If you were to judge a vehicle solely on its name, you’d think a car with the title “Eurosport” would be a German import or perhaps a domestic vehicle intended to persuade a luxury shopper to visit a GM dealer. The Chevrolet Celebrity certainly had high aspirations but never posed much of a threat to the BMW 3-Series or the Mercedes-Benz 190E, though it certainly looked sporty for a sedan. The Celebrity Eurosport shown here on Facebook Marketplace is a car lovingly restored by its owner and may be one of the freshest for sale.
The seller is asking $4,800 or best offer for this Celebrity. The Eurosport was certainly marketed in a way to convince you that it was a rear-drive sedan with a performance-tuned suspension and road-gripping tires. Sadly, it was just a bread-and-butter domestic workhorse, and while the Eurosport trim gave it a snazzy red pinstripe, there wasn’t much else to write home about. Now, the Eurosport VR – which, good luck finding one of those – is a far more intriguing version of the Celebrity, but again, a mostly cosmetic package in nature. The seller’s car does look quite fetching with a recent paint job, however.
Now, the Eurosport did come with slightly stiffer suspension, but I honestly don’t know that it made much of a difference for everyday drivers. The V6 engine was a workhorse, with around 130 b.h.p. and 160 lb.-ft. of torque. These were almost always equipped with automatics, but a rare manual transmission option does exist. I’ve never seen one myself. Other aspects of the Eurosport package included a thicker-rimmed steering wheel and blacked-out trim. The seller has added “..one of a kind custom Rally wheels,” which do look quite sharp. I’d love to know the specs.
It’s incredible that when GM wrote this ad, it spent zero time talking about handling or performance. It basically amounted to the Celebrity having a big trunk, a cassette deck, and comfy bench seats. That was it! How on Earth did they expect this to compete with the likes of a BMW 325is that came with a limited-slip, rear wheel drive, sport seats, and a gusty inline-six engine? It’s remarkable, in retrospect. Still, this seller clearly loves his Celebrity Eurosport, and you will too with the changes he’s made. Thanks to Barn Finds reader PRA4SNW for the tip.
Oh how I so wanted the Eurosnore to be more than a…rental fleet car. It looked so promising yet under-delivered. Or maybe my expectations were too high. Dunno. But this looks nice…for reminiscing..
Wow, didn’t know they offered a Celebrity with a manual trans. That 2.8L is probably gonna need head gaskets at some point. They weren’t terrible cars but eh I don’t think collectable really.