Some classics leave us with many questions to consider, and this 1962 Chevrolet Biscayne is one such vehicle. Its presentation is impossible to fault following a meticulous restoration, and its engine bay features the most powerful engine Chevrolet offered in the ’62 Biscayne range. No aspect of the car escaped the seller’s attention, but they’ve decided to part with it after so much effort and expense. Sometimes these decisions are a matter of necessity, but some owners gain more satisfaction from the restoration experience than owning the finished product. Regardless of the truth, this Biscayne is listed here on Craigslist in Salina, Kansas. They set their price at $72,900, and I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Pat L. for spotting this stunning and potent beast.
Buyers could order Chevrolet’s 1962 Biscayne in three variants: a station wagon and two and four-door sedans. This two-door recently underwent a meticulous frame-off restoration and has only clocked around 2,000 miles since. The process included ensuring the panels were laser-straight before applying Roman Red paint. As you would expect, there is nothing to criticize about its appearance. The paint is as smooth as glass, shining impressively. The panel gaps are among the tightest I’ve seen in any vehicle of this vintage, indicating that the builder focused on the finer details. The seller supplies several underside shots revealing spotless Roman Red floors and a finely detailed Black frame. They describe it as show quality, and that’s no idle boast. The chrome and glass are as impressive as the rest of the exterior, while the steel wheels and dog dish hubcaps provide no clue about the beast lurking under the hood.
If you walked into a Chevrolet dealership in 1962, planning to drive away in a new Biscayne, you faced an almost bewildering choice of engine and transmission combinations. If you focused on pure and brutal performance, you selected what we find hiding below this classic’s surface. The engine bay houses a 409ci V8 that inhales deeply through a dual-quad intake system. This monster motor hits the magic mark of one horsepower per cubic inch, sending 409hp through a four-speed manual transmission to the rear wheels. The ¼-mile ET of 15 seconds was considered impressive in 1962, as was this car’s ability to hit 139mph. It is unclear whether this Biscayne is numbers-matching, which would be a valid question to ask. The engine bay presentation is on par with the rest of the vehicle, with no signs of leaks or anything out of place. The car comes with an enormous folder of documentation, and the seller indicates it drives as well today as it would have in 1962.
Everywhere you look, this Biscayne offers spotless presentation. The interior is no exception, trimmed in a predominantly Red combination of vinyl and cloth. It is easy to see the car has done no work since the restoration ended because everything is in as-new condition. There are a couple of aftermarket additions, but the changes are reversible for anyone focused on total originality. These include a different wheel and a column-mounted tachometer. The original gauges below the speedometer made way for upgraded items to monitor the health of the monster motor. Swapping in the correct ones would not be difficult, but retaining the status quo could be a wise strategy. The finish quality extends to the trunk, featuring the proper mats and a full-size spare.
The word “stunning” seems inadequate to describe this 1962 Chevrolet Biscayne because no aspect of this classic deserves criticism. Its presentation is faultless, the few changes made by the seller are easily reversible, and the drivetrain combination promises an exhilarating driving experience. The seller describes it as one of the finest examples in the world, and they aren’t blowing their own trumpet on that front. It is not what I would consider a cheap vehicle, but I believe the figure is justified. If you crave a classic that will easily seat five people but focuses more on performance than automotive tinsel, this Biscayne could be the ideal candidate.
WOW…beautiful build owner.
Had 62 biscayne 2 door 283 4bbl 3 speed in high school loved it
Oh, sweet baby Jesus this thing makes me tingle in my nether regions. Back in the mid 2000’s, I was at Gateway Classic Cars in O’Fallon, IL and they had the twin to this car for sale. And I do mean twin- ‘62 Biscayne, red paint, red interior, dual quad 409 and a 4 speed in just as good condition as this. For $20k. And my wife said “Absolutely not, twenty thousand is way too expensive for that car”. She also said the NOM split window Corvette for sale for $40k was “ridiculous”. And she wonders why I just come home with a new car without asking her if she’s cool with it first. If I had my druthers, there’d be a secret warehouse with my secret car collection and I’d have her think I was having an affair every time I left for the day to drive one of my dream cars.
Would this car be a “triple red?”
Way back when, a neighbor kid bought one for pennies(100 bucks). It was some color of orange, Hemi orange? We cruised around acting a fool as teenage boys do. He got seriously injured in an auto accident from falling out and was never right in the head. Believe or not, he had a steel plate put in his head. Have no idea what became of the car.
Got to love big engine tudoor post cars no matter the brand.
Ffred, Just curious. Growing up I had a friend I new had an accident. Same situation as you described. It was in Massachusetts.
Ed
Close.. Ohio
Looks notwithstanding you couldn’t miss this one coming down the street with that 409 rumbling away. Nice car.
If original, this would be a great purchase.
No heater or controls makes this a cool weather cruiser
That is cool AF, what a 60’s Icon of a car. The sleeper. I would drive that with pride.
I was stationed at Pease AFB in Portsmouth, NH from 1962 – 1965. While there, I knew 2 young Airmen, 2 stripers, who each had one of these beasts. One was the same red color, and the other was a robin’s egg blue, and both had the same features as the one in the article. I don’t remember what year their ‘sleeper’ 409’s were, but I do know about how much their USAF pay was. My first full year in the USAF, 1962, I made …… $1200. Yup, twelve hundred bucks. Of course, I lived for free in the barracks, and ate free in the chow hall, and we can’t forget those neat bonus things.
STUNNING indeed!!!
Too bad it is not a bubble top.
Who needs seatbelts anyway? :O
Anybody want a first born son?? ‘Cause I’d give mine to get this car! And he’s only a ’75 model!
I restored a 62 409 Bubbletop and a Biscayne. Both were a joy to do and drive when done. This car with it’s great restoration should have had the period correct spiral shocks and the underside painted in the correct red primer finish.
Otherwise “bravo” to the owner / builder.
That 409 should run better the 15
Robert they were with a few mods , IE. Header’s,Slicks and a good tune they were easily very low 13’s and the super stock cars ran 12.50’s easy but the factory kept updating the 09’s every few months better cam, 2 piece intake it was a wild few years back then miss those days
Gorgeous ride from yesteryear. Be cool at cruise night fo sho –
A four speed, dual quad,…. Wait. No Positraction? Awww. It might have been the car the Beach Boys were singing about!
Talked to owner. Not a matching motor car.
Never saw one, and as a young gearhead, we noticed such things as engine badges. A “409” badge would be something we told our buddies to go take a look see. It never happened, folks. Maybe in S.California, which btw, the song never mentioned what car, more of a tribute to the motor. The song came out in 1961, and people thought it meant the ’62, but no real proof.
Fact is, Chevys in my neighborhood, didn’t have a 409, or dual quads, for that matter, I don’t even remember a 348/409 in anything EXCEPT a truck. A 6 or a 283/327 was the norm. 348/409 were truck motors, even though some dispute that fact, and the song clearly led to many sales, just we in Beer City didn’t buy that S.Cal. crap. The motor was a slug, and in 1965, all that changed with the 396 and the 427 a year later. This car is all hype. Driving it will be a challenge, no traction will be like driving on ice, and dual quads, is Niagara Falls down the intake, gonna bog something fierce. Don’t get me wrong, ’62 Chevy a nice car, just not this particular car.
A more apt purpose for this car, would be in a museum, if any left, to show future generations just how silly this was, and you could actually buy a car like this. I GUARANTEE, they won’t understand.
My sister had a Chevy Impala (not a truck) with a 348 motor. The song came out on April 19, 1962, not 1961, which gives some credence to the 1962 date. Agreed the song was a tribute to the 409 motor, but ‘motors’ don’t go anywhere by themselves …..Well, I saved my pennies and I saved my dimes, For I knew there would be a time, When I would buy a brand new 409.
Well, I guess he(she) COULD be buying just a motor……………………? When I take her to the track, she really shines She always turns in the fastest times My four speed, dual quad, posi-traction 409
Ho’ don justa’ minnit…. !! Who put that rear end and transmission on my motor? Next thng yuh know they’ll be a car body on it too …… damn! ………….Maybe these things occurred more often in some locations, as I am using my time in the northeast as a reference. We had 409 emblems, motors, and cars ….. perhaps not a lot, but enough to be aware they existed. With thanks to the Beach Boys……Giddy Up Giddy Up 409
Time for Howard to be in a museum. 348’s and 409’s were great motors and found in lots of hot rods outside of California, I had a friend that had a ‘58 Impala convertible with a 348 and three deuces and it wasn’t anything like a truck…
They were nice motors but odd balls. No combustion chamber in the heads. The pistons were notched. The odd ball thing a lot of people have no clue about.
Ron you’re right the 348 was a good motor i had a 61 Impala bubble top 348 250hp with a turboglide which I eventually swapped out for a BG T-10 4 speed back in 66 to this day i still don’t know what rear gear was in it whatever came with the TG i sold the car because a buddy had a 63 Impala for sale 250 HP 327/4sp and a 3.70 gear same HP rating as the 348 but that 63 was definitely quicker. Lapping the local cruise route HY100 (Howard should remember that) that 63 beat more than a few cars that i lost too in my 61 definitely the good old days I’m still surprised i survived it 😁