1967 Chevrolet Astro I

Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967 - Brochure
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967 - Brochure
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967 - Brochure
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967 - Brochure
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967 - Roy Lonberger - Rough study
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967 - Roy Lonberger - Rough study
X1000 Corvair SuperGT Low Roof Aerodynamic Coupe race car - Roy Lonberger - Original sketch
X1000 Corvair SuperGT Low Roof Aerodynamic Coupe race car - Roy Lonberger - Original sketch
X1000 Corvair SuperGT Low Roof Aerodynamic Coupe race car - Roy Lonberger - Design sketch
X1000 Corvair SuperGT Low Roof Aerodynamic Coupe race car - Roy Lonberger - Design sketch
X1000 Corvair SuperGT Low Roof Aerodynamic Coupe race car - Roy Lonberger - Design sketch
X1000 Corvair SuperGT Low Roof Aerodynamic Coupe race car - Roy Lonberger - Design sketch
X1000 Corvair SuperGT Low Roof Aerodynamic Coupe race car - Roy Lonberger - Presentation sketch
X1000 Corvair SuperGT Low Roof Aerodynamic Coupe race car - Roy Lonberger - Presentation sketch
X1000 Corvair SuperGT Low Roof Aerodynamic Coupe race car - Roy Lonberger - Sketch selected by Mitchell
X1000 Corvair SuperGT Low Roof Aerodynamic Coupe race car - Roy Lonberger - Sketch selected by Mitchell
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967 - Roy Lonberger was responsible for the design and the three original concept sketches above the airbrush.  Tom Semple did the airbrush rendering for a management presentation.
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967 - Roy Lonberger was responsible for the design and the three original concept sketches above the airbrush. Tom Semple did the airbrush rendering for a management presentation.
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967 - Management presentation rendering by Tom Semple
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967 - Management presentation rendering by Tom Semple
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967 - Fiberglass body
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967 - Fiberglass body
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967 - The slipper seating design was patented by J. Himka and Shinoda.
Chevrolet Astro I, 1967 - The slipper seating design was patented by J. Himka and Shinoda.
Chevrolet Astro I Concept Vehicle 1967 at North American International Auto Show - Cobo Hall, Detroit
Chevrolet Astro I Concept Vehicle 1967 at North American International Auto Show - Cobo Hall, Detroit
Иллюстрации: General Motors Corp.; www.shorey.net; www.corvettes.nl; deansgarage.com (images used with the permission of Roy Lonberger)
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1967 XP-842 Astro I: To achieve this car’s radically low nose and three-foot overall height, a rear-mounted Corvair flat-six was employed in a heavily modified 240-horse state of tune.
The Chevrolet Astro I concept car appeared in 1967 as a radical-looking fastback coupe designed for the show circuit. The car’s height was under three feet, and hinged rear body/door section allowed access to the cockpit. A periscope rearview mirror on the roof provided a wide-angle view. Twin aircraft-style controls were used in place of a steering wheel.


The Astro I appeared in 1967 as a radical-looking fastback coupe designed for the show circuit. It was merely an exaggerated version of the 1968 all-new "Shark" production design. Allegedly good aerodynamics were never proven. The official purpose of the Astro I was to study aerodynamics and new features. Engineers had long known that frontal area and shape were major factors in how slippery a car is in high-speed air. Much of what we take for granted in aerodynamics was new territory in the mid '60s. For this study, function followed form.

To keep the front profile as low as possible, a modified, flat, opposed-six Corvair engine was placed behind the rear wheels. Although a far cry from the rip-snort'n 427's of the day, the little 176 cubic-inch engine was made of alloy aluminum with steel cylinder sleeves and featured single overhead cams, hemi heads, Weber carburetors, and made 240 horsepower. That's 1.4 hp per cubic inch! Fortunately, this was one for the history books.

The car's height was under three feet, and hinged rear body/door section allowed access to the cockpit. A periscope rearview mirror on the roof provided a wide-angle view. The unibody construction had large boxed side sill members that added stiffness as well as housing a fuel cell on the passenger side. The bulkhead behind the driver and the forged aluminum windshield header provided rollover protection.

The front and rear suspension used double wishbones and four-wheel disc brakes. Wheels and tires hadn't gotten fat yet, so 5.5 inch and 7.0 inch wheels were used front and back.

Note the absence of any normal door lines. The entire canopy hinged up from a pivot point behind the rear wheels. Since the car was 35.5 inches tall, 12.3 inches shorter than a '68 Corvette, the seats were fixed to the canopy and actually raised up so that you could step into the interior. This was not a rainy day car.

The Astro I had many styling tricks that were standard for GM study cars; a closet at the base of the windshield for wipers, pop-up spoiler brake lights, access panels on the hood for servicing fluids, and periscope rear view mirrors. The interior had the gauges, warning lights, and twin-grip aircraft-style steering control device. Trick stuff in 1967.


Chevy Astro — это небольшой вэн, который вместе с аналогом GMC Safari выпускался аж двадцать лет. Но имя появилось задолго до рождения однообъемника и первоначально принадлежало экспериментальной династии. Первый ее представитель увидел свет в 1967-м. Экспрессивный дизайн, высота кузова в 90 см и 240-сильная версия алюминиевой оппозитной «шестерки» воздушного охлаждения от печально известного Chevrolet Corvair тонко намекали на то, что проект не продвинется дальше красивой идеи.
По материалам: Frank Markus - MotorTrend Magazine; www.gmphotostore.com; Mario van Ginneken - www.corvettes.nl; motor.ru
Автомобили марки Chevrolet
1953 Chevrolet Corvette C1, 1954 Chevrolet Corvair, 1954 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible Coupe, 1954 Chevrolet Nomad, 1955 Chevrolet Biscayne, 1956 Chevrolet Impala Show Car, 1956 Chevrolet SR-2, 1957 Chevrolet Corvette Coupé (Ghia Aigle), 1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS, 1957 Chevrolet Q Corvette XP-84, 1958 Chevrolet Corvette XP-700, 1959 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, 1959 Chevrolet Impala, 1960 Chevrolet CERV I, 1960 Chevrolet Corvair, 1960 Chevrolet Corvair Coupe Speciale (Pininfarina), 1961 Chevrolet Corvair Sebring Spyder, 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Kelly (Vignale), 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Monza GT, 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Monza SS, 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Super Spyder, 1962 Chevrolet Corvette C2 Prototype XP-720 , 1962 Chevrolet Mako Shark, 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Testudo (Bertone), 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, 1963 Chevrolet Rondine (Pininfarina), 1963 Chevrolet Wedge Corvette, 1964 Chevrolet Chevy II Super Nova, 1964 Chevrolet Corvette XP-819 Rear Engine, 1965 Chevrolet Mako Shark II, 1965 Chevrolet Turbo Titan III, 1967 Chevrolet Astro I, 1968 Chevrolet Astro II (XP-880), 1968 Chevrolet AstroVette, 1968 Chevrolet Corvette C3, 1969 Chevrolet Astro III, 1969 Chevrolet Manta Ray, 1969 Chevrolet XP-882, 1970 Chevrolet Scirocco Showcar, 1973 Chevrolet Corvette Four Rotor, 1973 Chevrolet XP-895 Reynolds, 1973 Chevrolet XP-897GT Two-Rotor (Pininfarina), 1973 Chevrolet XP-898, 1974 Chevrolet Mulsanne Showcar, 1976 Chevrolet AeroVette, 1983 Chevrolet Corvette C4, 1984 Chevrolet Citation IV, 1984 Chevrolet Ramarro (Bertone), 1986 Chevrolet Corvette Indy, 1987 Chevrolet Aero 2003A, 1987 Chevrolet Blazer XT-1, 1987 Chevrolet Express, 1988 Chevrolet Venture, 1989 Chevrolet California IROC Camaro, 1989 Chevrolet XT-2, 1990 Chevrolet CERV III, 1990 Chevrolet Corvette Nivola (Bertone), 1992 Chevrolet Concept Monte Carlo, 1992 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray III, 1992 Chevrolet Lumina Sizigi, 1993 Chevrolet Highlander, 1998 Chevrolet Monte-Carlo Intimidator, 1999 Chevrolet Nomad, 1999 Chevrolet Tandem 2000, 1999 Chevrolet Triax, 2000 Chevrolet Avalanche, 2000 Chevrolet SSR, 2000 Chevrolet Traverse, 2001 Chevrolet Borrego, 2001 Chevrolet Sabia, 2002 Chevrolet Bel Air, 2002 Chevrolet Journey, 2003 Chevrolet Cheyenne, 2003 Chevrolet Equinox, 2003 Chevrolet SS, 2004 Chevrolet M3X, 2004 Chevrolet Nomad, 2004 Chevrolet S3X, 2005 Chevrolet T2X, 2006 Chevrolet Camaro, 2006 Chevrolet Prisma Y, 2006 Chevrolet Sequel, 2006 Chevrolet WTCC Ultra, 2007 Chevrolet Beat, 2007 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible, 2007 Chevrolet Groove, 2007 Chevrolet Trax, 2007 Chevrolet Volt, 2008 Chevrolet GPiX, 2008 Chevrolet Orlando, 2009 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, 2010 Chevrolet Aveo RS Concept, 2010 Chevrolet Volt MPV5 Electric, 2011 Chevrolet Colorado, 2011 Chevrolet Colorado Rally, 2011 Chevrolet Mi-ray, 2012 Chevrolet Code 130R, 2012 Chevrolet Tru 140S, 2014 Chevrolet Adra, 2014 Chevrolet Niva, 2015 Chevrolet Bolt EV, 2015 Chevrolet FNR, 2017 Chevrolet FNR-X Concept, 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray, 2022 Chevrolet FNR-XE
Комментарии
D.R.Y.
5 мая 2010 г.
I have this model kit . Awesome GM automobile.
Earl Spratley
9 марта 2014 г.
Good evening. I am a serious Astro 1 model fan. I currently own 2 AMT plastic model kits number 2178-211 and 1 motorized Eidai kit number e118 294, all unassembled. Please send any and all input on what is the future for the Astro 1. I read that a 1/24 scale model will be released some time in the near future. Thanks a million. My contact info is as follows. Earl A. Spratley, 2807 Butternut Drive, Hampton, Virginia 23666-3007. Phone 757-826-3222
Roy Lonberger
17 февраля 2015 г.
I stumbled onto your website and was surprised to see all of my drawings being used without my permission (apparently lifted from my Dean's Garage article). However, I guess any publicity is better than none.

Two points:
1. The car was designed by me in the secret Warehouse studio in December 1965 as a race car body for the Monza GT xp777chassis#3, to be used at LeMans. The project was stopped in February of 1966. In 1967, the body was resurrected to be used
as a show car for the New York Auto show. At that time, it was christened Astro I and painted red. The show car conversion was done in Chevy Advanced Studio under Dave Holls. The airbrush and the one rendering of the car with the front and rear views were done by Allen Young for a presentation to management a long time after the car was designed.

2. The car is featured in detail in a book about Bill Mitchell and the Iconic Cars of GM Styling that I have been writing (with the support and license of GM). Info can be found at www.BillMitchellBook.com.

roy
Frank Leopold
22 июля 2023 г.
I wondered ever knowing the car from Corgi Toys and having seen the black and white photos from motorshows if there was´t an metallic paint scheme like on the renderings and normally used for GM showcars of that time.
Mr. Lonberger stated it was red at the time, if it had been projected as a race car for Le Mans it would had have a blue color scheme
Maybe Mr. Lonberger knows better if there were also other colored versions?
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