Named after Biscayne Bay in Florida, the Biscayne was Chevy’s entry-level full-size car from 1959 to 1975 (it was born in 1958, a notch above the one-year Delray). It was ideal for buyers who were interested in little-to-no-frills, which made it perfect for fleet purchases. But you could put almost any engine in one that Chevrolet offered, like this 1966 Biscayne with a 396 cubic inch V8. Located in Selma, Oregon, this numbers-matching Bow-Tie project is available here on craigslist for $7,500. Thanks for the big block tip, Chuck Foster!
It was hard to tell a Biscayne from a Bel Air in the 1960s as neither of them wore as much chrome as the Impala. They both had double backlights while the Impala had triples. Perhaps you had to open a door to look inside to see if there was carpeting on the floors or rubber mats. Styling-wise, all the full-size Chevies followed the same design cycles, with the 1966 edition coming from the 1965-70 platform. Though we suspect most Biscayne’s came with an inline-6 or a small V8, you could order a 325 hp 396 V8 with a 2-speed Powerglide, which is how this vehicle was built.
The Biscayne here can’t be considered a survivor because not only has the paint been redone, but the color changed from white to Dark Aqua Marine. And the interior was reworked (no pics, swapping gold/beige for black. But this happened years ago, and it all needs redoing again anyway. The seller believes a prior owner had a thing for a similar car in the 1974 movie, “Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry” and turned this car into a tribute. But now there is some rust and dings to deal with as well, although nothing anywhere near terminal.
A plus for the big block V8 under the hood is that it’s original to the Chevy, so perhaps you can overlook a prior owner’s prowess to go rogue with its appearance. The odometer reading is 59,000 miles and the seller speculates if that is original or a rollover. This car was built with Chevy’s Air Injection Reaction System, but that went by the wayside ages ago. Oddly, this car is equipped with a single exhaust which we’re told is how it came from the factory. The seller says the motor has never been taken apart.
To keep this automobile in top running condition, the following work has been done by the seller (or someone just before him/her): full tune-up except plug wires, rebuild of the carburetor, new brakes, new rear axle seals, and a new muffler and tailpipe. 1970s Rally wheels have been added but without the chrome rings. And the tires have lots of meat left on them. We’re told this is a project that you can drive and enjoy while you work on it, so the asking price is reflective of that. Would you agree to call this 4-door sedan a sleeper?
I can never figure out the mindset of a person who would order something like this, makes no sense. The car doesn’t seem to match the personality of that engine choice. Was this a dealer who checked off the wrong box when ordering? Was the dealer feeling omnipotent and had a bet saying they would find some crazy buyer for it? Who knows, but it is truly interesting, that is for sure.
That was the idea with Chevy , to put the big engine set up with the most basic model … The biggest setup was the L72 427/425 hp w 4spd …. Now this model is one of Chevys rarest
I know where a 427 biscayne is. Very low miles. a qtr of a mile at a time
I happen to own a 1968 Biscayne 427/425 hp. Looking to talk with someone who knows these cars and values…
Before everyone started buying trucks as daily transportation people actually towed boats and campers with cars. This would be just right for a family to use for that.
Back when we used to buy winter beaters my buddy had a ‘69 427 Caprice 4 door. That’s exactly why the guy he bought it from ordered it with those options.
I had a ‘68 Impala Custom 2 door with a 325 / 396 at the same time. That Caprice was considerably faster and was an absolute terror in the highway! We only paid a few hundred bucks for each of them. Those were the days!!
Tom, I never considered towing. I bet you are right in this case.
People only switched to trucks because cars made after the implementation of the CAFE standards were so neutered most weren’t able to tow much of anything. Thus if you have towing needs you had no choice but a pickup.
It’s an unintended consequence of fed regulations designed to “help”
could have been a state police car
I have a friend who sold new cars in the late 1960’s & early 1970’s in rural Wisconsin.
After I found a 1968 Fury sedan with a 440 & 4 speed & I told him about it (I thought it was a bizarre package) he told me that the farmers would buy these big block sedans to tow a trailer but still look respectable when they went to church.
Most ordered stick shift, but sometimes they got automatic due to arthritis.
Maybe this is one of those cars.
He also told me they were usually 2 barrel lol. Weird to me
Maybe a MOONSHINE RUNNER
Grant,
I’m with you in the thought this car was ordered because the wrong engine was chosen, but it’s also possible that once the order was received by GM, the data entry person made a similar mistake.
As for making a great tow car, that’s always a possibility, however it doesn’t appear to have been outfitted with a tow hitch.
In 1989 I found a 14,000 mile 1966 Ford Ranch Wagon sitting in a 1-car garage* in Annapolis, MD, still owned by the original owner. He ordered it with the big 390 “R” engine; 4 barrel and dual exhausts, because he planned on buying a fairly large boat to tow behind it.
Well he bought the boat and discovered it was actually too big to tow behind a vehicle on the public roads, so he rarely used the wagon.
*Inside the garage, nailed to the rafters above the car, was a complete set of 1966 and up Maryland license plates that had graced the car since new. The owner included the license plates when I bought the car. I took the 1966 plates to the MVA and had them registered to the car using the states “Year of registration” vintage license.
The original owner of the car gave me an original 1966 photo of the car showing those plates on it, and I used to display the car at shows, along with a sign showing the photo and the current registration, showing the same license plate!
Quadrajet + single exhaust – must be factory mistake, if original & 2 bbl nowhere to be found
My 70 Impala has a factory 4 bbl Q-Jet and single out the back
So was our ’67 Impala wagon. It ran pretty well. It would hang with 383 Roadrunner in the neighborhood.
There was no 2 barrel option for the 396 engine until ‘69. It was a one year only option.
I’ve owned several late ‘60s full-size Chevies, ‘66 included, with 396 engines. They all came standard with a 2.5” single exhaust system. A dual system, RPO N10, was available and many were so equipped.
JO
The GM A.I.R. system debuted in California in 1966. The smog pump is smaller than the 68 to say 1975 versions. It was used on California cars only and was option K19. A complete 66 or 67 system is gonna set you back thousands. I remember throwing these pumps in the garbage in the early 1970s. Stupid. Well, a few years ago, I bought an NOS pump for $100 on eBay still in its original GM box. On my shelf today. I love this old car. Simple to work on, and yes, that Powerglide is bullet proof. I daily drove a 1965 Impala with a PG more than 200,000 miles. The body rotted out a second time, but that PG was still working. This is when GM ruled the world. Today, a total joke.
I’m interested in buying this car
@Allen Hollen – All the info is right in the post. Good luck!
I’ve advertised cars many times before and I’ve never found it sensible to advertise the car without including interior photos. Not including interior photos when selling a car shows inexperience, a thoughtless way to achieve your goal and incompetence. Nice car wish it were a 2-door but I would’ve loved to have a look inside.
Back in the 60’s and early 70’s big block four door, two door and station wagon passenger cars were very popular in GM, Ford and MOPAR vehicles for towing.
My brother-in-law bought a new ‘66 Chevrolet 396 wagon for towing a camper trailer, my Dad bought a 1974 Plymouth 400 Sport Suburban Fury for the same reason and I briefly owned a ‘70 Torino 429 station wagon for boat towing.
My Torino was factory equipped with a Cobra Jet spec Rochester 4bbl carb and dual exhaust but Dad’s Plymouth and the brother-in-law’s Chevy big blocks had 2bbl carbs and single exhausts.
2bbl carburetors on big blocks produced more low end torque than the smaller primaries in 4bbl carbs.
Made for good towing…
My buddy owns a 69 Caprice with 396 2 barrels and 4 speed , all matching #’s ,
The TH 400 was also available w/396 & 427 cars. More common than a PG on these, I would think.
Look at the frame real good, they were prone to rotten frames real early on. Good luck, if its solid its a bargain!
Cheers
GPC
Funny how adding 2 doors to a car cuts its value in half …… 50 yrs down the road.
The more I look at this car, the more I want it. What a cool car!
I agree it’s a great sleeper. 4 doors doesn’t slow it down and adds to the surprise. If I was in the USA I’d buy it!
Bel Air have a slim chrome side trim, not the Biscayne.
This is the way to separate them visualy.
Watch the rescue of this car on YT at ElderlyIron
The less known car from the movie, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, was indeed a 1966 Impala in this color but it was a hardtop (no post) and had no wheel caps. It’s one of my favorite four-door movie cars along with the ’64 Impalas from The Year of Living Dangerously and A Few Good Men.