The Chevrolet Constantia is an automobile which was marketed by

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ou ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

from 1969 to 1978.

First series

The first series

Constantia went on sale in May 1969, along with the lower priced

Kommando A ''Kommando'' (, "unit" or "command") is a general term for special police and military forces in German, Dutch, and Afrikaans speaking nations. It was also the term in the World War II era ''Luftwaffe'' for special units used to test new air ...

. It was based on the Australian Holden Brougham four-door sedan, but featured a unique frontal treatment. The styling changes were undertaken in

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, So ...

studios in South Africa Out of Africa, Australian Muscle Car, Issue 33, pages 82-87 and the model was locally produced.Chevrolet Constantia, The Observers Book of Automobiles, Sixteen Edition, 1970, page 40 The Constantia was offered with a 4.1 litre six and a 5.0 litre V8.General Motors - Chevrolet in South Africa 1962 - 1979 Timeline, moby302.co.za, as archived at web.archive.org
/ref> 843 were sold in 1969 followed by 750 in 1970 and 800 in 1971.

AQ series

The AQ series Constantia was introduced in 1972 and was based on another Australian design, the Statesman HQ. Again, frontal styling was different from the Australian model, this time featuring a unique grille based on the 1970 Chevrolet Malibu. The restyling work was a joint effort undertaken in Australia. The AQ Series Constantia was offered with a 4.1-litre six and a 5.0-litre V8. Wheel covers came from the 1971-72 North American Chevelle Malibu.

AJ series

The revised AJ series Constantia was marketed in South Africa from 1975 to 1978. It was offered as a four-door sedan, based on the Statesman HJ and as a five-door wagon, based on the Holden HJ wagon. The AJ Series was offered with a 4.1-litre six and a 5.0-litre V8. A more luxurious version was sold as the

Chevrolet Caprice Classic The Chevrolet Caprice is a full-sized automobile produced by Chevrolet in North America for the 1965 to 1996 model years. Full-size Chevrolet sales peaked in 1965 with over a million sold. It was the most popular car in the U.S. in the 1960 ...

Sales

These are the South African official sales numbers.

References

External links

1971 Chevrolet Constantia brochure cover at www.flickr.com

Chevrolet Constantia (AQ) brochure cover at www.flickr.com

{{Chevrolet vehicles Constantia Cars of South Africa Cars introduced in 1969 1970s cars