1976 Chevrolet Caprice Classic
Say the term “Sports Sedan” today to any car enthusiast and thoughts of a BMW three-series immediately come to mind. However, through the sixties and mid-seventies, Chevrolet’s applied the term to its four-door pillarless hardtops such as this final year 1976 Caprice Classic.
The Sport Sedan was the four-door hardtop, with pillarless styling and its own roof design, with an opera window built into the C-pillar.
The interior is upholstered in blue velour with matching door panels, carpeting, and floor mats. Amenities include power windows and locks, front and rear lap belts, air conditioning, cruise control, a tilt steering wheel, a lighted vanity mirror, and an AM/FM stereo with an eight-track player. A two-spoke steering wheel fronts a blue dashboard with woodgrain trim and a 100-mph sweep-style speedometer flanked by a fuel gauge and a clock.
Born at a time when American cars were getting bigger and bigger, oblivious to the looming Arab Oil Embargo that would forever change the face of the U.S. car market (with a little help from the Japanese auto industry), the second generation Chevrolet Caprice introduced in 1971 was a giant in its own right riding on a huge 121.5-inch (3,090 mm) wheelbase and offered with V8 engines ranging in displacement from 5.7- to 7.4-liters.
This Caprice is probably not rare enough, or special interest enough for a museum. Gentle motoring would fill the bill. Big cars like this aren’t exactly “fun” to drive, but they are an enjoyable experience thanks to their ride and the fact that there’s just nothing like them being built today.
