Ford introduced the LTD in 1965 to bring luxury to the non-Lincoln Ford arena. Advertising a ride as quiet as a Rolls-Royce, the ploy worked, and the gussied-up Galaxie 500 sold well. Not to be outdone, Chevy responded a few months later with the Caprice, an Impala wearing the emperor’s clothing. By 1966, it had become a series of its own. The seller’s time capsule is a second-year model with a scant 22,000 miles and can be found in Addison, Wisconsin. With paperwork, the fancy machine is available here on eBay for $31,900 OBO. Thanks for the tip, “Curvette”!
The Caprice 2-door hardtop carried a more formal roofline than the fastback styling of the 1966 Impala. It impressed buyers enough, so Chevy decided to make that roof an option on the Impala beginning in 1968, calling it the Custom Coupe. Unlike the Impala, Caprices came standard with a V8 engine (283 cubic inches in ’66). But any eight-cylinder motor in the Chevy ensemble could be ordered, and the seller’s edition came packing a 327.
Perhaps unexpectedly, the Caprice stole sales away from the Impala SS, which would eventually disappear by the 1970s. This Caprice has some of those features, like bucket seats with a console for the floor-shifted 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission. We get the impression this is an all-original car, including the body panels, which have not seen any damage. This was enabled by factory undercoating, which did its job well. We’re told the only departures from Day 1 are the SS wheel covers it sports and a dual exhaust system.
The seller makes little reference to replacement parts, and the only things that don’t work are the clock and radio. The solid-running 327 was rated at 275 hp from the factory, an ample showing for a car of this size. You can verify the car’s authenticity if you can get to the build sheet, which we’re told is still affixed to the frame! The Cameo Beige paint looks great, as do the factory vinyl top and upholstery. Would you “See the USA in Your Chevrolet” if the selling dealer cuts you a deal?
This is a steal for a big Chevy this original and in this condition. I grew up around Impalas and have never seen a 66 Caprice with Super Sport interior and wheel covers. When I had my first car, a 66 Super Sport, there was an old man on the outskirts of town that sold these hubcaps for $5 apiece. Never knew his name, everyone just called him “the hubcap man” These are going at over $100 apiece now in good condition.
There were two 1966 Caprices 2dr hardtops at our church in 1967 – both with buckets and that gauge package…..Luke’s dad’s Marina blue and the York’s copper/brown.
The standard interior for the 66 Caprice was buckets & console, though you could order it with a bench seat at no extra cost.
I’m right with Cooter. ’66 Impala Super Sports have a special place with me, it was my Grandpas favorite Chevy ( and he had a lot of them). This is really unique with the buckets and the gauge package too on the console. One surprise is they didn’t order it with a 396 and a THM 400 like my Grandpas had. This is a nice one, I’m wondering about those wheel covers too. Either way I like it.
Great photo, DIS. Looks like a similar one I have seen of my grandfather’s in Colonia, NJ back in the day, with a black Impala where your Grandpa’s white Caprice sits.
Beautiful car!! When they actually made cars!!
Beautiful car. Plus, these wheel covers I actually like, would not change a thing there. Never liked the two speed auto, a three speed one is the way to go in those years. Of course, I would better like a 4sp, though even a 3sp stick would be better here.
Drivenstile, looks like Grandpa lived pretty well back in 68. Good for him. Must have had a good job.
Just saw this exact car on YoutTube. It is pristine. IMO, worth every penny!
nice caprice in a good color combo. looks to have has a craigslist rebuild on the motor because there is no way that paint is 60yrs old and overspray where there should be none
That is a remarkably pristine Chevy. I have never liked beige even on the outside, let alone the interior too, but the condition is super impressive. I had a 66 super sport ragtop many years ago, and it had these exact wheelcovers, but I don’t get putting them on a Caprice. I’ve always wondered why Chevy gave LESS side trim on the super sport and the caprice than they did the Impala. I’m just sayin’.
I had one just like this in the 80’s. Butternut yellow with a 396. No one wanted it, sold for $1200. with all new exhaust.
Butternut yellow I believe is the correct name for this paint code. 👍
Code V on the cowl tag is Cameo Beige, with the 2 being black vinyl top.
Butternut Yellow was a brighter color.
OK, here we have another beautiful car that had to be a special order…from a librarian or a church secretary that wanted out of their Studebaker Lark with the radio delete panel on it.
Who else would order such a great car, omitting all luxury accessories including A/C? Put power windows, Comfortron climate control, Cruise and a tilt/telescopic wheel on this car and you have an amazing weekender.
End of rant.
My 66 Caprice had none of those fancy shmancy fru-fru little girl options. It was just like this one in a different color & it was an awesome car.
What a sweet looking Caprice. I’ll bet the light interior is nice in the summer. That 327 should haul her around just fine if you don’t feel challenged at every light.
Now this bad boy is worth every penny
This is a very nice clean Caprice here. Not a big deal but the battery looks a bit small.
What a sweet machine, except for the power glide trans. What I’ll never understand is why they’d put the build sheet on the frame, where it’s sure to get destroyed? Why not put it in the springs under the back seat?
Theye’s probably on there too ~ or on top of the glove box. They usually had 2, although I’ve never personally seen one on the frame.
I took a friend to a junkyard back in the day so he could scrounge some parts, and I left with a 66 Caprice much like this. The console with gauges and buckets are what sold me. ‘Course, the junkyard man let it go for somewhere around a hundred bucks, so that was a selling point too.
This is a really nice car but there are a few minor issues, such as the undercarriage rust and all the paint gone off of the oil pan and filter and starter, which causes me to question the actual mileage. Also the original carb on that engine was a Rochester Quadrajet, not that leaky Holley he has on there. And then there’s the brand new gas tank and straps. I has kwestshuns.