On more than one occasion, Chevrolet branded its full-size station wagons separately from its comparable automobile products. The Kingswood was the equivalent of the Impala in 1950-60 and again from 1969-72. The latter period included the Kingswood Estate with its faux woodgrain paneling that was akin to the upscale Caprice. This 1970 Kingswood Estate is said to be a barn find in excellent condition – and may have what could be a rare manual transmission. Located in Edwardsburg, Michigan, this stately people mover is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $26,900.
The 1970 full-size Chevies rode on the same platform that served the Impala/Caprice so well in 1965, when one than one million units were built and sold. Of that six-year product run, I have always found the ‘70s to be the most attractive, while most everyone else would probably go with the ‘65s. The Kingswood Estate came with a 350 cubic inch V8 as standard equipment, which is also in the seller’s wagon. 400 and 454 CI engines were available as upgrades.
This Chevy is said to have had just one owner since it was new, and it has 80,000 miles but doesn’t look it. Whether it was found in a barn is another matter. The gold paint has evidence of a nice redo, and the paneling on the sides looks great with no rust apparent. The interior has the feel of having original materials and would easily accommodate a family of six. The engine is clean, and parts of it appear to have been resprayed in red/orange.
We’re told the transmission is a three-speed manual, which would be out of place for a Caprice-like vehicle. I tried looking in the video provided to see if I saw two pedals or three under the dash, and the jury is still out. The redline tires are new, and the wagon runs and drives as well as it presents. If you’re into vintage wagons, you might be hard-pressed to find a nicer one. Another cool tip from “Zappenduster”!
If you zoom in on the front seat picture you can see three pedals, plus the parking brake. Also, gear indicator on the column. Some sort of unicorn.
Wonderful find, but here’s the 411 on this car. Dad was po’d he had to give up the Chevelle, and said , “fine, we’ll get the wagon( and a top of the line too) but I’m getting the stick”, in spite, to no doubt keep mom out of the car. There’s no other reason in a grocery getter like this, when 98% were automatics. Tell you what, the kids had a blast with it and mom was happy with the Vega she drove.
And as usual, the stick will hamper any sales today. Looks like a stiff HD clutch. I read, this car cost $3589 new, the automatic about $250 more, making it the 2nd most expensive Chevy behind the convertible. Great find regardless. We all remember riding in the “way back”.
It is not the “way back”. It is the “Back-B-Back” (pronounced like “Bar-B-Que”).
There are some things worth fighting for, and this is one of them! ;)
This could be one of the coolest finds here. The three speed is pure fun, and dang, clean clean clean, and mean mean mean. I am always surprised we survived the Way back, with the Station Wagon Effect.