 Dual sidemount spares were popular on the 1933 Chevrolet Eagle. See more pictures of classic cars. |
The 1933 Chevrolet Eagle and Mercury approach meant Chevys were built on two wheelbases (distance between front and rear axles) for the first time since 1922. Eagles measured 110 inches. The Mercury series rode a 107-inch span.
Skirted fenders helped impart a streamlined look. The Eagle line featured Silent Synchro-Mesh transmission for smooth gear changes. The Eagle also had something new called a Starterator, which combined the starter switch with the gas pedal. For the first time, bumpers were standard.
Ads boasted of "the only proved six-cylinder engine in the low-priced field." Enlarged to 206 cubic inches, the Eagle's six-cylinder engine developed 65 horsepower, just 10 fewer than Ford's V-8. A shorter-stroke, 181-cubic-inch version of the six went into the Mercury series and was rated at 60 horsepower. Chevy did take a serious look at V-8 power. GM engineer Alex
Taub developed an experimental oversquare, overhead-valve V-8 engine,
but Chevrolets were destined to stick with six cylinders for the next
two decades.
Two-seat roadsters were no longer produced, and rumble-seated Sport Roadsters were fading in popularity. After all, fresh-air fiends could get a convertible cabriolet with roll-up windows. The new Town Sedan had a built-in trunk, not a common feature in 1933.
At the Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago, visitors could watch Chevrolets being built.
 The bustleback 1933 Chevrolet Eagle Town Sedan had an integrated trunk. |
| Model | Weight range (lbs.) | Price range (new) | Number built |
| Eagle | 2,675-2,880 | $485-$565 | 450,435 |
| Mercury | 2,335-2,425 | $445-$475 | 35,845 |
For more picture-packed articles about Chevys and other great cars, see:
- Classic Cars: Learn about more than 400 of the world's finest classic and collectible automobiles.
- Muscle Cars: Look back at tire-smoking Chevys and scores of other machines from the golden age of American high performance.
- Sports Cars: Discover the pleasure of sports motoring at its purest in these captivating articles on the best sports cars from around the world.
- Consumer Guide Automotive: Here's your source for news, reviews, prices, fuel-economy and safety information on today's cars, minivans, SUVs, and pickups.
- Consumer Guide Used Car Search: In the market for a used Chevy or virtually any other pre-owned vehicle? Check out these reports, which include safety recalls and trouble spots.
- How Chevrolet Works: Get the inside story of one of America’s greatest automotive marques in this lavishly illustrated history of Chevrolet, beginning with its founding in 1911.
