Following Ford’s lead with the LTD in 1965, Chevrolet added the Caprice as a gussied-up Impala later the same year. It was a popular decision, and the Caprice became its own series in 1966. The Caprice was like an Impala on steroids and was only offered with a V8 engine. The seller has owned this nice example for 58 of its 60 years and has done a great job of maintaining it. Located in Denver, Pennsylvania, this sharp Chevy is available here on Hagerty, where the current bid is $5,805. A nod goes to T.J. for the groovy tip!
The Caprice 2-door hardtop had a formal roofline, while the Impala was a fastback. Until 1968, when Chevrolet decided to also apply the Caprice roof to an Impala and called it the Custom Coupe. After a record sales year in 1965, where the Impala sold more than one million copies (a feat yet to be replicated), sales of the lightly changed ’66 full-size Chevies dropped by about 20%. This Caprice may have only traveled a little more than 1,150 miles a year since new as the odometer reads 69,000 miles.
A 327 cubic inch V8 resides under the hood of this Caprice, complete with a 4-barrel carburetor and 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission. The car sports Aztec Bronze paint, which was reapplied 30 years ago and has a few minor, age-related flaws. A black vinyl top accents the exterior and matches the bucket seat interior with console and gauges. While the car has power steering, the brakes are manual but converted to a dual-reservoir master cylinder.
This Caprice wears aftermarket wheels, but the original steel wheels and “hub caps” will follow the car in the sale. As the seller was going for a performance image, Hooker Headers were added along with an aftermarket exhaust. The car has had a recent tune-up and all the fluids are fresher, so this should be almost a turnkey Chevy for your driving pleasure. Some of the cabin electronics no longer work, such as the clock, radio, and gas gauge. But nothing’s perfect, right?
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