Chevy Caprice
The Chevrolet Caprice (later called Caprice Classic) was a series name of automobile produced by Chevrolet, a division of General Motors, in the United States from the 1965 through 1996 model years.
Throughout its life, the Caprice designated the most-expensive (and most luxurious) model of the Chevrolet full-size car range, which during its lifetime also included the Biscayne, Bel Air and Impala.
US History
The Caprice began life in 1965 as a luxury trim package for the Impala four-door hardtop sedan, in response to the successful Ford LTD series. This included a stiffer suspension, higher-grade cloth and vinyl seat and door trim (as well as thicker, higher-grade carpeting), walnut trim on the dashboard and door panels, pull straps on the doors, extra convenience lights, special full wheel covers and a vinyl top. The name for the Chevrolet Caprice was coined by Bob Lund (Chevrolet's General Sales Manager) after a classy restaurant he frequented in New York City.
The package was very well received, and was expanded in 1966 to include a two-door hardtop and a station wagon. A V8 engine was installed in every Caprice. While features such as an automatic transmission, power steering, white sidewall tires, and vinyl top were extra-cost options, virtually every Caprice was sold with them. It is interesting to note, however, that a very few Caprices were ordered with the optional 4-speed manual transmission, few or no power accessories, and the big-block Mark IV V8. Also, customers frequently ordered luxury options such as air conditioning, power windows, power seats and stereo radios; several automotive history books noted that a fully-optioned Caprice rivaled the appearance, comfort and convenience of the Cadillac DeVille (which ironically was based off of the Chevrolet Caprice).
As the Caprice became the new top-line full-size Chevrolet, the Impala (formerly the top model, which also included a Super Sport version) was demoted to second-best, with the Bel Air and Biscayne handling the lower part of the lineup. In 1973, the Caprice was renamed the Caprice Classic and added a convertible that lasted only three model years before it was discontinued after the 1975 model year along with its full-size B-body ragtop counterparts including the Oldsmobile Delta 88, Buick LeSabre and Pontiac Grand Ville.
Starting in 1974, two-door Caprices featured a thick "B" pillar, thus the 1973 was the last true hardtop coupe for this model. The large rear quarter window was fixed (this design was shared with the Impala Custom Coupe) which was no doubt a further incentive for buyers to specify the optional air conditioning, and a concession to threats of Government-mandated rollover standards which never materialized (and caused the death of the American hardtop industry-wide). Interesting enough, the hardtop styling was retained for the four-door model until 1976.
Caprice (and all full-size models) experienced a sharp decline in sales after the 1973 Arab oil embargo made fuel economy a priority among new-car buyers. Starting with the 1975 models, the 350 cubic-inch V8 with two-barrel carburetor was made standard, replacing the previous 400 cubic-inch small block engine used since 1971, this no doubt a concession to fuel economy. In the spring of 1971, Turbo-Hydramatic became standard equipment on all Caprice models.
By 1976—the sixth and last year of a body style introduced in 1971—the Caprice weighed approximately 4800 pounds (2180 kg) and was about 19½ ft (5.9 m) long—longer even than many modern full-size pickup trucks.
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