At Chevrolet for 1973, there was a new name in the Chevelle lineup, Laguna, but it didn’t stick around for long.
There were major changes to the mid-sized Chevelle product line at Chevrolet for 1973. While the body-on-frame construction and 112/116-in. wheelbase carried forward, there was all-new Colonnade styling that would remain the theme on General Motors’ A-body cars through 1977. Actually, the new corporate intermediate-class package was originally planned for a 1972 launch, but a prolonged labor strike and other issues pushed back the introduction one model year.
There was a shakeup in the model alignments, too, as now the Malibu was no longer Chevelle’s top of the line. The revised ’73 lineup consisted of the base Chevelle Deluxe at the bottom, the Malibu in the middle, and a new name at the top: Laguna. To give the new flagship model a distinct identity apart from the rest of the Chevelle line, the Laguna featured a one-piece urethane nose in body color with an integral hidden bumper. Meanwhile, the Chevelle Deluxe and Malibu shared a conventional chrome front bumper.
Due in part to the more costly urethane nose, the Laguna ($3,203 for the Hardtop Coupe) was priced a fair distance above the Chevelle Deluxe ($2743) and Malibu ($2,894). Also, the Laguna’s list price included a standard 350 cubic-inch V8 with 145 hp, while the base engine in other Chevelles was a 250 CID inline six. Full wheel covers and an upgraded interior were also included, while one notable option (Coupe only) was Swing-Out Strato-Bucket Seats, which pivoted up to 90 degrees for easy entry and exit. This $163 option (RPO A51) was also available on the Malibu Coupe.
For ’73 the Laguna was also available as a Colonnade Four-Door Sedan with the same standard equipment as the Coupe and in two wagons, the Laguna Estate and Laguna Station Wagon (below). The Estate sported vinyl side trim in “warm wood-grain” and nicer cabin appointments, but both were available in two-row and three-row seating configurations. And both featured a giant one-piece, lift-up tailgate. H78x14 bias-belted tires were also included, bucking a GM tradition of undersized tires to keep the advertised base price low.
While the Laguna was the flagship, the Malibu continued to be the sales leader by a mile, outselling the Laguna by three to one. The Colonnade Coupe was by far the most popular Laguna, claiming more than half the volume, so for 1974 it was continued while the Sedan and wagons were dropped. Rebranded (slightly) as the Laguna Type S-3, the Coupe continued through 1976, gaining a slanted, more aerodynamic nose in ’75 (for NASCAR, reportedly). For 1977, both the Chevelle and Laguna names were abandoned and all Chevy intermediates wore a Malibu badge.
Perhaps Chevrolet thought lightning would strike twice (this was also the year the Caprice Classic gained a convertible body style from the Impala and became what GM called “the uppermost Chevrolet”). On the other hand, Malibu was far and away the more popular Chevelle, despite early commercials that proclaimed the Laguna “Chevelle at its best.” And the flexible front bumper still looked like a rubber-covered guardrail compared to the Pontiac Grand Am, which used the same principle but with a bit more panache than the Laguna. (In any case, neither Laguna nor Grand Am survived; the Laguna S-3 had one more year after the original Grand Am was dropped after 1975
Those are great observations. I was considering a piece on the 1975-76 Type S-3 and its role in NASCAR and then decided I should first lay the groundwork on the original Laguna.
Malaise days, sad memories.