This rather nice looking 1968 Biscayne is listed for sale here on eBay. Located in Los Angeles, California, it is offered for sale with a clear title. Bidding is currently sitting at $7,988, but I suspect that it might go a bit higher on this one.
This Biscayne is actually owned by the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. They have decided to sell it because it is now surplus to their requirements. Looking at the overall appearance of the outside of the car certainly does give the impression of a car that may have been a museum piece. The body is straight and the paint looks good. There may be a couple of marks on the paintwork, but it is hard to tell. The car certainly appears to be rust-free. The car also rolls on nice wide 15″ rubber mounted on Corvette wheels.
The interior also appears to be in quite nice condition. The dash looks to be in good condition, although the Biscayne has been fitted with an after-market radio/cassette player. The dash pad appears to be free of cracks, and the seats (which are upholstered in the optional leather) look to be in great condition. This Biscayne is also fitted with factory air conditioning, cruise control and the factory special instrument package. The only real criticism that I can level at this Chevy is that I think that the carpet would benefit from a clean.
I like the look of the instrument package, and given the fact that this particular car has been a museum piece means that maybe the claimed 9,738 miles is actually a real possibility. Hopefully there is some documentation that can back this up. The factory special instruments also include a tachometer, which is located in the dash just to the left of this cluster.
This is why I think that the bidding may go a bit higher than it’s sitting at the moment. That’s a 427ci Tri-Power big block nestling under the hood. Apparently it hasn’t run for a few years, but the sellers don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t. Personally if I were considering buying this one I’d be glad that no-one has tried to fire this up. If it has been sitting I think that I’d want someone to check it before I turned the key. Engines like these are too valuable to risk. The engine also sports Eagle headers with 2 1/2 inch pipes. Backing the big block is a custom built TH350 auto transmission with an Art Carr Supertorque converter feeding power to a heavy duty 12-bolt rear end. The entire drive-line has been balanced and the car also features power steering, power brakes and heavy-duty suspension with Bilstein shocks.
So this isn’t your everyday run-of-the-mill Biscayne. It is a real sleeper, and the only external give-away that it might be something special is the addition of those Corvette wheels. However, if you buried your foot off the line it would soon get your attention. I don’t know how much higher bidding will go on this one, but it is one that I’m going to monitor carefully. Anyone want to take a guess?
Love sleepers.
Would love that for summer cruises and shows.
Simply beautiful aside from the desire for an old station wagon I’d Love to drop the kid of to school in this!
In 1968, we used Biscayne 427 cars in the Washington State Patrol. My close friend
had one as his slicktop patrol car. The car was awesome, crazy fast!
Gotta wonder what was the mindset of the person who ordered this new. Interesting vehicle.
nice car that was created, not ordered, still I would drive this one and care for it like the beauty that it is!
WOW! How cool is this?
I’m thinkin’ magazine project car, maybe with help from Chevy’s skunk works, which for years was intertwined with various Petersen titles.
Jim Perkins, where are you? Remember this beast?
$40k if anyone’s paying attention.
After reading the ad, I see no claim that this is a factory installed tri-powered 427 car…or that it came with all the options listed…I guess if it was, the price would be 3 times the amount bid…
With headers and other goodies, you may be right. Even the mileage is suspect. But being in the Peterson museum, I would think they’re going to be honest in their ad.
Wouldn’t have a prayer of passing California smog checks at various times in the last half-century…
Yes. GM outlawed multi carb engines in or after 66. But still a sweet ride
Interesting options, but I’m not convinced the engine is original. The front seats and steering wheel are certainly not original, and cruise control on the turn signal is not, either. I’d find a good original steering wheel and enjoy it just the way it is.
Most likely the tripower is not original. The car was probably displayed in the sleepers exhibit. I really feel sorry for that poor Turbo 350 transmission. You should really upgrade that to a Turbo 400.
Actually that particular TH350 could be a very special TH350. Based upon its builder it might be better than an TH400. Very interesting.
a properly built th350 is certainly up to the task of handling the power of a 427 big block, they are stout and with less reciprocating weight send more power to the wheels!
You might get noticed w/ the 427 emblem on the front marker lights…and the rumble!
Even though they used a 1966 Impala in Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry, I would still want to go out and jump a lift bridge in this car!
These types of Biscaynes were known as “Bisquick”.
There is something to be said for these base models with no trim.
They look so clean and pure.
I would be proud to cruise this car as 2 doors are getting on my last nerve.
From the Ebay ad.
“The vehicle was donated to the Petersen Automotive Museum several years ago and is now surplus to our requirements. We have tried to state the condition of the car as honestly as possible to alert potential buyers of any known problems in the car.”
The car was donated so they might not know its history.
Whomever wrote the ad apparently is unfamiliar with who Art Carr is and his significant contribution to the performance transmission aftermarket.
I saw this car about a year ago at the museum during a basement tour, which is well worth the extra costs if you have the time. I noted it because I have an original 1969 Biscayne with a 427/425, a 4 speed Rock Crusher Muncie and a 4.56 rear end. Per the museum guide this car was ordered by a chief of police in some small town and was his personal patrol car. As shown the car is pristine inside and out and is the definition of a sleeper. I doubt the originality of the tripower also, but it is still a very cool ride.
that is cool u should keep urs dont ever sell it
Looking at the Temp and Oil gauges, I’d say it was running when the photos were taken.
I noticed the same thing unless the museum says the gauges aren’t accurate? You mention about starting it but if the gauges work (engine appears “warm”) it has been recently run for the photos.
I would be interested in the history, having allegedly been ordered by a police chief. There was a 427 police package in those years. WI State Patrol had a fleet of them in 1967. When they were traded in, a dealer north of Milwaukee bought a whole row of them. My brother-in-law and 2 friends went and each bought one. My brother-in-law put the engine in several cars – 1st a ’57 Chev and lastly it was in a ’65 Chevelle until it spun a bearing. Don’t know what happened to the body – he probably dropped a 283 or 327 in it and sold it. One of the others in that batch was crashed into a storefront on Main Street in our city. A few years later I had a coworker (he was a grandpa by then) who had one of those – it had been repainted. I remember he had it because his sons found it for him – all he knew was it was more powerful and gas hungry than what he would have picked out himself. I have searched for years to see if there are any survivors – keep coming up dry on that. The 427 block is what everyone wanted back in those days – the old squad body was just a vessel to get the thing home.
Leather was not optional on full size Chevrolets in 1968. Cloth or vinyl in the Biscayne and not even close to that pattern.
It’s very nice but there have been serious upgrades to that bottom of the line Chevy.
http://oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Chevrolet/1968_Chevrolet/1968_Chevrolet_Full_Size_Brochure/1968%20Chevrolet%20Full%20Size-28.html
Also no headrests in that year.
Nick, actually headrests were available that year, but later in the year. 1968 was a big year for our family, and 4 members bought new Chevy’s in 1968.
My Grandparents bought a ’68 Impala Sport, with the swept back window, my Great Aunt & Uncle bought a red Impala rag top 327, my Dad bought a 68 Malibu Sedan, and his Sister bought a ’68 Malibu Coupe. Only hers had head rests. They were not like the ones that we see in this Biscayne. They were designed for safety, not comfort . There were a few variations of safety features in 1968. Just OUR car, had a feature where the ignition switch was recessed into the instrument panel. I watched the dealer do it. It was a real pain to turn the key. This was also the first year for the “key in ignition” buzzer. I hated that sound. And, yes, the cruise control is not factory.
Shut up and take my money!
Something everyone is overlooking is that if it was ordered with this engine it would NOT have come with a 350 transmission. Not hard to verify either way. Check the engine and or transmission numbers.
This is clearly a made up car…but done somewhat tastefully. I agree with Raymond Hurst, NO big block Chevrolet (or any other large cube GM engine for that matter) ever came with a Turbo 350 trans…EVER! Only the Corvette received the tri-power carburation…passenger cars would have had the single 4bl Quadrajet or Holley from the factory. The most it would have been w/ fact A/C would have been a tamer version w/ hydraulic cam, cast crank and under 400hp. Redline on the tach is 5k…so another indication of lower HP motor. Probably was a very well preserved small block Biscayne with an anxious owner who just happened to have a tri-power 427 out of a wrecked Corvette laying around and thought: “What if…”
Wrong…I grew up in Tonawanda, New York, about 1 1/2 miles from Chevrolet engine plant. You could get any trans offered in that year with any engine and rear diff. gears. There were many options available in the 69’s and early 70’s…
So, you think a 3 speed overdrive transmission could be ordered with a 425 HP 427CI eng. I don’t think so. Also the first Turbo 350 transmission was 1969.
Well Paul…I guess growing up 1 1/2 miles from the Chevrolet engine plant didn’t make you any more of an expert than those of us who were several miles away. You could NOT get any trans with any engine and rear gears because they only built certain configurations with certain options so they could warranty them. So…you could NOT order a high HP engine and pair it with a weaker trans or rear end because the factory (as you should know since you were apparently there) packaged them together. Case and point…You could NOT order an L78 Camaro and pair it with a Saginaw and 10 bolt rear end…because it could not be warrantied. I appreciate the deficient attempt at a correction…maybe you could move closer to a school for future rebuttals.
One way, although I highly doubt it here, to get that set up was through Baldwin/Motion. That of course would be well documented as they made so few Biscayne street racers special.
Whether or not that is the original tri power 427 one thing for sure, it will flat out get up and go!
Seems there was a magazine that was building a Biscayne project car, pretty solid runner only to have it stolen, obviously this is not that car, ha! Great posting here of a REAL sleeper! Thanks.
I had the 2 door version of this very car in the 80s my first real car I bought for 1000$ low miles 16k total stripper no options inside power steering power brakes that’s it block off plate where radio goes blue insides the good 396 375hp 4speed 3:91 posi rear all factory till I got it put radio in corvette rally rims cherry bombs used to race on fruitridge ave in Sacramento ca our William land park area I miss those days loved that old bisqwik
One thing most people are ignoring is that “one-offs” were never built except for engineering exercises (and those were never sold as titled vehicles, most were scrapped.) Central Office Production Options were mostly done for Fleet deals where there was a volume of identical vehicles. This doesn’t fit in that category. This car is a hodge-podge of pieces. It is, however, very well done, but still something the factory did not build to order.
No airbags?!?! LOL
Wow, sold for a paltry 11K. Got to the ad about 20 minutes too late! Great buy for someone…
Who cares who ordered what and where. Can you imagine the fun you could have with this sleeper. You’d be the talk of the parking lot on cruise nights, you could take the whole family to A&W and you could have a blast at the drag strip. This isn’t going to break the bank as it’s in great shape, loaded and ready to rock, this is one of the best sleepers I’ve seen in ages.
Hope the new owner enjoys the hell out of this!!
I’m guessing this is a former police pursuit vehicle. In 1968, the Washington State Patrol used 1968 Chevrolet Biscayne 4 door sedans, with a 390 HP 427/TH-400 transmission/12 bolt rear end. All their cars were white with a blue vinyl interior. They also had the rally style wheels with a poverty center cap.