Chevrolet redesigned its full-size station wagons in 1971, and they would be the largest Chevies ever until 1977, when downsizing came into play. In 1972, the top-of-the-line wagon was called Kingswood Estate, but that was simplified to Caprice Estate in 1973 since it was a Caprice anyway. The seller has a ’73 Caprice Estate with a 454 cubic inch V8, but the VIN decodes it as being built with something smaller. Located in Clearwater, Florida, this Chevy land yacht is available here on eBay, where the reserve is unmet at $1,525 (so far).
This Caprice was built to haul people as well as cargo. With its factory three-seat setup, you could easily fit eight or nine people into this wagon. It presents fairly well after 53 years, thanks to a repaint in 2014 and indoor storage thereafter. The shade of green selected doesn’t strike me as a ’73 Chevy color, but it’s nice and shiny with no visible rust. As a Caprice Estate, it could have been ordered with faux woodgrain siding, but that’s a guess and none is there now. And the wagon appears to be sporting Buick wheels.
The “R” in the seller-provided VIN decodes the Chevy as having a 400 CI V8 with a 2-barrel carburetor. But that’s not what’s here now, as a 454 was shoehorned over time (sometime before the odometer reached 64,300 miles according to the odometer). We’re told the 454 has had some upgrades, but they aren’t specified. The car runs and drives, but since it sat for a while, perhaps some tinkering is needed.
Given that the interior is original, most things inside the passenger cabin are okay. The dash is cracked, but that’s not unusual for the vintage. This Chevy once had factory air, but some of that hardware is missing now. A new battery and water pump have been added, but a new fan shroud should be hunted up. And if you want to listen to any tunes, you’ll have to find and hook up a radio. Big wagon, anyone?
The VIN indicates this car was delivered with 145 HP 400 CID engine.
Where’s the back window & tailgate? I know they don’t retract underneath!
Yes it’s a retractable tailgate. ..It was called a clamshell tailgate.
Looks like a repaint. Terrible color. Looks pretty forlorn. I loved them when they were new. Thought that the Caprice wagon came standard with the simulated woodgrain and the Impala wagon did not, just like Ford’s LTD Country Squire came standard with the woodgrain, but the Country Sedan did not.
Caprice Estate wagons did come standard with woodgrain in this era; they also had Impala-level interiors, and unlike on a Country Squire which had the “plain” LTD interior but you could get the LTD Landau one as a package option, the Chevys didn’t get a full Caprice interior until 1977.
tailgate dropped into the bumper, rear window retracted into the roof. Reliable when new, tough to repair when older, especially if there was an accident.
Sleeper anyone?
If by sleeper you mean lying down in the back, then yes. After a thorough cleaning, of course
The rear glass was always slow.
By 1973, the anti-smog gear was really starting to kill power in a big way, so even a 454 would be rated for less than 200 horsepower. These were compatible with unleaded gas, thanks to the EPA rules, but unleaded gas wasn’t mandatory until the ’75 model year. The usual go-fast goodies will wake this bad boy up, and they were available from the factory with a Class III trailer towing package, good for towing up to 10,000 pounds, LOL! Only modern full-size SUV’s and pickup trucks can tow more! Modern trucks offer a Class IV trailer towing package, which wasn’t even available in 1973!
Am I the only one who noticed that it’s painted almost the same shade of green as the American Family Truckster from National Lampoon’s Vacation?
The 1973 Caprice Estate’s optional LS4 454-V8 (with dual exhaust) was net rated at 245-hp and 375 lb-ft of torque. With that engine, it was rated for a 6000 lb maximum trailer weight. (Single exhaust dropped 30 units on both horsepower and torque.)
O.K., you got me. Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa! Still, 245 hp was a far cry from the 375 hp a 454 could make during its heyday back in the ’60’s. It would get worse before it got better, as the lower octane unleaded gas and catalytic converter back pressure would cut power further. Electronic feedback carburetors would further degrade drivability, until Detroit finally bit the bullet and began to install electronic fuel injection systems. Throttle-body systems at first, port fuel injection would come later.
Certainly, no mea culpas necessary. Just adding to the information that we all share here. 😊
Lousy photos. Not a real 454 car. $500 car with what gas costs today. Even if it was a legit 454 car, it was rated below the 275 hp in the 73 Corvette.
It was my step dad that painted this car that color and installed the 454 – he called me and could not believe his old car was on BARN FINDS!
I like it !! If the price is right at the end I may buy it .
cool wagon it’s a shame the wrong person got a hold of it and mutilated it. it looks terrible and the work under the hood is horrendous. no pride in work man ship. hacked out the a/c too. car is in FLA and has a Wyoming title. i smell fish.
1973 Chevrolet Caprice Estate……
One of my favorite cars that I owned in 1975. Yes, it’s not a Cadillac, not even an Olds 98 Custom Cruiser, just a Chevy. But a top of the line Caprice.
I loved the power clamshell tailgate.
This one for sale, however has a manual tailgate. They all had a power tailgate window.
Bucket list… get another clamshell station wagon.
There is a reason Ford sold more Wagons than anyone else. These GM wagons were lumbering behemoths that were ugly from bow to stern.
True, but that doesn’t mean that Ford didn’t build some ugly wagons. Some of the full-size wagons in the mid-seventies had faces only a Mother could love, LOL!
Guess you could buy it , pull the motor and put it in your speed boat…
My Uncle used to do exactly that. He’d trailer his boat to Lake Mead (behind Hoover Dam) and pull the engine from his Mustang to put in the boat for the weekend, then reverse the process to drive home when the weekend was over! Personally, when my Dad (his brother) told me that story, I thought he was nuts, and I was only about six (6) years old at the time! Frankly, I still think so, and it’s been sixty (60) years since I first heard that story, LOL!
I assume the owner wants to get rid of it because the AC is not working. LOL.
Nice
I had a 1973 4 door Impala about 25 years ago with the same interior color and a light green exterior and white roof . This exterior paint looks terrible.