The

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 ...

A platform (commonly called A-body) was an

automobile platform A car platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components, over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of cars, often from different, but somewhat related, marques. It is pra ...

, and was GM's original, and oldest, platform used by all early GM products, beginning with the

Chevrolet Superior The Chevrolet Superior Series F was launched in 1923, manufactured by Chevrolet for four years with a different series per year. The 1923 model was known as the Series B, the 1924 model was the Series F, for 1925 it was known as the Series K and ...

. From this platform, all North American platforms B, C, and D were developed. Starting in 1926 through 1958, GM used four different designations based on different wheelbase dimensions used which helped

Fisher Body Fisher Body was an automobile coachbuilder founded by the Fisher brothers in 1908 in Detroit, Michigan. A division of General Motors for many years, in 1984 it was dissolved to form other General Motors divisions. Fisher & Company (originally All ...

standardize coachwork provided for various bodyshells/platforms with the A-body for

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 ...

, most

Pontiac Pontiac may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada *Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...

Buick Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...

, and

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it pro ...

vehicles. The A-body was temporarily suspended in 1958 until it was reintroduced in 1964. For the 1959 model year, the previous A and B bodies were built on the new B Body that lasted until 1996. The A-body designation was resurrected in 1964 for a new series of intermediate-sized cars including the

Chevrolet Chevelle The Chevrolet Chevelle is a mid-sized automobile that was produced by Chevrolet in three generations for the 1964 through 1978 model years. Part of the General Motors (GM) A-body platform, the Chevelle was one of Chevrolet's most successful ...

Pontiac Tempest The Pontiac Tempest is an automobile that was produced by Pontiac from 1960 to 1970, and again from 1987 to 1991. The Tempest was introduced as an entry-level compact in October 1960 at the Paris Auto Show for the 1961 model year. An innovative ...

Oldsmobile Cutlass The Oldsmobile Cutlass was a series of automobiles produced by General Motors' Oldsmobile division between 1961 and 1999. At its introduction, the Cutlass was Oldsmobile's entry-level model; it began as a unibody compact car, but saw its greates ...

and

Buick Skylark The Buick Skylark is a passenger car formerly produced by Buick. The model was made in six production runs, during 46 years, over which the car's design varied dramatically due to changing technology, tastes, and new standards implemented over t ...

. These later A-bodies underwent a switch in drive layout from rear wheel drive to front wheel drive in 1982. The switch in drive layout spawned the

G-body The General Motors G platform (also called G-Body) automobile platform A car platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components, over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types o ...

. In 1997, every A-body car line was cancelled, but new nameplates on the GM W platform have taken their place. * 1923–1958 GM A platform (1925) - Buick, Chevrolet, Oakland, most Pontiacs, Oldsmobile * 1964–1981 GM A platform (1964) - Chevelle, El Camino, Malibu, Monte Carlo, Tempest, LeMans, GTO, Grand Am, Grand Prix, Cutlass, Skylark, Century and Regal * 1982–1996

GM A platform (1982) The GM A platform (commonly called A-body) was a rear wheel drive automobile platform designation used by General Motors from 1925 until 1959, and again from 1964 to 1981. In 1982, GM introduced a new front wheel drive A platform, and existing i ...

- Celebrity, 6000, Cutlass Ciera, Century

References

A {{Modern-auto-stub