06 Aug Chev 4100GA – Celebrating Golden Years

It was on 20 February 1926 when General Motors was officially established in South Africa with an initial capital of £10 000. On that date, the papers, signed in Port Elizabeth three days before, were registered in Cape Town and with a total workforce of around 400 people; production of the first models – open-topped Chevrolets – began in the April. The rest, as they say, is history, and a successful passage of time at that, so it was perhaps fitting that when it came to celebrating its golden jubilee in 1976, Chevrolet was topping the local sales charts with its 2500/3800/4100 range.

Developed from the Opel Commodore, the range was destined to become one of the country’s most popular ever models, taking just two years from launch in 1973 to become the best seller – by a considerable margin, too. The Chev was developed alongside the Commodore in Opel’s Rüsselsheim facility and differed visually from the Opel by having a stylish, power-bulged bonnet to accommodate the six-cylinder Chevrolet engines. The grille and headlamp treatments were also different.

The range-topper was the 4100, which boasted front-seat head restraints and Bristol cloth seat inserts as its luxury feature advantage over the other models. But in 1976 to celebrate the GMSA’s golden anniversary, a few options were added to the automatic version to create the limited edition GA model, which received full-face velour upholstery as a unique item, along with ‘GA’ script on the rear-door quarter-lights.

While it might be said the features list is meagre by today’s standards, the same cannot be said of the instrumentation. Clear, anti-dazzle white-on-black speedometer, rev-counter, fuel, coolant, oil pressure and voltmeter gauges were all inlaid in a wood-look binnacle. The facia incorporated a clock, too. Safety equipment included front and rear deformation zones, an energy absorbing steering column, three-point front seatbelts and anti-burst door locks. Dual halogen headlamps were high-tech for the time. From the options list, a vinyl roof, Cruise Master cruise control and a Sharp FM radio were fitted but there was no air-con – the ventilation system boasted a two-speed fan. Wind-up windows are another reminder of how pampered we are today. Oh, the under-bonnet courtesy light was worth mentioning in the press blurb at the time…

Long before Avis, in the ’70s GMSA’s marketers were saying “We put you first” and South Africans responded by buying the cars in considerable numbers for the time.  The car offered style and space and, at a time when fuel prices were not a serious issue, the engine range consisted of the 2,5-litre ‘Iron Duke’ four and 3,8- and 4,1-litre six-cylinder motors, all offered with a choice of manual or automatic transmissions.

To drive FMM’s pristine 4100GA reminded me of the time when South Africans were still in love with big, comfortable cars. The Chev’s fully-reclining front seats are generous in size but not quite as supportive as the advertising material would have you believe. Although this car’s upholstery had started pilling like an old cardigan, the seat still offered a satisfactory driving position and it is always nice to actually look over a bonnet. The slender body pillars and generous glasshouse offer a panoramic view out.

Nowhere have I seen an explanation of why two six-cylinder engines so close in specification and performance were offered (size matters?), but the 4100 certainly made for effortless driving. The single-carb fed petrol motor develops an underwhelming 99 kW at 4 200 r/min but a substantial 319 N.m of torque is produced at a diesel-like low of 1 600 r/min, and it is this low-down strength that is so impressive. Early cars were fitted with what proved to be a troublesome TriMatic transmission that was soon replaced by GM’s robust three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic 350, and this car – with a little over 100 000 km recorded on the odo – was certainly slick shifting with the almost delicate T-bar handle left in ‘D’.

Opel’s Tri-stabil suspension featured unequal-length wishbones up front and a live axle located by four links and a Panhard Rod at the rear, with 14-inch radial-ply tyres fitted across the range. Optional power steering was standard on the GA but with around four turns from lock to lock, the Chev can hardly be called wieldy although  the recirculating ball system made it easy to manoeuvre in tight confines. Driving through some mountains, the car did not exhibit any awkward handling traits and the ride is cosseting with plenty of compliance.  Once out of town where the loping gait could be enjoyed, I recalled how front wheel patter was a common trait of the cars when new so could not help but smile when this example exhibited the same trait. Patina does not come more active than this! Servo-assisted dual-circuit disc/drum brakes provide strong stopping power.

In the mid-’70s when SA’s roads were less crowded and horizons were less cluttered with urban sprawl – and TV had yet to be introduced – the Chev 2500/3800/4100 saloons and wagons were seen everywhere transporting businessmen and families all over the country, the boot capable of swallowing all manner of goods and chattels. The GA came across as a prime example of what Chevrolet represents in GM brand hierarchy – the everyday vehicle for everyday people.

FMM’s Chevrolet 4100GA is currently on display in Hall B.