what the heck is a chevelle? animal, mineral??? i know i have too much time on my hands.

i heard that chevy was going to name the car the "gazelle" and they ended up combining "Chevy + Gazelle= Chevelle".....Now if this is true, I have no idea!!!

A Chevelle is a "Bat out of Hell"

i know they run like that.

i know they run like that.

You catch on fast !!!! :D

From the old english and french word Chevalier- Noble



A member of certain male orders of knighthood or merit, such as the Legion of Honor in France.

A French nobleman.
Used as a title for such a nobleman.
A knight.
A chivalrous man.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Middle English chevaler, from Old French chevalier, from Late Latin caballrius, horseman. See cavalier.]



Or sounds good anyway!

what the heck is a chevelle? animal, mineral??? i know i have too much time on my hands.

It's not a word that is from the dictionary, so I would thinkonick may be correct.

Chevelles is the name of the Rock group that use to open for the Rolling Stones in 1964.

It was originally going to be named the Corselle. They actually prepared advertising and then changed the name to Chevelle. That didn't answer your question but It's interesting. Here's some original Corselle literature from our club web site.

http://nor-cal.chevelles.net/corselle.htm

Chuck

connection refused

It was originally going to be named the Corselle. They actually prepared advertising and then changed the name to Chevelle. That didn't answer your question but It's interesting. Here's some original Corselle literature from our club web site.

http://nor-cal.chevelles.net/corselle.htm

ChuckVery interesting. Thanks.

Principal Translations:
horse (animal) nm cheval (Zoologie)
My daughter rides a horse every Saturday.
Ma fille monte à cheval tous les samedi.

I refuse to think that MY CAR has anything to do with the FRENCH. Lets hope not. You should have seen my Dad's reaction at the Deere dealership in MO when they told him the new starter for his JD tractor would be two weeks out, as they are made in FRANCE :(

Oh what fun it is to ride in a 500 horse CHEVAL- LAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did I just read the word "Gay" in there somewhere?

40 years ago "gay" meant something entirely different that what it means today.

in 1963 my neighbor worked at the chevrolet plant in st louis. he told me they were coming out with a new model call the chev-l-ee. LOL.

I refuse to think that MY CAR has anything to do with the FRENCH. Lets hope not. You should have seen my Dad's reaction at the Deere dealership in MO when they told him the new starter for his JD tractor would be two weeks out, as they are made in FRANCE :(


Hate to burst your bubble, but Louis Chevrolet lived and worked in France for many years, and the bowtie emblem is supposedly from a design in a French hotel. Not that I care much for the French either :cool:

It was originally going to be named the Corselle. They actually prepared advertising and then changed the name to Chevelle. That didn't answer your question but It's interesting. Here's some original Corselle literature from our club web site.

http://nor-cal.chevelles.net/corselle.htm

Chuck

Thanks Chuck, That's some cool info. This is why this site ROCKS!!!:thumbsup:

Hate to burst your bubble, but Louis Chevrolet lived and worked in France for many years, and the bowtie emblem is supposedly from a design in a French hotel.

That's what I have heard too. Louis Chevrolet found the bowtie shape on a wallpaper in a French hotel. Wonder if that wallpaper is still available? :)

Hate to burst bubbles but according to an interview with Bunkie Knudson and Automotive News - August 26, 1963, when asked about the origins of the Chevelle nameplate, "It's a coined name," he replied. "It doesn't mean anything." After some laughter in room, he added: "But we'll make it mean something." The laughter ceased.

That's what I have heard too. Louis Chevrolet found the bowtie shape on a wallpaper in a French hotel. Wonder if that wallpaper is still available? :)

I heard it was a French Bordello. :thumbsup: makes you wonder if its still open ??? forget about the wallpaper :rolleyes:

I heard it was a French Bordello. :thumbsup: makes you wonder if its still open ??? forget about the wallpaper :rolleyes:

A French bordello with Chevy wallpaper? If they serve beer too it would be a one-stop-shop. :D

I'm kind of glad the name Corselle was never used for any Chevrolet model.
I'm using todays meaning of....."It's gay". JMO :D

I hate to burst more bubbles but according to an interview in a little known automotive trade periodical called "car maker monthly" in late april 1996 Zora Arkus-Duntov who was on his deathbed at that time put an end to to the rash of (then) recent story fabrications and radio commentator speculation, when he intimated to that journalist (who, for security reasons, must remain anonymus) that not only was he yes, the father of the corvette but that he might also be the bastard surregate wet uncle to the (and, this was never before reported) illegitmatly concieved chevelle.
as he told it, while visiting a wounded wartime aquaintance in early june of 1942 zora arrived drunk and was confused sloightly overwelmed by a huge cross sprayed by some punk with a can of bright red paint when he wandered into the wrong room and stumbled upon a delerious Louis Chevrolet who was on HIS deathbed.
Mr. chevrolet, who mistook him for his personal secretary and confidant, miss rosey greering, started rambling on and on in what zora quickley realized was going to be the dieing confessional of one of the greatest industrialists of all time. since zora was a master typist he felt compelled to jot down a few highlights and bits of interest or, at least, pretend to.
when louis began, zora knew immediatly that he was returning himself and zora to that far away home of all feck-ups, the motherland of all mistakes, the country cottage of all conciet, thats right, you guessed it...it all went back to france (doesnt it always?)...when, while serving in the french army in ww 1, louis had struck up a strange sort of love/hate relationship with the popular singer and movie star Maurice Chevalier.
as he tells it, mr chevaliar was an unabashed moocher and one of the most accomplished glad handers of his time, and maurice thought that louis owed him at least a new car on occasion for the friendship maurice had bestowed on him. well, not one to suffer fool's gladly, louis told where he could stick a spanking new full sized sedan.
theres much more to this story (including a Corvair/JFK/Ford Motor Co. conspiracy theory) but to get the gist of the chevelle naming controversy, when zora had tried to relay this sad tale of woe to the relatives and heirs to the chevrolet fortune in a conference call in december of 1963 when they arrived at the question of giving maurice (who was now claiming he and louis had always been the best of friends and louis had promised him just a few days before his death a new car every year and almost ten grand, cash) the newest model out or should they pawn off some abandonded fleet reject from the shredder warehouse when apparantly a bad connection broke bits of another (communication technology being what it was in those days ) conference call with whoever was giving the final word on the naming of the new chevrolet intermediate sized car...well zora was screaming into the desktop transmitter that by all accounts louis thought maurice was gay and louis often told whoever would listen that "maurice chevaliar can go to straight to hell"...of course the design team could only pick up "chev...hell"...chev....hell"....and "maurice (misunderstood to be "more")..."more chevelles"...a silly twist of fate you might argue but, one that ultimately changed the course of automotive history, the car buying public and we, the fans, collectors and arhcivists of all things chevelle

http://images.google.ca/images?q=tbn:QGPgA2IT8aMw8M:http://www.chevy8shop.nl/thema/historie_bestanden/image002.gif
This is a "fleur de lis"(sp?). It's french.
http://www.danchuk.com/largeformat/01_05_h_t_emblem_wbezels.jpg
Notice how many of them are on these emblems? 55 Chevy if case anybody doesn't know. Doesn't mean you have to like it, but there is a connection.

Dang. And all this time I've thought that the name "Chevelle" came from the French suffix "elle" meaning "little", "diminuitive", "small", etc., combined with "Chevrolet".

Therefore a Chevrolet is a big car, but a Chev-elle is a smaller version.

Chevelle is an ancient Anasazi Indian word. Loosely translated it means (BadA$$ Muscle Car):D :D :D

i heard that chevy was going to name the car the "gazelle" and they ended up combining "Chevy + Gazelle= Chevelle".....Now if this is true, I have no idea!!!

I thought the Gazelle was the name for the new 67 F-body (Camaro) before they decided Camaro was cooler

Well then,what the hell is a Camaro before '67? :)

P.S.- a chevelure is a head of hair

I thought Panther was the name of the Camaro, pre-Camaro?

Chevelle is an ancient Anasazi Indian word. Loosely translated it means (BadA$$ Muscle Car):D :D :D


That is what I'm talkin' about! :D

This seems like a good time to introduce my new kitten. We just got him this week. He's great looking and is white with black stripes. My wife said he was black with white stripes but no self respecting muscle car guy would have a male cat with "chick" stripes so he white with black stripes. He really took to me so I got to name him. Since he was a male I thought I would call him Sport, as in "hey, Sport!". The name has stuck so we kept it and he now answers to it.

Of course Sport is his "nick name". His formal name is Super Sport.

Chuck

My wife said he was black with white stripes but no self respecting muscle car guy would have a male cat with "chick" stripes so he white with black stripes.

hmmm. I never heard white stripes referred to as "chick stripes". I'm not sure if I should laugh or be offended.http://www.chevelles.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif

I thought Panther was the name of the Camaro, pre-Camaro?

You are correct. Looked kinda like a camaro/vette/GT car.

I like all the french references. They invented lots of good things (or at least got their name attached):

1-fries
2-toast
3-salad dressing-great on fries!
3-bikini-I don't care french or not. bikinis rock!
4-kissing
5-tickler
6-wine

You are correct. Looked kinda like a camaro/vette/GT car.

I like all the french references. They invented lots of good things (or at least got their name attached):

1-fries
2-toast
3-salad dressing-great on fries!
3-bikini-I don't care french or not. bikinis rock!
4-kissing
5-tickler
6-wine

I'm a little concerned about #5:eek:

hmmm. I never heard white stripes referred to as "chick stripes". I'm not sure if I should laugh or be offended.http://www.chevelles.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif

It's all just a joke. My wife says girls like white stripes and I say guys like black stripes. Personally I like both, ...except on a cat.

It's like bumper stickers. I never put them on my work car because whatever the message is, it's sure to offend some one. Keep smiling!

Chuck

In response to HRD's post (I won't quote all that) where did you hear that? Personally, that seems like a myth, but at the same time its so fabricated that it could be true? I really don't know what to think, but an interesting read none-the-less.:thumbsup:

I remember not to long ago having this discussion and seeing that a Camaro was a type of horse. Knowing that a Camaro was a horse and an Impala was a...well, you know...then it wouldn't suprise me for the "Gazelle" to fit right in line. CHEVrolet + gazELLE = Chevelle.

But what do I know? :D

Chris

So how does this theory of Chev + elle explain the Chevette?

That thing was so far from even close to a Corvette. We all know where both the Chev and Vette came from. But combining the 2 made for something completely different then a 2 seat, V8 powered sports car.:D

The Chevette was a play on words...meaning "Shove it"!

Which of course was what you had to do to get it up over 25 MPH LOL

Hey, that's as good as some of this other hogwash! LOL

I remember not to long ago having this discussion and seeing that a Camaro was a type of horse. Knowing that a Camaro was a horse and an Impala was a...well, you know...then it wouldn't suprise me for the "Gazelle" to fit right in line. CHEVrolet + gazELLE = Chevelle.

But what do I know? :D

Chris
Actually Camaro in French means Friend or pal

The original name for the Camaro was indeed a "Panther".

Let's see.....Bel Air is a city in Cali, and so is Malibu....Nova and Vega are stars....Impala is an animal....So where did they get the name "Corvette"? Or Caprice? Or Biscayne?

Where did Chevette come from? Good one. Could be "Shove it"....like "Take this car and shove it"....but Johnny's song came out a year afterwards....maybe it was a contraction of "Chevy Corvette" so even low income slimeballs living downtown in the projects could afford a new "Vette"....or maybe it could be "Sh!tvette"....:D Now that's more like it!:thumbsup:

I thought Panther was the name of the Camaro, pre-Camaro?
Oh yeah, whoops! :clonk: you're right :clonk: :clonk: :clonk:

Someone told me the Corvette got its name from some kind of airplane?

Oh I forgot where did "Corvair" come from?

IIRC, Corvette's were fast little PT boats and Corvairs were prop driven fighter planes - HTH. For what it's worth, I had heard that the Chevelle was supposed to be Gazelle...

Corvette was some sort of WWII airplane or at least something in that type of WWII airplane inspired. Maybe not an actual plane itself. Could have been some graphics on the planes but I thought it was related to WWII war planes.

Corvette was named after a light and fast Royal Navy WWII warship, not an airplane.

http://4dw.net/jqueen/vette/name.html
http://www.corvettemuseum.com/library-archives/timeline/1951.shtml
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0813683.html

cor·vette Audio pronunciation of "corvette" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (kôr-vt)
n.

1. A fast, lightly armed warship, smaller than a destroyer, often armed for antisubmarine operations.
2. An obsolete sailing warship, smaller than a frigate, usually armed with one tier of guns.

Corvair is similar to corsair,which other than a couple of different planes is:

cor·sair Audio pronunciation of "corsair" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (kôrsâr)
n.

1. A pirate, especially along the Barbary Coast.
2. A swift pirate ship, often operating with official sanction.


closest I could find,lol.

:edit:found one more

no·va Audio pronunciation of "nova" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (nv)
n. pl. no·vae (-v) or no·vas

A star that suddenly becomes much brighter and then gradually returns to its original brightness over a period of weeks to years.

It's also an acronym for-Nova,Omega,Ventura,Aspen