontiac 6000.
Part of GM's mid-size A-body quartet, the Celebrity used the same engines as the Pontiac 6000. Power steering/brakes and an automatic transmission were standard equipment in 1982 and 1983; the automatic became optional later on. A 4-door station wagon debuted for 1984, as did a Eurosport handling/appearance package which included Sport Rallye wheels (14" steel), blacked out window-area trim, a black steering wheel, and a heavier duty F41 suspension. While engine choices for the Eurosport were identical to other Celebrities (other than the diesel), the interior of Eurosports featured unique red emblems on the interior door panels and dash. The exterior featured unique red center stripes on the protective rubber door and bumper molding, and fender and trunk emblems were red rather than chrome. There was also a fold out third seat in the trunk of the station wagon. The Rallye rims could also be ordered with base models. Another model was the Celebrity CL, which had woodgrain on the dash and wheel and plush seats and diamond-spoke wheels, the Celebrity Classic, which deleted the fixed rear windows and added a mock convertible top and offered power windows (optional on other models), and the Celebrity Estate, which features simulated woodgrain siding.
The base 2.5 L "Tech IV" I4 engine (Pontiac's Iron Duke) was criticized for being underpowered, but a high-output fuel-injected V6 became optional in 1985. The diesel engine departed for 1986. The Generation II engines, reworked for 1987, now had fuel injection standard and had a new distributorless ignition system, and a new, optional Getrag-designed 5-speed manual transmission became available with both engines. The manual transmission option, however, was dropped in 1986 and the 3-speed automatic became stanadard. Balance shafts were added to the Tech IV engine for 1988. The coupe was dropped for the 1988 model year, replaced by the Beretta mid-size coupe. The 4-cylinder engine received a 12 hp (9 kW) gain late in the 1989 model year. While the Buick Century and Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera received regular styling updates, the Celebrity and Pontiac 6000 were not touched after 1986 because GM planned to replace them with the Chevrolet Lumina and Pontiac Grand Prix. Only the station wagon remained for the 1990 model year, with a new optional 3.1 L V6 engine and door-mounted front seat belts with the other A-body cars.
Switching to FWD allowed more interior space than the Celebrity's predecessor the Malibu due to not needing a drive shaft tunnel on the floor (more so in wagon form, reverting to 8-passenger seating that had been missing from mid-size GM wagons since 1977), with front wheel drive traction and more responsive handling. These cars bettered the dismal recall record of their X-body parents significantly. There were driveability problems with the computerized engine control system in 1982 models, and deterioration of the upper engine mount (also called a dogbone) caused engine/transaxle vibration. Because tooling costs had not been monetized for the 1978-vintage A-body platform, GM could not discontinue it in 1982 and so FWD A-body line to run alongside the older RWD models for the first few years of production (the Malibu was discontinued in 1983, while the RWD A-body Buick lasted through 1985 and Oldsmobile models survived all the way to 1987).
Chevrolet Celebrities in all models were available with 2 different bolt patterns on the wheel hub - either 100mm (JA1 code) or 115mm (JA2 code). Additionally, the trans-axles and brakes were different on these two patterns. The smaller of the bolt pattern was used in the standard models, and used a non-vented disc brake while the larger bolt pattern was to house the heavy duty vented disc brakes. A misconception is that all Eurosports came with the larger bolt pattern—this was not the case. Most of the heavy duty braking systems went to base model Chevrolet Celebrities for fleet vehicles and taxis.
In addition to the standard Eurosport package, there was a limited edition Eurosport VR version available, based on the 1986 Eurosport RS concept car. These very rare Celebrities were only produced for two model years (1987 and 1988) and came in one of four available monochromatic color schemes: Red, Silver, Black, and White. Notably, Fern Green was omitted from the color selection. Eurosport VRs were also fitted with special ground effects and body decals. 1987 VRs were available as sedans and wagons only, with the treatment expanding to the coupe for the 1988 model year. The 1987 models (often considered the most desirable) were given a special "VR only" interior, which included red carpeting, special tri-color door panels, bucket seats with thigh bolsters, and a rear seat cup holder. 1988 VRs did not receive the same interior treatment, as it turned out to be too costly, but were given either standard trim or upscale CL trim. All VR conversions were done by Autostyle Cars, near the Oklahoma City assembly plant, from where all VR Celebrities are believed to have originated. The Celebrity wagon was replaced by the Chevrolet Lumina APV.
Source: wikipedia
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