The Chevrolet Constantia is an automobile which was marketed by

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

from 1969 to 1978.

First series

The first series

Constantia went on sale in May 1969, along with the lower priced Kommando. It was based on the Australian

Holden Brougham The Holden Brougham is a large, luxury automobile that was produced by Holden in Australia between July 1968 and 1971. It was based on the mainstream Holden Premier of the same years, but with a lengthened rear body. The boot was simply extend ...

four-door sedan, but featured a unique frontal treatment. The styling changes were undertaken in

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially 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 Municipal ...

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. 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 Statesman is an automotive marque created in 1971 by the Australian General Motors subsidiary, Holden. Statesman vehicles were sold through Holden dealerships, and were initially based on the mainstream Holden HQ station wagon platform, thereby ...

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-size car produced by Chevrolet in North America for the 1965 through 1996 model years. Full-size Chevrolet sales peaked in 1965, with over a million units sold. It was the most popular car in the U.S. in the 1 ...

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