The Chevrolet Biscayne was in production from 1958 to 1972. And, except for that first year, it was the entry-level full-size car (the Del Ray had that honor in ’58). These were sparsely equipped cars often purchased for fleet use, and even carpeting was optional. The seller has a ’68 Biscayne 4-door sedan that’s said to be one of two built with an L72 427 cubic inch V8 with a 4-speed manual transmission. Looking like a sleeper with dog dish hub caps, this bruiser of a Chevy is in Graham, Washington, and is available here on eBay. The current bid is $5,200 with a reserve somewhere north of that.
Most Biscaynes built across the car’s 15-year run probably came with either an inline-6 engine or a small-block V8. So, imagine the salesman’s surprise when this vehicle’s original owner wandered into the dealership in 1968 and purchased this exact car. According to the seller, only two such people went this route, so they must have had something totally different in mind than 99% of the rest of the Biscayne buyers. And the fact that it was ordered with 4-doors instead of two suggests going racing wasn’t the goal.
Considering the rarity of this Chevy, the details provided are few. The 425-horsepower L72 V8 is said to be numbers-matching. So, someone didn’t take a Plain Jane 6-banger and initiate a metamorphosis. While the indicated mileage is 67,000, the engine has been rebuilt and brought back to stock specifications. It has stainless steel valves and a clutch, and the exhaust is said to be new.
We’re told the gloss black paint is original, and it is good, though the seller’s photos are far from the best. The gauge package is from the factory and is said to work as it should. The interior is ship-shape, though the black carpeting looks to be fading, and it might be a replacement candidate. If this is only one of two Biscaynes built like this one, how high could the bidding go?
In short…… What an ANIMAL!! Somebody, knew somebody, somewhere, in order to get this. Love it!!!! I’m with you Russ. I want to see the bidding on this rare beast. And its numbers matching which will help.
already up to $9950 with days to go, won’t be cheap!
Over 20K today.
It may be an old police car, the wheels are the giveaway. I read, in ’68, GM offered the L72/427, 4 speed for high speed pursuit, but some would have had the 140mph speedo, and sure basic enough to be one. I think this was a cop car some trooper enjoyed, although they didn’t think of it that way, just a tool in law enforcement. Not much could beat it. As one would imagine, cop car or not, 4 speed/427 Biscaynes are extremely rare, in the hundreds they say, and quite a find.
The wheels are Chevy Rally’s, the code by the valve stem would need to be checked to find out what they originally came on.
The seller doesn’t try to make the claim it was a former police car, even though that might drive interest and the price higher.
I’d be scared of rust, the firewall under the trim tag is scary looking. It probably wouldn’t be isolated to that one spot. Even so, if this is what it claims to be, it’s a unicorn and will be restored.
Steve R
The service station I worked at had a maintenance contract for the single police car from a bordering small village with a population around 650, all exclusive homes, with probably less than 5 miles of roads. 25 MPH speed limit through the entire village. The vehicle was a 1968 Biscayne 427 4 speed, 4 door. Needless to say, to be able to work on and drive it was a thrill for a 17 year old kid.
My thought, too: a police car–one that I wouldn’t want chasing me.
When I was in high school (class of ’73), one of my friends bought a ’68 Biscayne 4 door. It was a an oild deputy sheriffs car. It had a 396 and a Turbo 400. He took me for a ride, it was the first time I was in a car that got 2nd gear rubber with an automatic. It was ashade of green typical for sheriff’s cars, some what of pea soup shade. At least it was all the same color, as after that they had white doors.
I would have thought that all cop cars would have automatics, but 19sixty5’s story shows that isn’t always the case. Thanks for posting that. A good example of the danger of assuming.
Those wheels are NO ‘giveaway’ whatsoever. Any disc brake-equipped Chevy had those wheels, or they were optional separately. Carpets were optional on Biscayne’s, as was a 140mph certified speedo.
This thing is a beast! I would drive this Chevy and would not even care it was a 4 door with radio delete. I wonder if there is documentation on this car being ordered this way with a manual trans, and from those times a lot could be ordered the way you wanted it.
Wisconsin’s State Patrol had 427 Biscayne’s in its ’67 fleet. My bud bought such a beast @ state auction. It had the hydraulic-lifter L36/385 hp version under the bonnet w/3-on-the-tree! 97 in 2nd was a scary fact! They were 4drs. w/manual disc brakes.
That would be one hilarious fun car to drive. Wish I could own it.
After looking at the pictures and love the dash with those guages, I never seen one like it. I believe this car, it was for moonshine, back in the day. No power steering power brakes air conditioning. No radio and all black. All business this had to be running moonshine, back in the hills. This were probably outrun most of the police cars back then easy!! 😂 Also I had to laugh when i saw the tie down cables for the engine to stay put when the hammer was down! It’s going to be hard to put a price on something so different so rare. One number that’s been floating around my head was $50,000. Well good luck to the seller. 🇺🇸🐻l
Not every interesting car has to be a moonshine runner or cop car. In fact, most were not.
Four doors for the family, big-block 4-gear for Pop.
The 60s were a great time to be a new car buyer.
Yeah buddy! Now THAT’S what I’m talkin about! Would love to have this car. Only 2 things holding me back: lack of cash and, I don’t think my SIL would enjoy driving this bruiser without
power steering or power brakes.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, it really bites to be legally blind and unable to have the kind
of car you REALLY want. Moon
runner? Maybe. Cop car? Could be some kind of experimental
unit GM built to test the waters when it came to offering law enforcement an option when it came to what kind of car to order
for their rank and file. Or, some
wacked out executive who ordered this car to give the kids in
the pony cars quite a shock when
they saw nothing but tail lights when this thing ran off and left them like they were still waiting to launch of the line. Or…it could’ve been ordered by a little
old lady that wanted to rule the
drag strip! Angel, could
That he you?
This is the find of the ages, ok so there is work to do but it’s a beyond wild car. Never saw a complete instrumentation like this and radio delete. I’m just surprised that GM let such a heavy powerhouse go out without mandatory power brakes with disc’s in front and power steering. Total sleeper
Fleet taxis and police cars in NYC with 15 inch wheels came with those rims too.
I don’t know about 68 but I do know in 67 the NY state police ordered some BelAires with 427 4spds. I remember seeing one sitting behind a Plymouth dealer I worked for in 1972. I also knew someone that took a 427 out of an old state police car and put it in a 65 Chevy step side pickup.
Yep, if this had gone up for sale in the 1970s or 1980s, the overwhelming odds are that is what would have happened with this car. Someone would have pirated the engine, transmission, and rear for some other sportier car.
Sedans were not cool back then. I remember I had a chance to pick up a black unmarked ’78 Plymouth Gran Fury with a 440. It was said to be a former North or South Carolina highway patrol car and was rust free 700 bucks back in 1987, and I foolishly did not buy it. I still kick myself to this very day.
I drove one of them a few times when I was a police officer. It was not nearly what I expected. In fact I was not impressed at all. The other guys were impressed but then they had not grown up as a hotrodder driving GTOs and such.
BTW the one I drove had been a NC HP car.
This is the optimum big iron machine. I’m not sure if those wheels were available in ’68, but the whole package is rare badas_. I’ve seen them all, but not this one.
15 inch rally wheels came on 67 and 68 B body (full size) Chevys if they were equipped with disc brakes. The hubcaps here were 67 – 68 “police” caps used from the factory.
A neighboring town to my home town had 2 67 Biscaynes as police cars. One ended up in a small junkyard I frequented while in high school. The 396 and 400thm were gone, but I was able to buy the rallys and police caps. And the 140 speedo instrument cluster. I don’t remember what it had for a front seat(s), but I do remember it had a rubber floor mat instead of carpet. I still have the police caps but they became popular over the years and have been reproduced – usually without the center bowtie.
The red background on the 427 fender callout makes me think this car is authentic. Probably a former cop car. I also notice no power brakes. More research needs to be done to authenticate it.
Its like the two 66 Hemi Coronet four door sedans, Big Daddy Don Garlits owns one of them and said he wouldn’t take a million dollars for it. The other one is also still around
There’s more than 2.
I would be ALL about this one if I had the room for it
Bet this one surprised more than a few in its day. Something I would have dreamed up in my warped head. Not for everyone but what a car.
Cop car with a stick??
I wonder how many cops nowadays can work a clutch and shift gears. In any case, I suspect they’re proficient in the effective use of digital tools. As one whose frame of references extends back well beyond the 1960s, I continually marvel at the changes technology has wrought within my lifetime.
Most of the 5.0 Fox body Mustangs used by various highway patrols in the 1980’s and early-90’s had manual transmissions. They had a lot less equipment back then to distract them while driving.
Steve R
Still, if you have an unruly passenger, I believe it would be very unsafe to have to deal with a stick. Just sayin’…………Steve G.
That is frekkin awesome ! I’d drive it . My friend in collage had a ’64 chrysler 300 4 door and it was running a 413 with the tarantula cross ram with big Carter’s carbs auto and posi he said it was an old detective’s car. I’m thinking Dirty Harry type ride ,it was a hoot to drive ,that 413 pulled like a freight train and sounded like it too :)
That is frekkin awesome ! I’d drive it . My friend in collage had a ’64 chrysler 300 4 door and it was running a 413 with the tarantula cross ram with big Carter’s carbs auto and posi he said it was an old detective’s car. I’m thinking Dirty Harry type ride ,it was a hoot to drive ,that 413 pulled like a freight train and sounded like it too :) Can you imagine how that will jump when you get into it and start rowing through the gears ? Lmao
Boy does this bring back memories!! One of best friends worked construction every summer thru high school so he could order himself his OWN car. ’66 Chevy Biscayne, Black 2 dr post, w/327 ci w/4 bbl and 4 speed. Only difference beside engines is his had AM radio and vinyl teal green interior. We always took his car if going to next state (18 legal beer) as we only knew of one Highway Patrolman who had anything to keep up w/him (65 Ford W/390 and 3 speed w/OD). Kept up with him thru the years, and still had that Chevy in his garage when passed. I would have bought it but his wife sold it before I heard of his passing. Now only great memories.
The 327 ci/4bb/4-speed combination was a potent and popular option in the ’60s. I recall that in the early part of the decade the Providence, RI fire department purchased a fleet of Chevrolet rescue-squad ambulances fitted with that performance package.
Love the car. Never seen one of those compasses before. Got to be rare. I hope whoever buys it doesn’t hack it up or otherwise alter it from stock configuration.
The engine suffix code on the block stamp pad shows “ID”. that decodes as a 427 special high performance engine with a manual transmission for 1966, 1967, and 1968. I never saw the actual vehicle identification number on the eBay ad, or in the seller’s photos to see if the engine is numbers matching. Build sheet would help.
On my way to the Indy 500 from suburban Chicago, I got pulled over in my brand new 90′ Mustang LX Hatchback 5 speed. Speeding, not more than 8-10 over. Low and behold, the Policeman was driving an LX Notchback! Long story short, he had me sit in the front seat which was pretty cool. Must have trusted me!! Anyway, to cut the bit of tension that was in the air, I asked the Officer why his Mustang was an automatic….. He cracked a pretty good smile knowing mine was a manual…… Still got a ticket! LOL
Those tie downs were a factory recall from about 1969. Back when throttle had linkages instead of cables. Stand on the loud pedal, the .motor mount would break and pin the throttle wide open. The recall went back a few years for any Chevy without cable style throttle control. “Back in the day (before stops built into the motor mounts) it was common to see. On all V8s at the time. This is the first one I’ve seen in many years.
Buicks had a campaign to install straps on the motor mounts back in the early 70s. Yes that was before they built the stops in the mounts.
I had to install one on my 55 Chevy but I used a chain. I did that to stop it from breaking rotors when the motor rose up and that side and smashed the dist cap into the firewall. Worked for me.
Mom owned a ’67 Electra 225 and I remember that strap/cable campaign. The dealer tech would remove a cylinder head bolt, loop the cable around the upper control arm shaft, then run the bolt through the cable ends and retorque it in place again.
I now remember hearing that most of the City if Chicago patrol cars were 6 cylinder cars. Except the ones that patrolled the expressway. Those had 427s. Although, I never heard that they were sticks and not automatic transmissions. My ex-boss worked in a,Chevy store in the city during the 60s.
Nice looking car. I’ve always thought the Chevy Biscayne was the entry level car. My favourite cars are the Bel Air, the Impala and the Caprice. This looks like a good candidate for resto or restomod. As long as the mods are mechanical. V8 engine, Automatic gearbox, Disc brakes, etc.
a crew cab that’s packing heat with a 4sp and gauges. defiantly a COPO car. you’re not getting that off the lot. i bet the reserve is over 50k+. i would love to put some leaded 110-octane fuel in it and take that out on a back road and let that b**ch eat. get you some of that!
There’s nothing to suggest it’s a COPO.
Occam’s razor says this wasn’t a police car or some other lame-ass reason for its existance. In 1968 a full-size Chevy could be ordered with any engine except the 153 CID Super Thrift. This car was ordered to do one thing which was to go fast in straight line.
E Bay ad has been removed because the car is no longer available. I guess that means it was sold, although the ad does not say how much it sold for. it shows a starting bid of $1,000. Interesting.
The highest bid when the auction was $30,000. There were three separate bidders with bids over $20,000, not including the 4th that was the high bidder.
It’s not surprising someone stepped up and made an offer the seller couldn’t refuse.
Steve R
$30k? for this car? I’m not sure I’d want to pay that much for a car, however nice its condition may be. Maybe if it was a Cadillac Fleetwood, a Chevy Caprice or an Imperial, but a Chevy Biscayne?
Tacoma, I’d suspect it took a lot more than $30,000 to end the auction early.
Steve R
In this case, Tacoma, you’re not really getting a Biscayne, but rather a specifically optioned 427 4-speed Biscayne. Plus it’s a 4-door, all while most any other like this would have only been 2-doors. My Uncle owned the one you’re thinking of. A 4-door, 6-cyl 3-speed to cart around a wife and four kids. Grecian green. I can still see that car in my minds eye today.
I love the gauge cluster on this car. Most GM cars only have one gauge, the fuel gauge, and the speedometer, everything else are warning lights. This car looks like it has speedometer, tachometer, battery charge gauge, temperature gauge. All needle gauges. This is how it should be. If only more exterior pics were posted.
Warning lights are an okay supplement to the gauge, to get your attention that “Hey!, the engine is overheating,” or that “Hey! You’re getting low on fuel!”, but I’ve never thought they’re okay as a substitute for gauges.
You wouldn’t think that warning lights are ok when the overheat light comes on in the middle of Alabama and it already killed a head gasket. (Sister’s Chevy Volt) I was looking down at the speedometer when the light came on and was driven about 200 feet after that. IF KNOWING IT WAS RUNNING WARM. COULD HAVE STOPPED SOONER! It was a,huge pain in the butt getting back to Houston from there.
Damn, late to the party. Was there a pic of the engine pad??
Police car probably would have had power brakes?
There is. The ad is still visible, go to the eBay link, click on the ad, it will show it’s ended, look for the link that says see original ad, click on that.
Steve R
@ Wayne: Sometimes you need to be reminded when something goes wonky. Assuming you pay constant attention to the gauges, it shouldn’t be a problem.
No gauges on a Chevy Volt except speedo and fuel gauge. Light came on too late to stop damage.
I’ve never driven a Chevy Volt.
Back when I was a teenager I was running around with some guys that were a few years older than me. One of them had a ’54 Chevy Bel Aire and we went to a neighboring community to cruise the streets. He pulled out in front of a car and was struck by that oncoming car. Of course, the cops were called and a few minutes later an Ohio State Highway Patrol officer arrived. He was driving a 1967 Biscayne coupe, it had Rallye wheels with the police/dog dish hubcaps, bucket seats with a console and automatic on the floor. It also had 396 emblems on the front fenders. I was told later on that OSHP officer could order their own cars equipped the way they wanted them to be outfitted as long as they met requirements for police work.
“This listing was ended by the seller on Fri, Jan 30 at 5:24 PM because the item is no longer available.”