My father bought my mother a brand new loaded 1973 Caprice Classic Sedan w/the 400/2 barrel. Had every option you could get in a 73. Gorgeous trouble-free car that was bullet-proof. Took my drivers license test with it around 1979-80. Mom is 94 yrs old now and still says it was her favorite car ever. Pure luxury for the time.
Marcia Marcia Marcia....every time I see a convertible Caprice from the 70s I think of The Brady Bunch episode where Marcia and Greg had a driving contest. I know the model year is different but the body is essentially the same.
That was a 1974, fun fact, but it was also used in several Mannix episodes the same year as The Brady Bunch. Mannix was Paramount studios - the old Desilu. Brady Bunch was Paramount. Mannix used it as a rental car when his was in the shop.
I have seen this 29-mile 1975 Chevrolet Caprice in person in Ellis Brooks’ dealership here in San Francisco it was Marie Brooks own car even after selling the franchise. The dealer plate was placed by drilling holes into the deck lid! I daily drove a ‘73 Buick Centurion for nearly two decades; love these big GM convertibles!
10:19 The symmetry is awful in this area. Cheap switchgear, exposed screws, and the mirror control close to the tuning knob, controls off-center. Poor overall design.
Really nice looking cars except the 75 grill is so plain. I think the 73 is the best of this body style. However the 72 is growing on me. The interiors weren't very good. Cheap components.
How funny I saw this car when it was in storage at Ellis Brooks on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco California. I believe the owner as Marie Brooks who owned the dealership. She had many special Chevrolets on the storage floor at her dealership. I just checked her name was Marie Brooks and she passed in 2020 at the age of 94.
For some reason Chevrolet equipped Caprice convertibles with all vinyl Impala interiors. They probably did this because regular Caprice's did not have an option for a vinyl interior. However instead of attempting to upgrade the Impala interior by adding carpeted panels to the doors or equipping the car with better arm rest, Chevrolet did nothing. Typical GM from the 70's.
I remember that in the owners manual of my 73 Malibu AM , AM/FM Monaural , AM/FM Stereo on top of the line only *they had to do extra dash speakers like a Caddy, or AM 8-Track. No Cassette in 73
Very nice to see these cars. The hard top version we had in our drivers ed class Glendale AZ, they were provided by the big dealership we all knew of "Lou Grubb Chevrolet". Lou Grubb was a cool guy and had the best TV & radio commercials. The big Chevrolet Caprice's and Impalas he provided for our Drivers Ed class was a big deal, getting to drive around Phoenix area in a nice new car like that was a treat. I once got to talk to him at the dealership, such a nice guy. He took me up to his office and explained all about car financing and how the whole car buying system worked. He then had me fill out an application which led to me getting hired at the Oldsmobile dealership down the street from my house. At age 16 in 1973 this was a good time.
The 2 bolt main 400 block is stronger with aftermarket 4 bolt splayed caps than the standard 4 bolt 400. Even stock, the 2 bolt block is stronger because the 4 bolt blocks had a tendency to crack. The 400 uses a larger diameter journal crank than other small blocks, and the 2 bolt caps are like big block 2 bolt caps with wider registers.
Love these cool rides!! My sister had a hardtop 74 Caprice Classic 2 door coupe in dirty gold/yellow with black/beige interior. I never got to drive the car as she totaled it before I got my license. Of course she was fine, because look at the size of this thing? Haha. Got to drive a few of these type cars in my job as an Airport parking lot attendant in the mid 1980's.
Crazy how expensive that radio upgrade was. Well over $1000 in today's money. Assuming you had to pay something to get any radio at all at the time, though.
Yes, and the fender skirts are in good taste. I can't STAND going to car shows and seeing '57 Chevys with those horrid fender skirts, ugly front/rea bumper guards, goofy fender mirrors, and the horrible continental kit. Just because they were legitimate options (unfortunately) didn't mean they looked good. It's hard to find/see any without that. It's really f'd looking.
Very cool. You didn't see too many of the big, convertible cars back then. There was a guy around the corner from us who owned a 1971 LTD convertible. It was a dark green color and had a manual transmission. We had a '71 Galaxie coupe. It was a very nice car. Our schools all had the full-sized cars for driver's ed and we learned to drive in those big Caprices. Learning in those and our Galaxie made taking the driver's test a breeze. Great cars.
In the late 70s we would play mileage games - who could get the most mpg. Strange, I know, because we all had a different car😆. The key to winning was to keep your eye on that vacuum gauge and feather the pedal to keep the vacuum as high as possible. So there is one use for the vacuum gauge.
Another great video! The purpose of those Fuel Economy lights and gauges was that they would aid the driver in obtaining the driving conditions in which the fuel economy ratings were measured. Of course, some people just love any bell or whistle. In a sense, it blamed your driving style as to why you weren't getting the posted MPG.
I have a 75 Grand Ville convertible, not as nice shape as this ultra low mileage Caprice. The truly unique thing about these ‘last’ convertibles is they all shared the scissor top, where side rails fold inwards and ‘scissor’ next to each other fully behind the rear seat, allowing for a full width seat. All the full size GM convertibles of this era shared the top, windshield/cowl, and glass, even the Eldo. Also, the chev and Pontiac convertibles were on the most expensive models, whereas the Buick and olds were on the lower end models. Great cars for ride and style
The 75 Granville I own has a top mechanism from a 75 Oldsmobile. The original was damaged when Jr stole the car when mom and dad were away and he was putting the top up driving the car into the garage. The front wheels came off the ground and the car went left and hit a bicycle down the drivers side.
I'm so sorry that happened to you. (The thumb up was to you, not to what happened). Not sure how old the boy was when he did this. Did you get the Grandville fixed? @@thejackofalltravels8267
The door panel you show at 6:43 is the same as the Impala. The convertibles (and Caprice wagons) had Impala seats & door panels standard. Sedans & Coupes had door panels with carpeted bottoms, pullstraps and woodgrain and fancier seats.
Actually it was sung by a sound-alike, but it was taken from the Dinah Shore show sponsored by Chevrolet... "See the USA: In your Chevrolet, America is asking you to call." I lived in Marin, and remember those commercials either on KSFO or KABL (96AM, 98FM... Ding-Ding!) 🙂
I had a baby blue 4dr hard top 1975 Caprice Classic. It was a boat for sure, but it was a beautiful boat. I bought the car in 1988 with a seized engine for $75. Replaced that with an engine I had and had a great car.
It's truly amazing to think that once we could buy convertibles of this size and that these were often used as family cars, maybe in addition to a station wagon of the same make.
My cousin Kathy has one of these, which was given to her by her Dad. Pristine low mileage and kept in a climate controlled barn. I've riden in it several times, both before she had it, and after.
I graduated from high school in 1975. The school had a loaner 74 Impala for a driver ed car. Parallel park that a few times on a snowy side street with some crazy looking gomer with a tape measure waiting to check the results.
So did I. Turned 18 5/26/75 the day after graduation. Interesting fun fact though on the '75 Caprice convertible here. One of my classmate friend's Dad was a co-manager of a Chevy dealership back then, and he wanted to put a full page ad for it in the back of our '75 yearbook! Scott mentioned his uncle had a '57 Bel-Air convertible since new. I was on the yearbook staff and came up with the idea of having that car and the new '75 convertible together on the showroom floor. Dad loved the idea of a publicity stunt and so did his brother. (Yaaay!) it was then just a matter of clearing out the showroom otherwise for the photo shoot of both cars. I wanted the 3 guys and girls on the staff in the picture too! Dad okayed it as long as our clothes and hairstyles were neat and clean. "You post-hippie, Watergate high school kids clean up nice!" he exclaimed at the time. We were positioned around both cars, and at the top it said "You don't have to be born in '57 to appreciate the '75. Both the last of their kind, and built to last!" (The 'one-off' ad was in black & white and turned out great.)
Ford delivered a much better package in the full size LTD & LTD Brougham vs Chevrolet Caprice & Brougham & Impala and in my opinion Ford executed the finest ergonomically corect instrument panel in the 69 & 70 LTD car line Thank You for what you do Adam
This car is a beauty! Back in the mid-1980s, I lived about 6 blocks from the Ellis Brooks Chevrolet dealership, which stayed in business until about 2015 or so. From this time period forward, Mrs. Brooks drove a dark blue or dark maroon loaded Caprice Classic Brougham/LS, parked in a special place in the alley that ran down one side of the dealership. The photos of this car were taken in Golden Gate Park. What a shame a Caprice, Chevrolet's fanciest car, had those tacky (now brittle) plastic lower door panels without carpet.
I agree Steve, BUT... I've seen conversion photos of what a '77 Caprice convertible would have looked like, if produced. Can't say for sure, but am willing to risk saying you might like it even better. It's sleeker with a more 'taut' look that's sportier and sexier.
Great survivor! Wow. It's so much fun to step back in time on posts like this. Thank you. Our next door neighbor growing up was a salesman at Bumstead Chevrolet in Troy, NY. I was a car nut kid, and most every night, he would bring home a different car. It was like having a private revolving showroom in our front yard. 😅 I remember the time he brought home a '73 Impala convertible. It was as green as I was with envy. 😉 You do such a great job of narrating for these cars! 👍🏼🙏
Me too, actually. I guess a little sleight-of-hand with (say) a matching nail polish bottle and brush would cover that, so the eye wouldn't notice it. I'm good with stuff like that.
And the lack of a pull handle! Surprising to see on a "well optioned" one with power locks, seat and windows -but no pull handle! Really shows malaise era GM had no shame in de-contenting even loaded cars people paid a lot of money for. Makes me wonder too: so what did people use/abuse to pull this heavy door closed? My guess is either that goofy little arm rest Adam pointed out or -even worse: that frameless window glass! I've seen people doing this on cars from that era in those days -was like nails on a chalk board🙂
I agree Jeff. I just suggested to Adam he do a video on the '75 Pontiac Grandville, Delta 88 and Le Sabre as a comparison feature to this feature. @@jeffstonecipher1594
While 350s were somewhat known for this issue throughout their long and illustrious life, those 400 small block Chevys LOVED to go through exhaust manifolds. My dad owned several 400s in the 70s and thought the 350 was the pepper and better engine for the most part, and all the 400s he owned had issues with going through exhaust manifolds, even replacement ones would develop a hole in them in short order. He used to joke you could tell a 350 Chevy from a 400 if you could hear the pff-pff-pff from the failing exhaust manifolds 😂. Regardless that '75 is a beautiful and probably somewhat rare car in todays world, and has to be one of the last in that kind of mint showroom condition. Great video as always Adam.
That's really strange because the 350 & 400 used the same exact exhaust manifolds. They used the same cylinder heads (usually 882's) as well, other than on a 400 they had 6 extra little holes machined in them to allow trapped steam to escape the siameezed cylinders on the 400.
I love these early to mid 70s Chevys. I grew up in a GM family, and I had an uncle with a two door, one with a four door, and my dad had a big wagon with the clamshell tailgate. Great cars. Didn't age particularly well, but no car from this era with the exception of maybe Caddys or Lincolns did anyway. I would love to have one in good condition as a driver. Great cars.
Dad was a car dealer and Mom had this car for a driver for about 5 years. She put it in her name and put her own plates on it so Dad wouldn't sell it. I used to drive it all the time when I was 16 before I had my own car. Lot's of memories cruising in this most excellent drop top. GM ruled back then.
We all have those 'great love of our lives' cars, especially from our younger days. My first car in 1978 when I was 16 was a 1972 Impala Custom 2-door coupe with the small block 400 engine. That thing had power! My dad was even hesitant to let me buy it because of that engine! My next car was a 1975 Caprice Classic 2-door coupe with the 350 when I graduated high school. Medium Orange Metallic with black vinyl top and black velour seats, rear fender skirts. Loved that car! This car reminds me of my beloved Caprice. I cruised so much in that car! Ran Appliance 80-Spoke wire wheels on it and had a killer Pioneer stereo . . .ahhhh, those were the days!
A relative had a 76 Caprice coupe, triple black It had an instrument cluster with all gages including tachometer as I remember however was long ago. What stood out on that car was for a car that appeared to have every option it lacked power windows. It was a beautiful car that was a pleasure to drive.
I had a 72 Chev Impala. To your comment on the springy ride I had go to heavy duty coil over shocks as the car would bottom out and tear off the exhaust at the X over pipes. 350 2bbl carb. 20 mpg and still made good power. Also white interior I was always trying out new cleaning products. Still a better interior than most vehicles have today.
My best friend owned this exact car when I was in HS (‘76-80). Same color and options. She went on to be a NYC model with the Ford Agency. We fit 8 of us in there! I was always sure someone would fly out the way we packed in that beast.
Had a 70 Impala, one owner, 26k and cleaner than a button. That car model was the one I wanted, as well as the 78 firebird bandit clone... cool days 😎✔️
Pontiac, full size you could gather the gauges. Volts, Oil Pressure, Temp. I had a 76 Pontiac Grand Le Man's. Grand Prix dashboard. Rally gauges, buckets. AM FM 8 factory 8 track. Tilt column. A beautiful car. Too bad GM sent Pontiac down the drain. They almost went out in 55. Gave Bunkie, 5 years to turn it around. Went from 8th in 55 till 3 place in 61. Wide Track saved them. Thanks Bunkie.
GM's bead-type cats (with replaceable media) was extremely restrictive. Ford and Chrysler used honeycomb matrix cats which were a little less restrictive. I know on my 78 Olds when I pulled the plug on the cat and vacuumed out all the beads, there was a very noticeable increase in engine pep.
A guy I work with back in 1979 had a caprice ragtop 400 4 bbl white top,interior and exterior. We carpooled and when drove it was cruising time. It would bury the 120mph speedo lol
I think that big rig came out of the old St Louis plant, if I'm not mistaken. I love reading up on the history of some of these old closed plants. Missouri has been lucky enough to have a long history of assembling some of the best cars & trucks made.
Beautiful example of a Caprice convertible. The mileage is insanely low; they never drove it! My father had a 1975 Caprice, but it was the less-sexy 4 door sedan, but with a 400 and Quadrajet 4 barrel carb. It was silver with the same shade of blue interior found in this car, but all blue, not a 2 tone like the convertible here. I remember it was a very reliable and solid car, but GM going cheap in the interior really showed as that car got older. He was pretty sad when a crazy lady blew a light in one of those original 2 door Toyota 4Runners and slammed into it so hard the driver's side A pillar was bent.
Mike Brady drove a 74 Caprice Classic Convertible Marcia got to take her driving test in the Caprice and imagine the Examiner in his underwear then Greg & Marcia had a driving competition & Marcia WON !!
That car has an extremely rare AM/8-Track stereo radio. Only available for a couple of years, since many people opted for the AM/FM 8 Track radio instead.
What an incredible find, lowest millage on a a car nearly 50 years old. 1975 Chevrolet and other GM divisions released some non metallic shades and the Chev Caprice convertible in Blue or Green with white interior looked most impressive. I thin there was a light gray too.
Bravo! You always do a great job with these reviews. We specialize in low mile classics from the 70's, but these Caprices are so hard to find in nice shape! I just can't seem to find one. If you come across one that is super nice, I would love to buy it for inventory. Thanks again for doing a great job
Thanks so much for presenting this car, Adam. My grandfather had a '75 Caprice 4 door (not a convertible) that was red with a white top. It was surely much more basically equipped as a family car for a working man with a family of 7 kids. Grandpap sold the Caprice at some point and owned a Buick LeSabre when he passed away in 1982. My one uncle was a local mechanic and found the car a few years later. He bought it and fixed it up to resell it, but I remember I got to see it 1 time at my grandma's house when I was a little kid in probably 1984 or '85 before it was sold again. It was such a handsome car and in very good condition at that time. I hope it survives today and brings enjoyment to a fellow admirer of these old cars.
Nice looking Caprice! Unfortunately, the interior is a bit of a letdown. If I were buying a GM convertible back then I would have checked out Pontiac, Olds, and Buick.
that's not true in cities some police forces used the Impala/Caprice as cop cars along with the Ford Crown Victoria and not just the sedans but the wagons were used for detainee transport to court/hospital my dad has been a police officer for over 35 years in Boston and for part of that time drove a used 1984 Caprice Classic sedan with the 350 V8 with twin 2 barrel Rod Chester Carbs under hood averaged 17.5 MPG combined granted a Caprice Classic had a 24 gallon tank while for example a Toyota Cressida had an 18.5 gallon tank
When we were first married and lived in Ft. Myers Florida, a co-worker had one of these. It was great driving down McGregor blvd. lined with palm trees in the moonlight … I thought it was much nicer, particularly the back seat than the Cadillac Eldorado another friend had.
When I see the instrument panel I can hear John Davis at Motorweek screaming. The "milage warning" gauge was there to blame you, not GM, for the car's atrocious milage. It warned you not to use your right foot.
A friend of mine had.the1973 2 door. Caprice. In the late 80s my friend needed a car and his father gave him his 73. He hadn't drove it in 3 years. We changed the plugs. Put an ounce of marvel mystery oil in each cylinder and she fired right up. No matter what we tried to do the starter connections kept fowling with oxidation. Even with a new starter. We wraped it with heat shield mat. We tried different starters. 3 o'clock in the morning and trying to get home from Waffle House and we would be be pulling off the starter cleaning the connections and reinstalling. Sometimes in the rain😢
Thanks for showing all the variants from 1971 to 1975. That was interesting to see. My father had a 75 hardtop. It was a great car, smooth to drive and ran like a dream. I sure do miss that car. I’d love to own another one, especially a convertible. I looked at buying one in the early 80s, and I regret to this day that I didn’t buy it. I’ve had my eye on and off for one during the past 10 years, but didn’t ever pull the trigger because I’m not sure I have a good place to keep it. It probably would take a bigger garage to store it than I have at my house. Great video. Thanks for sharing.
I hope that someone has been firing this thing up every few months for the past 50 years. This post showed me another false memory I had. I would have bet money that I had seen Caprice convertibles with the rectangular lights... possibly on The Brady Bunch. Oh, and when you flashed the 1971 it remind me of the 1st-generation Monte Carlo front end.
That would be low rides dream car or a Donk car. In Finland big American cars have a cult following. Some owners would buy plane Chevy or similar four door and convert it into convertible or two door hardtop by ordering a body shell from US wreckers. They wouldn’t care about gas mileage or cost of fuel per liter.
Gorgeous car. I had a 1971 Impala Convertible, and that was also a terrific car. It started life as a 350 2bbl, but I later installed a 400 4bbl and AC. It was a blast to drive and reliable as an anvil. Wish I still had her.
Thank you Adam. I liked the 1974-1976 Caprice styling especially went it got square headlights in 1976. . The sedan with the skirted rear wheels looked grand. You can see the cost cutting on the doors. If the doors look like this on Caprice I can only imagine the Impala doors. I thought that was interesting the other GM brands upgraded/redesigned the interiors for 1974 and Chevrolet did not. Oldsmobile offered a fuel economy gauge too. I think the 1991-1992 Caprice tried to recapture the look of the 1974-1976 Caprice. It was like a modern interpretation of this look I think. They used to really try to make then cars look different among the GM brands. The other thing I did not understand back then is why the power window switches were so low on the doors. It was not just Chevrolet. There some some good looking GM cars during the 1974-1976 time frame. Thank you Adam.
Your videos always educate. I enjoy viewing every one of them. Thank you. I owned a ' 74 Chevy 😊Caprice hardtop when I was 18. Bought it used. Drove it 3 years. Was a pleasure. Mine had the biggest engine, I had a dual exhaust installed. A big, fast car. Loved it.
Not sure why Chevy decided to put Impala interiors in the Caprice convertible and Kingswood wagons. Felt like we were short changed though I was a child at the time😂
Interesting car and quite handsome exterior. The interior really lets it down thought. Hard to believe the so called luxury model had such basic trim. Also was there any sort of cover for the top when retracted? It looks very unfinished as shown.
Our family had a '75 Caprice two door but with a hardtop. Same light blue paint. Purchased at Gannon Motors in Westboro MA. Grandfather had a '76 with the square headlights.
This car is stunning and bullet proof. We drove cars like this in high school and the air cleaner lid was ALWAYS installed upside down. Sounded great full throttle. They would not die.
My dad bought I believe it was a 74 sedan version for a trip from Nebraska to Arizona in the spring of 1989. Unfortunately it broke down on us in New Mexico, trans cooler I believe. But it was quite comfortable and always enjoyed borrowing it to drive in high school. Really plowed through snow drifts like a boss!
@9:30 You're giving drivers more wisdom than they really have. The number of times I've explained vacuum and RPM and it's relationship to people, it's just mind melting. They all complain about the cars fault for the "bad" efficiency, not their driving.
My father bought my mother a brand new loaded 1973 Caprice Classic Sedan w/the 400/2 barrel. Had every option you could get in a 73. Gorgeous trouble-free car that was bullet-proof. Took my drivers license test with it around 1979-80. Mom is 94 yrs old now and still says it was her favorite car ever. Pure luxury for the time.
Marcia Marcia Marcia....every time I see a convertible Caprice from the 70s I think of The Brady Bunch episode where Marcia and Greg had a driving contest. I know the model year is different but the body is essentially the same.
😂
That was a cool episode!
@@heartlandfarmer2720It was one of my favorites next to the time Greg bought a 56 Chevy convertible and "restored" it....😎
That was a 1974, fun fact, but it was also used in several Mannix episodes the same year as The Brady Bunch. Mannix was Paramount studios - the old Desilu. Brady Bunch was Paramount. Mannix used it as a rental car when his was in the shop.
@@groovy1937 Wow!
I caught some air in one of those when I was 16. Right over a culvert. Mom was not amused.
I have seen this 29-mile 1975 Chevrolet Caprice in person in Ellis Brooks’ dealership here in San Francisco it was Marie Brooks own car even after selling the franchise. The dealer plate was placed by drilling holes into the deck lid!
I daily drove a ‘73 Buick Centurion for nearly two decades; love these big GM convertibles!
10:19 The symmetry is awful in this area. Cheap switchgear, exposed screws, and the mirror control close to the tuning knob, controls off-center. Poor overall design.
Really nice looking cars except the 75 grill is so plain. I think the 73 is the best of this body style. However the 72 is growing on me. The interiors weren't very good. Cheap components.
How funny I saw this car when it was in storage at Ellis Brooks on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco California. I believe the owner as Marie Brooks who owned the dealership. She had many special Chevrolets on the storage floor at her dealership. I just checked her name was Marie Brooks and she passed in 2020 at the age of 94.
The Ellis Brooks jingle still is in my head :-D
R I P Marie Brooks. Your Caprice could not be in better hands.
@@chrisjeffries2322he don’t own this car
"See Ellis Brooks Today for your Chevrolet at the corner of Bush and Van Ness". sung by Dinah Shore@@chrisjeffries2322
Yes! The entire dealership was indoors! Sure miss her and that fine motorcar empire - part of San Francisco’s “auto row”
For some reason Chevrolet equipped Caprice convertibles with all vinyl Impala interiors. They probably did this because regular Caprice's did not have an option for a vinyl interior. However instead of attempting to upgrade the Impala interior by adding carpeted panels to the doors or equipping the car with better arm rest, Chevrolet did nothing. Typical GM from the 70's.
I wouldn't mind seeing the USA in one of these.
Did you notice that it has an AM 8 track radio?
I remember that in the owners manual of my 73 Malibu AM , AM/FM Monaural , AM/FM Stereo on top of the line only *they had to do extra dash speakers like a Caddy, or AM 8-Track. No Cassette in 73
Very nice to see these cars. The hard top version we had in our drivers ed class Glendale AZ, they were provided by the big dealership we all knew of "Lou Grubb Chevrolet".
Lou Grubb was a cool guy and had the best TV & radio commercials. The big Chevrolet Caprice's and Impalas he provided for our Drivers Ed class was a big deal, getting to drive around Phoenix area in a nice new car like that was a treat.
I once got to talk to him at the dealership, such a nice guy. He took me up to his office and explained all about car financing and how the whole car buying system worked. He then had me fill out an application which led to me getting hired at the Oldsmobile dealership down the street from my house. At age 16 in 1973 this was a good time.
Must have been fun learning to drive in a land yacht. 🙂
The 2 bolt main 400 block is stronger with aftermarket 4 bolt splayed caps than the standard 4 bolt 400. Even stock, the 2 bolt block is stronger because the 4 bolt blocks had a tendency to crack. The 400 uses a larger diameter journal crank than other small blocks, and the 2 bolt caps are like big block 2 bolt caps with wider registers.
I get good money for those 2 bolt #509 blocks from thr race car guys
Love these cool rides!! My sister had a hardtop 74 Caprice Classic 2 door coupe in dirty gold/yellow with black/beige interior. I never got to drive the car as she totaled it before I got my license. Of course she was fine, because look at the size of this thing? Haha. Got to drive a few of these type cars in my job as an Airport parking lot attendant in the mid 1980's.
Crazy how expensive that radio upgrade was. Well over $1000 in today's money. Assuming you had to pay something to get any radio at all at the time, though.
These are handsome 1970s malaise-era cars. The long rear deck paired with the thin fender skirts is a really nice design.
Yes, and the fender skirts are in good taste. I can't STAND going to car shows and seeing '57 Chevys with those horrid fender skirts, ugly front/rea bumper guards, goofy fender mirrors, and the horrible continental kit. Just because they were legitimate options (unfortunately) didn't mean they looked good. It's hard to find/see any without that. It's really f'd looking.
Very cool. You didn't see too many of the big, convertible cars back then. There was a guy around the corner from us who owned a 1971 LTD convertible. It was a dark green color and had a manual transmission. We had a '71 Galaxie coupe. It was a very nice car. Our schools all had the full-sized cars for driver's ed and we learned to drive in those big Caprices. Learning in those and our Galaxie made taking the driver's test a breeze. Great cars.
I believe that the owners manual for my 82 Malibu Classic refers to the crotch cooler as a lap cooler!
In the late 70s we would play mileage games - who could get the most mpg. Strange, I know, because we all had a different car😆. The key to winning was to keep your eye on that vacuum gauge and feather the pedal to keep the vacuum as high as possible. So there is one use for the vacuum gauge.
Learned this also myself when gasoline went across $5 in college. Caprice Classic 18mpg 5.7L to manual Mazda 33mpg 2.0L
Wow, such a beautiful car is the '75 Caprice Convertible, Adam😊👏
Another great video! The purpose of those Fuel Economy lights and gauges was that they would aid the driver in obtaining the driving conditions in which the fuel economy ratings were measured. Of course, some people just love any bell or whistle. In a sense, it blamed your driving style as to why you weren't getting the posted MPG.
I have a 75 Grand Ville convertible, not as nice shape as this ultra low mileage Caprice. The truly unique thing about these ‘last’ convertibles is they all shared the scissor top, where side rails fold inwards and ‘scissor’ next to each other fully behind the rear seat, allowing for a full width seat. All the full size GM convertibles of this era shared the top, windshield/cowl, and glass, even the Eldo. Also, the chev and Pontiac convertibles were on the most expensive models, whereas the Buick and olds were on the lower end models. Great cars for ride and style
The 75 Granville I own has a top mechanism from a 75 Oldsmobile. The original was damaged when Jr stole the car when mom and dad were away and he was putting the top up driving the car into the garage. The front wheels came off the ground and the car went left and hit a bicycle down the drivers side.
I'm so sorry that happened to you. (The thumb up was to you, not to what happened). Not sure how old the boy was when he did this. Did you get the Grandville fixed? @@thejackofalltravels8267
Garaged storage is key to preserving any vehicle 🚗. Nice to see good examples of convertibles that have not had major restoration
Couldn't agree more. Twenty years later, my Crown Victoria still looks good, always garaged since day one.
Beautiful parade car
The door panel you show at 6:43 is the same as the Impala. The convertibles (and Caprice wagons) had Impala seats & door panels standard.
Sedans & Coupes had door panels with carpeted bottoms, pullstraps and woodgrain and fancier seats.
See Ellis Brooks today for your Chevrolet, corner of Bush and Van Ness. That ad tune was on every radio and television station of the day!
Sung by Dinah Shore!
Actually it was sung by a sound-alike, but it was taken from the Dinah Shore show sponsored by Chevrolet...
"See the USA:
In your Chevrolet,
America is asking you to call."
I lived in Marin, and remember those commercials either on KSFO or KABL (96AM, 98FM... Ding-Ding!) 🙂
Poor man's Cadillac!! I would love to find one of those!!! Once again, outstanding content Adam!!!!!!!!!!
I loved my 73 caprice convertible. It was a beautiful vehicle
That is a great looking spec. I even like those wheel skirts.
Adam, Your Caprice proves Chevrolet broke the mold after 1970.
I had a baby blue 4dr hard top 1975 Caprice Classic. It was a boat for sure, but it was a beautiful boat. I bought the car in 1988 with a seized engine for $75. Replaced that with an engine I had and had a great car.
Of course the Caprice Classic convertible is Mike Brady approved!!! 🤔
Marcia Marcia Marcia....
It's truly amazing to think that once we could buy convertibles of this size and that these were often used as family cars, maybe in addition to a station wagon of the same make.
My cousin Kathy has one of these, which was given to her by her Dad. Pristine low mileage and kept in a climate controlled barn. I've riden in it several times, both before she had it, and after.
I graduated from high school in 1975. The school had a loaner 74 Impala for a driver ed car. Parallel park that a few times on a snowy side street with some crazy looking gomer with a tape measure waiting to check the results.
Same here!
So did I. Turned 18 5/26/75 the day after graduation. Interesting fun fact though on the '75 Caprice convertible here. One of my classmate friend's Dad was a co-manager of a Chevy dealership back then, and he wanted to put a full page ad for it in the back of our '75 yearbook! Scott mentioned his uncle had a '57 Bel-Air convertible since new. I was on the yearbook staff and came up with the idea of having that car and the new '75 convertible together on the showroom floor. Dad loved the idea of a publicity stunt and so did his brother. (Yaaay!) it was then just a matter of clearing out the showroom otherwise for the photo shoot of both cars. I wanted the 3 guys and girls on the staff in the picture too! Dad okayed it as long as our clothes and hairstyles were neat and clean. "You post-hippie, Watergate high school kids clean up nice!" he exclaimed at the time. We were positioned around both cars, and at the top it said "You don't have to be born in '57 to appreciate the '75. Both the last of their kind, and built to last!" (The 'one-off' ad was in black & white and turned out great.)
@@bobpierce115Cool story, you "post-hippie" school kid. 😂
Our Driver's ED cars from the Dealership were 75 Green Impala Sedan and a 76 Caprice Estate Wagon. You could drive a semi, after learning on them.
Ford delivered a much better package in the full size LTD & LTD Brougham vs Chevrolet Caprice & Brougham & Impala and in my opinion Ford executed the finest ergonomically corect instrument panel in the 69 & 70 LTD car line Thank You for what you do Adam
This car is a beauty! Back in the mid-1980s, I lived about 6 blocks from the Ellis Brooks Chevrolet dealership, which stayed in business until about 2015 or so. From this time period forward, Mrs. Brooks drove a dark blue or dark maroon loaded Caprice Classic Brougham/LS, parked in a special place in the alley that ran down one side of the dealership. The photos of this car were taken in Golden Gate Park. What a shame a Caprice, Chevrolet's fanciest car, had those tacky (now brittle) plastic lower door panels without carpet.
I always loved the styling of the '75 & '76 Caprices. Always wanted one but never did. Great video!
I agree Steve, BUT... I've seen conversion photos of what a '77 Caprice convertible would have looked like, if produced. Can't say for sure, but am willing to risk saying you might like it even better. It's sleeker with a more 'taut' look that's sportier and sexier.
Maybe so. I also liked the look of the back glass of the 77 coupe too. I had an 81 coupe which I loved and drove it into the ground@@bobpierce115
Great survivor! Wow. It's so much fun to step back in time on posts like this. Thank you. Our next door neighbor growing up was a salesman at Bumstead Chevrolet in Troy, NY. I was a car nut kid, and most every night, he would bring home a different car. It was like having a private revolving showroom in our front yard. 😅 I remember the time he brought home a '73 Impala convertible. It was as green as I was with envy. 😉 You do such a great job of narrating for these cars! 👍🏼🙏
These convertibles had a unique way of folding
Like an X pivot in the center
Interesting design
I’m horrified by those exposed screws!
LoLs!
Me too, actually. I guess a little sleight-of-hand with (say) a matching nail polish bottle and brush would cover that, so the eye wouldn't notice it. I'm good with stuff like that.
And the lack of a pull handle! Surprising to see on a "well optioned" one with power locks, seat and windows -but no pull handle! Really shows malaise era GM had no shame in de-contenting even loaded cars people paid a lot of money for.
Makes me wonder too: so what did people use/abuse to pull this heavy door closed? My guess is either that goofy little arm rest Adam pointed out or -even worse: that frameless window glass! I've seen people doing this on cars from that era in those days -was like nails on a chalk board🙂
I agree Jeff. I just suggested to Adam he do a video on the '75 Pontiac Grandville, Delta 88 and Le Sabre as a comparison feature to this feature. @@jeffstonecipher1594
You have been busy putting out lots of contact lately. Thank you. We have the same taste in vehicles. I love your collection.
I borrowed a 76 Impala for the day while my truck was in the shop. Biggest car I ever drove, since I owned my 70 Thunderbird.
I too owned a '70 Thunderbird. White over chocolate, Keystone Classic mags, Wide Oval tires. How I miss that car. Nice ride for a 16 year old...
While 350s were somewhat known for this issue throughout their long and illustrious life, those 400 small block Chevys LOVED to go through exhaust manifolds. My dad owned several 400s in the 70s and thought the 350 was the pepper and better engine for the most part, and all the 400s he owned had issues with going through exhaust manifolds, even replacement ones would develop a hole in them in short order. He used to joke you could tell a 350 Chevy from a 400 if you could hear the pff-pff-pff from the failing exhaust manifolds 😂. Regardless that '75 is a beautiful and probably somewhat rare car in todays world, and has to be one of the last in that kind of mint showroom condition. Great video as always Adam.
That's really strange because the 350 & 400 used the same exact exhaust manifolds. They used the same cylinder heads (usually 882's) as well, other than on a 400 they had 6 extra little holes machined in them to allow trapped steam to escape the siameezed cylinders on the 400.
I love these early to mid 70s Chevys. I grew up in a GM family, and I had an uncle with a two door, one with a four door, and my dad had a big wagon with the clamshell tailgate. Great cars. Didn't age particularly well, but no car from this era with the exception of maybe Caddys or Lincolns did anyway. I would love to have one in good condition as a driver. Great cars.
Dad was a car dealer and Mom had this car for a driver for about 5 years. She put it in her name and put her own plates on it so Dad wouldn't sell it. I used to drive it all the time when I was 16 before I had my own car. Lot's of memories cruising in this most excellent drop top. GM ruled back then.
Adam, the quality, quantity, and variety of content in your videos is very impressive. Your channel is my main must watch channel!
We all have those 'great love of our lives' cars, especially from our younger days. My first car in 1978 when I was 16 was a 1972 Impala Custom 2-door coupe with the small block 400 engine. That thing had power! My dad was even hesitant to let me buy it because of that engine! My next car was a 1975 Caprice Classic 2-door coupe with the 350 when I graduated high school. Medium Orange Metallic with black vinyl top and black velour seats, rear fender skirts. Loved that car! This car reminds me of my beloved Caprice. I cruised so much in that car! Ran Appliance 80-Spoke wire wheels on it and had a killer Pioneer stereo . . .ahhhh, those were the days!
my 1971 impala convertible has a defog option :)
A relative had a 76
Caprice coupe, triple black
It had an instrument cluster with all gages including tachometer as I remember however was long ago. What stood out on that car was for a car that appeared to have every option it lacked power windows. It was a beautiful car that was a pleasure to drive.
This is such a great looking car, and i remember them well. The blue color is quite good too !
I had a 72 Chev Impala. To your comment on the springy ride I had go to heavy duty coil over shocks as the car would bottom out and tear off the exhaust at the X over pipes. 350 2bbl carb. 20 mpg and still made good power. Also white interior I was always trying out new cleaning products. Still a better interior than most vehicles have today.
My best friend owned this exact car when I was in HS (‘76-80). Same color and options. She went on to be a NYC model with the Ford Agency. We fit 8 of us in there! I was always sure someone would fly out the way we packed in that beast.
Rip GM of 1960 - 2005. It was fun.
Amen brother.
1980s last good cars.
What kills me is Chrystler/Stellinis or whatever mopped the floor with them...Ford too....GM is (unfortunately "TOAST"..........
@@madmike2624 GM just quit making exciting cars. I bought a 2018 Hellcat and that was more fun than any GM car I owned.
@@corgiowner436too bad Chrysler doesn't make many cars after they make a lot of well renowned exciting cars in the 1990s. And perhaps 2000s?
Had a 70 Impala, one owner, 26k and cleaner than a button. That car model was the one I wanted, as well as the 78 firebird bandit clone... cool days 😎✔️
I adore these big, beautiful sleds! 😁
Absolutely sweet car!
I had never seen a temperature gauge on any of the 71-76 B-Bodies, and did not know one was available. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing!
my 75 Grand Ville came with the optional gauge package so has full gauges plus a vacuum gauge - 'economy meter'
Pontiac, full size you could gather the gauges. Volts, Oil Pressure, Temp. I had a 76 Pontiac Grand Le Man's. Grand Prix dashboard. Rally gauges, buckets. AM FM 8 factory 8 track. Tilt column. A beautiful car. Too bad GM sent Pontiac down the drain. They almost went out in 55. Gave Bunkie, 5 years to turn it around. Went from 8th in 55 till 3 place in 61. Wide Track saved them. Thanks Bunkie.
Last year I acquired a 73 buick centurion 455 convertable I love the car it's a tru cruiser
OMG, just 29 miles.
GM's bead-type cats (with replaceable media) was extremely restrictive. Ford and Chrysler used honeycomb matrix cats which were a little less restrictive. I know on my 78 Olds when I pulled the plug on the cat and vacuumed out all the beads, there was a very noticeable increase in engine pep.
Too bad money guys took over , did the company no favors.
A guy I work with back in 1979 had a caprice ragtop 400 4 bbl white top,interior and exterior. We carpooled and when drove it was cruising time. It would bury the 120mph speedo lol
I noticed this car also has a special order paint option, this color seems more like a color I've seen on 1976 models,
My car is also a special order color, had to wait seven months but oh so well worth the wait!
I think that big rig came out of the old St Louis plant, if I'm not mistaken. I love reading up on the history of some of these old closed plants. Missouri has been lucky enough to have a long history of assembling some of the best cars & trucks made.
Yes, it states that at the top of the window sticker.
Beautiful example of a Caprice convertible. The mileage is insanely low; they never drove it! My father had a 1975 Caprice, but it was the less-sexy 4 door sedan, but with a 400 and Quadrajet 4 barrel carb. It was silver with the same shade of blue interior found in this car, but all blue, not a 2 tone like the convertible here. I remember it was a very reliable and solid car, but GM going cheap in the interior really showed as that car got older. He was pretty sad when a crazy lady blew a light in one of those original 2 door Toyota 4Runners and slammed into it so hard the driver's side A pillar was bent.
Terrific looking car. You should get one Adam.
Mike Brady drove a 74 Caprice Classic Convertible Marcia got to take her driving test in the Caprice and imagine the Examiner in his underwear then Greg & Marcia had a driving competition & Marcia WON !!
This is a very special Caprice! Long may it run!
That car has an extremely rare AM/8-Track stereo radio. Only available for a couple of years, since many people opted for the AM/FM 8 Track radio instead.
They paid $215 for it as an option. Not cheap.
What an incredible find, lowest millage on a a car nearly 50 years old. 1975 Chevrolet and other GM divisions released some non metallic shades and the Chev Caprice convertible in Blue or Green with white interior looked most impressive. I thin there was a light gray too.
I just checked the brochure there was also dark red.
Bravo! You always do a great job with these reviews. We specialize in low mile classics from the 70's, but these Caprices are so hard to find in nice shape! I just can't seem to find one. If you come across one that is super nice, I would love to buy it for inventory. Thanks again for doing a great job
Thanks so much for presenting this car, Adam. My grandfather had a '75 Caprice 4 door (not a convertible) that was red with a white top. It was surely much more basically equipped as a family car for a working man with a family of 7 kids. Grandpap sold the Caprice at some point and owned a Buick LeSabre when he passed away in 1982. My one uncle was a local mechanic and found the car a few years later. He bought it and fixed it up to resell it, but I remember I got to see it 1 time at my grandma's house when I was a little kid in probably 1984 or '85 before it was sold again. It was such a handsome car and in very good condition at that time. I hope it survives today and brings enjoyment to a fellow admirer of these old cars.
29. Original miles. That’s pretty much 0 miles. Oh yeah yeah I love that fuel economy cage. That’s a very arbitrary.😂😂😂😂😂
I just finished watching the BJ Auction at Scottsdale a few weeks ago where a similar Caprice convertible with 12,000 miles sold for $52,000.
Nice looking Caprice! Unfortunately, the interior is a bit of a letdown. If I were buying a GM convertible back then I would have checked out Pontiac, Olds, and Buick.
that's not true in cities some police forces used the Impala/Caprice as cop cars along with the Ford Crown Victoria and not just the sedans but the wagons were used for detainee transport to court/hospital my dad has been a police officer for over 35 years in Boston and for part of that time drove a used 1984 Caprice Classic sedan with the 350 V8 with twin 2 barrel Rod Chester Carbs under hood averaged 17.5 MPG combined granted a Caprice Classic had a 24 gallon tank while for example a Toyota Cressida had an 18.5 gallon tank
When we were first married and lived in Ft. Myers Florida, a co-worker had one of these. It was great driving down McGregor blvd. lined with palm trees in the moonlight …
I thought it was much nicer, particularly the back seat than the Cadillac Eldorado another friend had.
When I see the instrument panel I can hear John Davis at Motorweek screaming.
The "milage warning" gauge was there to blame you, not GM, for the car's atrocious milage. It warned you not to use your right foot.
A friend of mine had.the1973 2 door. Caprice. In the late 80s my friend needed a car and his father gave him his 73. He hadn't drove it in 3 years. We changed the plugs. Put an ounce of marvel mystery oil in each cylinder and she fired right up. No matter what we tried to do the starter connections kept fowling with oxidation. Even with a new starter. We wraped it with heat shield mat. We tried different starters. 3 o'clock in the morning and trying to get home from Waffle House and we would be be pulling off the starter cleaning the connections and reinstalling. Sometimes in the rain😢
Thanks for showing all the variants from 1971 to 1975. That was interesting to see. My father had a 75 hardtop. It was a great car, smooth to drive and ran like a dream. I sure do miss that car. I’d love to own another one, especially a convertible. I looked at buying one in the early 80s, and I regret to this day that I didn’t buy it. I’ve had my eye on and off for one during the past 10 years, but didn’t ever pull the trigger because I’m not sure I have a good place to keep it. It probably would take a bigger garage to store it than I have at my house. Great video. Thanks for sharing.
I hope that someone has been firing this thing up every few months for the past 50 years. This post showed me another false memory I had. I would have bet money that I had seen Caprice convertibles with the rectangular lights... possibly on The Brady Bunch. Oh, and when you flashed the 1971 it remind me of the 1st-generation Monte Carlo front end.
That would be low rides dream car or a Donk car. In Finland big American cars have a cult following. Some owners would buy plane Chevy or similar four door and convert it into convertible or two door hardtop by ordering a body shell from US wreckers. They wouldn’t care about gas mileage or cost of fuel per liter.
I own a 75 Pontiac Granville Convertible it has the 76 styling with square headlight’s had a 2dr 76 hardtop version too great ride
Gorgeous car. I had a 1971 Impala Convertible, and that was also a terrific car. It started life as a 350 2bbl, but I later installed a 400 4bbl and AC. It was a blast to drive and reliable as an anvil. Wish I still had her.
Thank you Adam. I liked the 1974-1976 Caprice styling especially went it got square headlights in 1976. . The sedan with the skirted rear wheels looked grand. You can see the cost cutting on the doors. If the doors look like this on Caprice I can only imagine the Impala doors. I thought that was interesting the other GM brands upgraded/redesigned the interiors for 1974 and Chevrolet did not. Oldsmobile offered a fuel economy gauge too. I think the 1991-1992 Caprice tried to recapture the look of the 1974-1976 Caprice. It was like a modern interpretation of this look I think. They used to really try to make then cars look different among the GM brands. The other thing I did not understand back then is why the power window switches were so low on the doors. It was not just Chevrolet. There some some good looking GM cars during the 1974-1976 time frame. Thank you Adam.
Absolutely beautiful car, if you offered me this or the El Dorado I would take this hands down
Your videos always educate. I enjoy viewing every one of them. Thank you. I owned a ' 74 Chevy 😊Caprice hardtop when I was 18. Bought it used. Drove it 3 years. Was a pleasure. Mine had the biggest engine, I had a dual exhaust installed. A big, fast car. Loved it.
My 78 cadillac coupe has those economy indicator lights in the dash. Green light for light acceleration and amber (yellow) for heavy acceleration.
Back in 79 my late father biu8a 76 impala. The first car I ever drove. Was 14 years old, and still have a place in my heart and mind for that car.
Not sure why Chevy decided to put Impala interiors in the Caprice convertible and Kingswood wagons. Felt like we were short changed though I was a child at the time😂
Interesting car and quite handsome exterior. The interior really lets it down thought. Hard to believe the so called luxury model had such basic trim. Also was there any sort of cover for the top when retracted? It looks very unfinished as shown.
I recall when Chevrolet dealers had acres of new 1975 Chevrolets on their lots. Engine performance that era was pretty disappointing for all cars.
Maybe Greg couldn't handle the heat from the black vinyl seats and that's why he ended up knocking down the egg?
I had a '89 Probe that had "nut dryers" as my best friend called them. I don't know if they were in later model cars though.
Our family had a '75 Caprice two door but with a hardtop. Same light blue paint. Purchased at Gannon Motors in Westboro MA. Grandfather had a '76 with the square headlights.
For 1975 GM hardtop B bodies got an extra window in the C pillar.
Very Beautiful Vehicle, I'm not much of a Convertible person, but it Looks Beautiful, I like the Styling and Color 😊
This car is stunning and bullet proof. We drove cars like this in high school and the air cleaner lid was ALWAYS installed upside down. Sounded great full throttle. They would not die.
I was hoping you would speak of the top mechanism. Perhaps another video? 😀
My dad bought I believe it was a 74 sedan version for a trip from Nebraska to Arizona in the spring of 1989. Unfortunately it broke down on us in New Mexico, trans cooler I believe. But it was quite comfortable and always enjoyed borrowing it to drive in high school. Really plowed through snow drifts like a boss!
@9:30 You're giving drivers more wisdom than they really have. The number of times I've explained vacuum and RPM and it's relationship to people, it's just mind melting. They all complain about the cars fault for the "bad" efficiency, not their driving.