The General Motors A platform (commonly called A-body) was a mid-size car automobile platform. The A-bodies evolved from rear wheel drive compact cars to front wheel drive mid-size cars over the course of 35 years. The switch in drive layout in 1982 spawned the G-body. In the end, every A-body car line was cancelled, but new nameplates on the GM Epsilon platform have taken their place. General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is a United States-based automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Vauxhall. ... A mid-size car, frequently referred to as an intermediate, is an automobile with a size between that of a compact and a full-size or standard-size car. ... An automobile platform is a shared set of components common to a number of different automobiles. ... The General Motors G platform (also called G-Body) automobile platform name was used twice. ... Epsilon is General Motors new mid-size front wheel drive automobile platform. ...

"Platform" does not mean sharing the same frame, but does mean sharing common parts. The Corvair was an A-body, but used unibody construction. However, it shared many component parts such as brakes, wipers, etc with other Chevrolet mid-size cars. Monocoque (French for single shell) or unibody is a construction technique that uses the external skin of an object to support some or most of the load on the structure. ...

1961

The first A platform was a "compact" (for the time) platform for the FR layout 1961 Buick Special, Oldsmobile Cutlass, and Pontiac Tempest and RR layout Chevrolet Corvair. It grew through the 1960s and 1970s as a rear-wheel drive platform, finally to be discontinued for 1982. High sales, however, kept the platform alive as the renamed G-body. This A-body was used in a wide variety of GM's most famous cars of the muscle car era, including the GTO, Chevelle, and Buick GS. In Automobile design, an FR, or Front-engine, Rear wheel drive means a layout where the engine is in the front of the vehicle and drive wheels at the rear. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1940 Buick Coupé Straight 8 Special 4. ... The Oldsmobile Cutlass is a type of automobile made by General Motors. ... Motor Life magazine cover, showing rear view of 1961 Pontiac Tempest chassis, with rear transaxle. ... In Automobile design, an RR, or Rear-engine, Rear wheel drive, layout places both the engine and drive wheels at the rear of the vehicle. ... The Chevrolet Corvair was a rear-engined automobile produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors from 1960 to 1969. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Rear wheel drive was a common form of engine/transmission layout used in automobiles throughout the 20th century. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The General Motors G platform (also called G-Body) automobile platform name was used twice. ... Muscle car is a term for high-performance automobiles, principally referring to American models produced between 1964 to 1971. ... 1965 Pontiac GTO convertible The Pontiac GTO was an automobile built by Pontiac from 1964 to 1974. ... 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle—last year of this bodystyle 1969 Chevelle SS396 The Chevrolet Chevelle was created in 1964 as a midsize model automobile from Chevrolet. ... Image:1971GranSport. ...

This single family of cars contained more innovative features than all other American products of the decade. Each model contained at least one notable advance:

• The Corvair's rear-mounted air-cooled flat-6 engine was the first American use of this engine design and location.
• The aluminum Buick/Oldsmobile 215 cid V8 was the smallest-ever American V8 and father of the Rover V8 engine. Both of these engines were turbocharged in 1962, making the Turbo Jetfire the first factory turbo engine.
• Buick also introduced the first American V6 engine in 1962.
• The Pontiac Tempest had an innovative rear-mounted transaxle and flexible driveshaft, the first with this drivetrain design.
• Pontiac also had a notable half-V8 195 cid I4, the largest straight-4 engine ever produced. The 1963 Tempest Le Mans was also the prototype for the 1964 Pontiac GTO.

Ironically, every one of these new features was declared a failure and abandoned within a few years. In Automobile design, an RR, or Rear-engine, Rear wheel drive, layout places both the engine and drive wheels at the rear of the vehicle. ... Engine cooling is the process of cooling an engine by using either air or liquid. ... The flat-6 engine of the Honda Valkyrie motorcycle A flat-6 is a 6 cylinder configuration of a flat engine or boxer engine. ... The Corvairs innovative flat-6 engine The Chevrolet Corvair engine was a flat-6 piston engine used exclusively in the 1960s Chevrolet Corvair automobile. ... Aluminum is a soft and lightweight metal with a dull silvery appearance, due to a thin layer of oxidation that forms quickly when it is exposed to air. ... Like its sister General Motors divisions, Buick produced its own family of V8 engines to replace its straight-8 engines. ... Rover V8 in a Sunbeam Tiger The Rover V8 engine is a compact V8 internal combustion engine with aluminum cylinder heads and cylinder block, originally designed by General Motors and later re-designed and produced by Rover in the United Kingdom. ... This article describes the internal combustion engine component often known as a turbo. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... The 1967 Toronados 425 V8, the first front-wheel drive V8 application. ... The 3800 family is a large V6 engine used by General Motors. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... Motor Life magazine cover, showing rear view of 1961 Pontiac Tempest chassis, with rear transaxle. ... A transaxle, in the automotive field, is a component that combines the functionality of the transmission, the differential and the drive axle into one integrated assembly. ... Pontiac V8 engine with Tripower carb setup From 1954 to 1981 the Pontiac Division of General Motors manufactured its own, unique V8 engines. ... The straight-4 or inline-4 is an internal combustion engine with four cylinders aligned in one row. ... Motor Life magazine cover, showing rear view of 1961 Pontiac Tempest chassis, with rear transaxle. ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... 1965 Pontiac GTO convertible The Pontiac GTO was an automobile built by Pontiac from 1964 to 1974. ...

The Chevrolet Chevelle was the first A-body designed with a perimeter frame and 4-link coil-spring suspension - the 1964 model year was the first time the GM A platform had a full perimeter frame (similar to the design used in the 1963-67 Corvette); this would be known as the 'senior compact' between the full-size GMs (Impala, LeSabre, 88). 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle—last year of this bodystyle 1969 Chevelle SS396 The Chevrolet Chevelle was created in 1964 as a midsize model automobile from Chevrolet. ...

The original A-bodies were widely celebrated: The Corvair was Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year for 1960, the Tempest won in 1961, and the V6 Special won in 1962. Cover of Motor Trend magazine Motor Trend is one of the oldest automotive magazines still publishing. ... Car of the Year is a phrase usually considered to have been invented by Motor Trend magazine in the 1950s for their annual award for best automobile. ...

1973-1977

By this time, the American performance car was considered extinct, but these "forgotten years" had some performance left.

• 1973 Pontiac LeMans Sport Coupe GTO/Grand Am - Available with a 400 cid 230 hp V8 which was available with a 3 or 4-speed manual transmission or an automatic. There was also a 250 hp 455 with an automatic transmission only, which was announced but was never released to the public. Cars magazine tested an SD-455-equipped 1973 Pontiac GTO and chose it as Car Of The Year, yet it never made it to production.
• 1973-1975 Oldsmobile Cutlass Hurst/Olds W-30 - These were built using 455 cid V8 engines in the W-30 trim.
• 1976 Buick Century Turbo - These were originally built as Indy Pace Car replicas with a turbocharged and carburated 3.8 L V6, and were faster than the 455 V8 version of that year. There were only a little over 1,200 built.
• 1977 Pontiac Can-Am - This car was basically a LeMans Sport Coupe with a Grand Prix interior and a Trans Am "Shaker" hood, a one-off wing and a 400 cid V8 rated at 200 hp with federal emissions, or an Oldsmobile 403 with California emissions. Only 1,100 or so of these were made and are getting quite collectible.