By the 1970s, U.S.-built factory convertibles were becoming harder to find. The safety pundits had made enough noise to scare away a lot of buyers. So, General Motors decided that the 1975 model year would be the last for them (for a time, anyway) – except for the Cadillac Eldorado, which got a one-year reprieve. The seller has a low-mileage (1,900?) ’75 Caprice Classic, which looks as though it has been kept in a time capsule. Presumably needing nothing, this stellar drop-top can be found in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and is available here on eBay. Without an open reserve, the current bid is $30,100. An attaboy goes to Mitchell G. for the tip!
When word got out that the ‘75s were the swan song for the Caprice convertible, sales nearly doubled. Demand increased from 4,670 units in 1974 to 8,349 in 1975. Some of these may have been purchased as “future collectibles” (such as this one?), which would explain the low mileage. I thought I had seen this car before here on Barn Finds, but I was wrong, as all the colors are different (that one had just 400 miles at the time!).
We don’t know the history of this 50-year-old ragtop other than it’s only averaged 40 miles per year! It’s powered by a 400 cubic inch V8 (small-block?) with a 4-barrel carburetor and a TH-350 automatic transmission. It has posi-traction, but I’m betting it’s hard to spin a rear tire on a car this heavy and detuned as the ‘75s were.
The Medium Orange Metallic paint is likely original, as is the Dark Saddle leather interior. This Chevy has wire wheel covers, which nicely set off the large overall package. The Caprice has the usual wide assortment of options, like a power top, windows, factory A/C, and even an 8-track tape player (I still have a few tapes they can have). This seems like a museum-quality car – is that where you would park it?
Nice big convertible. Thanks Dixon. 👍
The ebay ad description only states 1900 miles shown, vs “1900 original miles”. So, we could be looking at a very nicely detailed 101,900 mile car that was always garaged. Look closely at the entry side of the driver seat and the steering wheel. Lots of human grime there for an ultra low mileage car. Seller with 0 ebay history. Just sayin…
I’d agree there are some views that don’t line up with 1900 miles. The steering wheel and seats as you pointed out, and the underside looks somewhat questionable or at a minimum could have presented far better with a pressure wash. On most of the GM cars of this era, it was easy to disconnect the speedometer/odometer at the cruise control on top of the fender well in about 30 seconds and keep the mileage down. Something to consider.
I remember that year, in the Navy with a girlfriend who worked at GM. She was going around to all the suppliers for the GM plants collecting as many of the top assemblies that they had left in inventory, so GM could make as many 76 Cadillacs as they could. I don’t recall any of them being manual tops, I think they were all power.
In the mid 80’s I bought a ‘75 Delta 88 convertible that was fire engine red with a white top and interior. Basically the same car as this and it always turned heads. This one is a very nice example but a couple of things have me questioning the 1900 miles claim. I’m sure it will bring strong dollars nonetheless. Buyer beware.
Wow. It’s over $40,000 and everyone here is correct.
No way is that what they claim. Mankind can be baffling.