The Celebrity Eurosport was Chevy’s sporty small sedan back in the 1980s and it was marketed like a proper sports car.
Back in the 1980s, there was a sharp trend in the American auto industry which sent buyers hunting for small, fuel efficient vehicles. After the fuel crisis of the 1970s, rising prices of gasoline in the US led to the rise in popularity of the more efficient, less exciting foreign cars and the American automakers countered with some small, fuel-friendly sedans of their own.
The problem with these highly efficient sedans was that they werent much fun to drive. As European touring sedans became more popular, Chevrolet looked to roll out their own fun-to-drive, fuel efficient sedan. The result of those efforts was the Chevrolet Celebrity Eurosport.
By today’s standards, the 1989 Chevrolet Celebrity Eurosport is far from a performance sedan, but back in the late 1980s, this was one of the strongest performance cars from Chevrolet outside of the Camaro and Corvette. With this in mind, the GM engineers added unique features to improve the exterior look and the interior feel while also making it more fun to drive.
Even though the Celebrity Eurosport didn’t get a beefier engine, it did get improved performance by adding 14” steel Sport Rallye wheels and a heavier duty “F41” suspension setup. On the outside, the Celebrity Eurosport included black window trim, red striping along the sides of the car and through the bumpers, and red trunk emblems instead of chrome Chevy bowtie logos. On the inside, the Eurosport got a black steering wheel and red emblems on the dash and door panels.
In the grand scheme of things, the Chevrolet Celebrity Eurosport wasn’t all that sporty. However, compared to the majority of the American sedans sold in the late 1980s, this car was a breath of fresh air. Best of all, to promote the Celebrity Eurosport like a proper sporty car, the commercial was chock full of rolling footage and a sexy girl.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
