Bel Air and Impala received most of Chevrolet’s love during the ’60s, with other models, including the less famous Biscayne, becoming simple second-class citizens of the GM brand’s lineup.
This made sense at some level. The more expensive Bel Air and Impala were the models bringing home the bacon, while Biscayne, whose role was to offer a sense of the premium siblings at a lower price, was just a bare-bones version of the two.
On the other hand, Biscayne customers could order nearly the same engines as on an Impala or Bel Air, as the powertrain options (as well as the styling and product refreshes) were aligned with the other full-size cars in Chevy’s lineup.
It goes without saying Biscayne wasn’t necessarily supposed to be a superstar, but the 1963 model that you see here achieved this status in a very different way.
The car ended up starring in several upcoming movies, including Unfrosted, MaXXXine, and The Sympathizer. The producers wanted to recreate the original feeling of the mid-’60s, so the Biscayne fitted this concept like a glove. However, the car has gone through quite a lot in the last decades.
First of all, the last registration dates back to 1999. Born in Alaska, it was sent to Utah, where it was parked for approximately two decades, with only occasional drives around the block, as eBay seller im1joeking explains. The vehicle was eventually transferred to Los Angeles after 20 years in storage specifically for these movies.
Despite a long tenure in storage and the relocations, the car continues to be original and unmolested. The only thing it received throughout its lifetime is a fresh coat of paint, as the owner says the original finish faded when the car arrived in Los Angeles. It was repainted to the original color, and based on the provided images, it was a professional job, and another respray shouldn’t be required now.
Power comes from a 6-cylinder engine paired with a 3-speed manual transmission. The car still runs and drives. Most people aren’t exactly interested in lazy powerplants, especially on a car born in the ’60s when carmakers offered so many great V8s, but a six-cylinder unit fitted the Biscayne like a glove.
Chevrolet wanted the nameplate to be as affordable as possible, and the six-cylinder unit, alongside the lack of power steering and power brakes, brought the price to the lowest possible level.
This Biscayne’s interior shows its age, with seats and the headliner requiring a handful of fixes. In terms of rust, we have the typical suspects, mostly on the undersides, but the car is far from becoming a rust bucket anyway.