From 1964 through 1969, GM of Canada sold a modified version of the Chevelle that included a Pontiac-style grille, and a LeMans instrument panel, marketed as the Beaumont.

[4] The domestic Big Three automakers (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) were responding to the success of American Motors' compact Rambler American, and Classic models that made AMC the leading maker of small cars for several years and increasing Rambler on the 1961 domestic sales charts to third-place behind Chevrolet and Ford.

[6] The Chevelle was the U.S. auto industry's only all-new car for 1964, and was positioned to fill the gap between the small Chevy II and the full-sized Chevrolet models.

[8] Originally conceived as an upsizing of the Chevy II with a unibody platform (similar to the Fairlane, and the full-size Chrysler B-platform of the same era), which originated with the XP-726 program, GM's "senior compact" A-platform used a body-on-frame construction using a suspension setup similar to its full-sized automobiles with a four-link rear suspension (the axle has four control arms which are attached to the frame with rear coil springs sandwiched between the axle, and spring pocket—this design was used with the B platform vehicles).

This A51 option included bucket seats, a center console (except when the three-speed manual transmission was ordered), standard full-wheel covers, and ribbed rocker panel moldings.

[16] 1966 saw a complete restyle of the Chevelle on the previous frame that included smooth contours, a broad new grille, bumper treatment, and curved side windows.

Bulging rear fender lines, and a "flying buttress" roofline (tunneled into the "C" pillar) were highlights of the 1966 hardtops, shared with other GM "A" body models.

Options included a tachometer, mag-style wheel covers, sintered-metallic brakes, four-way power seats, a tissue dispenser, and cruise control.

Interiors were sourced and shared with select Buick, Oldsmobile, or Pontiac A body patterns - during the middle of the 1968 model year, some Chevrolet A-bodies (including the El Camino) ended up with interior door panels shared with the Buick or Oldsmobile A bodies (Special, Skylark) where supply and demand issues forced a substitution, and during the April 1968 production month in the wake of the assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. there were some work stoppages.

With the hardtop, a rare option is a horseshoe automatic transmission floor shifter with an integrated console (with bucket seats - sourced from the SS).

New Federal safety-mandated equipment included side marker lights and shoulder belts for outboard front seat occupants on cars built after December 1, 1967.

For the 1968 Model year, a chain of Manassas Chevrolet dealerships put the 366 cu in (6.00 L) V8 into the second gen chevelle, ultimately building 4, though all were converted back to 396 cubic inches (6.49 litres) engines.

A single chrome bar connected quad headlights (which became a familiar Chevrolet trademark) with a revised front grille, now cast in ABS plastic, and a slotted bumper held the parking lights.

Front vent windows (hardtop and convertibles only) began to fade away now that Astro Ventilation (first introduced on the 1966 Buick Riviera, which was used a year earlier on the Camaro and Caprice) was sending outside air into several Chevelle models.

The Super Sport option included a 325-horsepower 396-cubic-inch V8 beneath a double-domed hood, a black-out grille displaying an SS emblem, and a black rear panel.

Around an estimated 323 Chevelle 2-door hardtops were fitted with an L72 427 cu in (7.0 L) rated at 425 bhp (431 PS; 317 kW) at 5,800 rpm and 460 lb⋅ft (624 N⋅m) at 4,000 rpm of torque, where some Chevrolet dealers used the Central Office Production Order (this also included some Camaros and Novas of the same model year) - some COPOs were sold through select Chevrolet dealerships and out of the 323 COPO orders, a confirmed 99 were sold through the Yenko Chevrolet dealership in Canonsburg, PA. During the 1969 model year, a police package (RPO B07) was available on the Chevelle 300 Deluxe 4-door sedan where some were optioned with the RPO L35 (396) engine along with a boxed frame (also shared with fleet orders e.g. taxicabs and rental cars); at the time the police option was reintroduced since the 1964/65 model years (at the time midsize squads came with economy powertrain usually in the case of the Chevelle a third-generation Chevrolet inline-six.

The second 402 cid engine was available under RPO, rated at 330 hp with single exhaust, and was available in any V8 series except an SS optioned Malibu or El Camino.

The SS 396 Chevelle included a 350 bhp (261 kW) Turbo-Jet 396 V8, special suspension, "power dome" hood, black-accented grille, resilient rear-bumper insert, and wide-oval tires on sport wheels.

The 1971 model year Chevelle retained the 1970 body, with a new front-end and rear-end styling, including large Power-Beam single-unit headlights, a reworked grille and bumper, and integral park/signal/marker lights.

Options were limited to those on the standard Chevelle sport coupe; vinyl floor, front bench seat, no center console shift, etc.

[30] The left wheel was adjusted to have slightly more positive camber than the right, which resulted in a more uniform and stable steering feel on high-crown road surfaces while maintaining freeway stability.

Chevrolet honored California beach resorts once again by naming the top Chevelle series Laguna with the Malibu taking the middle spot.

Laguna models also featured a specific diecast chrome grille with bowtie emblem, a body-colored (steel) rear bumper, front and rear bumper rub strips, bright roof drip moldings, bright wheel opening moldings, chrome taillight bezels, full wheel covers, and Laguna fender nameplates.

[citation needed] The 1974 model featured new chrome grilles made of die-cast steel, and single rectangular tail lights replaced the dual round items on all coupes and sedans.

Unlike the 1973 Laguna, the Malibu Classic used the same front end and chrome bumper as the lesser models and had smaller vertical opera windows and a spring-loaded hood ornament.

Landau coupes came with a vinyl roof, full-wheel covers, whitewall tires, color-keyed body striping, and dual sport mirrors.

A new "Chevrolet Efficiency System" included GM's new High energy ignition (HEI) for longer tune-up intervals and more complete combustion.

Lagunas shared their round-gauge instrument panel with the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, which could be ordered with a four-spoke sport steering wheel, swivel front bucket seats, and a center console.

Malibu Classics, again the top model, switched to a vertical grille pattern and six-section taillights but retained twin stacked headlights and stand-up hood ornament.

Cale Yarborough was running at the finish in all 30 NASCAR Winston Cup races as he dominated the 1977 season to wrap up his second consecutive title.