Here’s how the Chevy Caprice was once the most popular car in the U.S.
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- Опубликовано: 1 янв 2025
- In this episode I provide the history of the Chevrolet Caprice, which started in 1965 as an upscale Impala trim, and would later become one of the largest and most popular cars in the country, especially with the now classic wagon models. By the 1980s, it was easily outselling the lower-trim Impala, and eventually took over as a popular option for police and taxis. It's very square design was loved by many, but in an attempt to change with the competition, GM decided to put a new curvy body on the same rear-drive body-on-frame platform, which looked like many to be a whale on wheels. Despite bringing back the Impala name on a dedicated performance model in 1994, the Caprice would end in 1996, but was brought back as the PPV based on a Holden model in 2011. That model proved so unpopular, that only 16,000 were sold over 6 years, ending with the Holden plant in Australia shutting down.
Background music by Nick Weiss - nickweissmusic.com
I never knew the 90s version was unliked. As an aussue it invokes nostalgia from the many movies these cars appeared in.
GM wanted to move away from the boxy 80's Caprice but they went too radical with that design, basically what Ford with the 3rd Gen Taurus a few years later.
Was it unliked or replaced by the suburban?
@Low760 GM wanted more assembly lines to make SUVs so goodbye Caprice...
ASE Certified mechanic and Chicago Tribune Transportation chief columnist described the 1991 Chevrolet Caprice as an "upside down bathtub".😅Rest In Peace, Brother. You wrote some funny articles.😊
I remember a brief snippet of a 90s Caprice appearing in the infamous Big Bill Hell clip, so now I associate that model with the meanest SOBs in the state of Maryland.
I still have and love my 96 Impala SS. I bought it new. It now has 322,000 miles. It's a garage queen now. About the only time we drive it is to pickup our grandson at the bus stop.
Bought it new....damn thats cool, what made you buy it instead of a camaro?
@@sv_cheats1970beside being gay lol
@@N_g_er seriously?
My dad drove a 91 Caprice Wagon (Navy Blue) from 1996-2008
Best car ever, miss that old boat…
At 6:48 The 1980 to 1985 Chevy Impala 9c1 is my favorite car. What I love about the car is I love that front end square headlights front chrome bumper and rear bumper. I love the grill, the Chevy bowtie badge in the middle of it Also, I like the square tail light panel and that Impala badge that's on the rear pillar on the left side and right side of the Impala and love the unmarked or marked police versions to me. They are badass and muscle cars and sheep's clothing
My parents had a '71 Kingswood 2 seat wagon that they traded in for a 3-seat '76 Caprice Estate - "wood" paneling and all - that brought me to college. The car was so long there was plenty of luggage space for a family of 4 even with the third seat up, and the arrangement allowed for very peaceful family trips, as my sister would fall asleep across the second seat (no belt use of course) and I'd read in the third seat. I learned how to drive in that beast, and you have not lived until you had to parallel park one.
I grew up in a neighborhood called Kingwood, woulda been cool to flex a Kingswood in Kingwood
This video brought back memories of my grandfather last 2 vehicles.
An 84 Pontiac Parisienne.
And he traded that in on a 91 white Chevy Caprice with blue interior .He liked the styling. And he always preferred rear wheel drive.
Being mistaken for a patrol car was a bonus for him in his opinion.
My mom bought a new 77 Caprice Classic 4 door 2 tone blue, blue velvet bench seats and v8 (305).
That car was beautiful and my mom would often talk about it up until her passing in 2022.
She truly loved that car and kept it spotless until she traded it in for a Saab 9000 in 1991.
Thanks for the fond memories of my mom and her favorite car she ever had.
Stay well
77 was the best redesign, sure miss my old 78!!!~
Yup, I'm one of those who like the ´91 Caprice. I was about to turn 12 in 1991, a friend and I would sometimes walk down to the local GM dealership and just looooook at it. Still, I think I'd rather own a ´77-´79 Coupe.
Thanks for uploading!! Greetings from Sweden
I loved the Shamu Caprices! I so wanted one when I was 10 and they were all over the place. I was so sad when the Ford Crown Vic replaced the Caprice as the standard taxi and cop car!
When I was 13 years old, my mother bought a brand new, white, 1974 Caprice Classic Sport Sedan with a slick top, in April of 1974. It was powered by the 454ci Turbojet V8 that you rarely saw, as most were powered by the standard, small block 400ci. I remember that car well. When kids at school saw the "454" emblem on the chrome side moulding, they knew it was a tire-lighter. I loved the true-dual exhuast system's sound of thumping rumble. That was the last year for true-dual exhaust (until 1993 on the Impala SS). Mother's Caprice was FULLY loaded with every conceivable option, including dual mirrors, grey rubber bumper trim, power windows, power locks, power deck lid release, dual six-way power seats, and "Comfortron" automatic climate control. It was a virtual "Cadillac" that cost $6,800.00 sticker price. I always thought the 1974 Caprice was the best-styled of the 1971-1976 last, large-bodied, styling cycle. The front grille/fascia design literally screamed, "Cadillac", but at an upper Chevrolet or Olds price. It was a beautiful car and road so well and silent inside. But, 11 miles per gallon, if you were lucky!
The caprice is one of my favorite 1980s cars
The LT1 versions were not overly fast, but they were torquey
The Heartbeat Of America Of The Caprice. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
My mom bought a white 1977 Caprice Classic 2-door at a used car dealership back in the late eighties, and it was the first car I ever rode in… it is still my favorite car out of all the cars I’ve ever ridden in over my lifetime so far!
Nice job! The "shamu" sedan looked way better with the revised wheel wells imo
Time has been Very Good to the Fourth Generation Caprices. Especially the 1991-3's with the partially covered wheel wells which were intended for increased fuel economy. And the pointy quarter panel windows.😊😊THOSE Are the ones I Want!!!😎😎
Nice #75 Ferrari Berlinetta transitional you have there!!
The spats were a Chuck Jordan thing. He loved hiding wheels.
My cousin owned a 1971 Chevy Caprice with a 402 big block in the early 80's. That car used to eat then brand-new Pontiac Trans Am's and Chevy Corvettes for breakfast. Could not get over how fast that 2 ton car was.
Excellent! You did a great job. I liked how you discussed the Caprice, and mentioned the history and backed it up with footage. I liked how you talked about Pontiac, Parisienne and Bonneville. The only thing I would said differently is Parisienne got the 1980-1981 Pontiac Bonneville sheet metal and interior in 1985-1986 and the fact Parisienne was still selling when it was dropped. I did like the fact you mentioned the change to Safari wagon. The video covered everything and more. I like the footage too. I like that you mentioned Holden and said you will cover them in the future. I will look forward to that. I liked that footage as well. I liked the fact you had good footage to back up what you stated. Thank you for mentioning Oldsmobile as well with Custom Cruiser. Excellent video and a history covered well into the 1990's. Thank you.
My father had several Caprices. The 1994 with the LT1 was the last one he owned and for the time was pretty darned fast for the whale of a boat it is.
My father had 5 caprice taxis over the years. Sedans and wagons loved them
I owned a 95 sedan. Was my first car, i loved it. It had the 4.3 v8, wasnt all that powerful but the ride was superb. Id love to own one with a 5.7 when the time is right again.
Congratulations on 100k subscribers. I’m glad I found this channel.
I had a 94 Caprice Classic LS with the LT1. My favorite car I've ever owned.
When you keep a body style for 14 years (1977 thru 1990), of course a new generation (1991) would have be radical by default. The bubble Caprice was with it's time and in fact became a 90s icon.
I never owned a Caprice, but I really liked the mid-80s Caprice. I liked the boxy shape and the whole car reminded me of the 1961 Chevy Bel Air sedan, my family's car that I grew up with.
In the early 80s, my parents had the B-body Oldsmobile 98 Regency from 1979 and our neighbors across the street had a Chevrolet Caprice from the same generation and I remember being fascinated by both cars and how they looked so similar. It wasn't until later that I started to notice just how many GM models had the exact same silhouette.
I Love the Caprice. I Have Owned 4 of them. An 80, 83, 86, and 87 Brougham. LS. I'm a Chevy Guy. Although I am also a GM Guy. My 1st was a 76 Blazer, 76 Malibu Classic, an 87 S10 a 87 Blazer and a 2001 Tahoe. ❤
I bought a used 1980 Caprice coupe in 1994. Drove it for 3 years. I really liked that car.
Next episode should be about the Chevrolet Impala (produced 1958-1986 for generations 1-6; 1994-1996 for generation 7; 2000-2020 for generations 8-10)
My dad owns a 2005 Impala that's gotten over THREE THOUSAND MILES on it and is STILL KICKING.
I started in law enforcement in 1976, so I drove 1975 Cherolet Impala cruisers, which were slow and the handling was terrible. My department bought two 1977 Chevrolet Impala cruisers, which I rated as the best cruisers I drove in my career. They had the detuned Corvette 350 engines, and had stabilizer bars so the car cornered awesome. It had great 0 - 60 time and you could outrun almost anyone. In contrast, we bought 1978 Ford Ltd II's and those were the worst police cars ever made. The 351 topped out at 85, and the long front ends meant the handling was pathetic. Chevrolet hit it out of the park with the Impala's.
I owned a Ford XD Falcon 351 ex hwp here in Australia. Could easily reach 140.
My 94 Caprice patrol unit was equipped with the LT1 Corvette Engine and was the best police package unit in the 90s. That car would go 140 with no problem. In 96 when GM stopped making the Caprice, Ford marked up the Crown Vic $4000 bucks more.
Grandma traded her ‘89 Caddy Brougham for a new, white w/ blue leather interior’d 1995 Caprice. A few years after she bought it, I took my road test in it and was forced to parallel park with a Geo Tracker being the vehicle I had to “line up” with. Lol. Thing was great on long drives and it’s giant, long ass wasn’t too much a deal to park/drive in the city. The 4.3 V8 and it’s 200 horsepower, wasn’t the most powerful, but was incredibly smooth and more than enough to do the job it was tasked for. Anyway, I miss her and I miss that car.
I love the in the 91 style of the Chevy Caprice classic. I had one until the transmission went out. And if I had the money, I would've done my 91 Chevy Caprice classic.I loved that that was the best car I ever had
I have a 1978 Chevy Caprice Classic 2Door Coupe 28k original miles… love the 77-90 Box Chevy’s
A friend of mine who worked in the GM Fisher Body division designed that hideaway tailgate. He had the patent for it hanging on the wall in his home office after he retired from GM and moved back to his home state of Utah. As per usual GM paid him the kingly sum of one dollar for the purchase of the patent as it was developed by him as a salaried engineer. He had other development patents GM paid him a dollar each. But i don't remember what they were for.
That's what I drove when I started out. That and the square crown vics.
As a former Avis Rent-a-Car employee, I always enjoyed it when I had to drive a 90's Caprice !! Not so much for the ones in the mid/late 80's.
Now we need to see an Impala video! I’d also like to see a Lumina video.
In high school I had a friend of a friend that inherited her parents old ‘75 Caprice wagon as her first car. She was a tiny little thing and a classical pianist. The most unexpected person to hoon around in a big old station wagon. But hoon she did, even demonstating her ability to do a quick 180 by jamming the parking brake and jerking the steering wheel quickly left.
Remember the big dash cracks on the 71 through 76 models? I bet there are pictures somewhere. lol
My first car in 1988 was a 1972 Caprice Classic 4 door. It had a 400 small block with a 2 barrel. It seemed like it had so much power at the time but since then I have read it had something like 190 horsepower. It would smoke the tires though, which is how I got a reckless driving ticket two weeks after I got my license leaving a dance in a cloud of smoke from the rear tires. My insurance was canceled. My parents loved that. I worked at the police station washing police cars for six Saturdays to pay off that ticket.
Thanks for another great video! My 2nd car was a 1994 Mitsubishi Expo LRV. It's basically a compact mini van which being 6'4" it was a tad uncomfortable to drive on long road trips. Mitsubishi and Dodge had some sort of partnership in the 90s so there was a Dodge and a Eagle version that looked the same on the outside. Even back then all versions of the car were rare and now I cant tell you the last time I saw one. I actually liked driving it, handled well, had some nice features and even had some speed(I could beat most Civics in a straight line lol) I haven't seen it in any videos on youtube so if you do happen to add it too one of yours that would be awesome! Thanks again and take it easy ;)
I had a 1995 infiniti q45t. I loved the fact it had small visor over the rear veiw mirror
My Grandparents had the 79-84 station wagons for many years an uncle had the 87 brougham ls. growing up late 70 to early 90's these cars were everywhere . back in 2000 My great aunt had a 1984 base model caprice , with 19,000 miles on it. at 84 had her license taken away. She sold it to an old Native american man for $2400 . when he saw the odometer he 😃was all smiles , looked like he won the lottery.
The car I consider myself hsving "grown up" in was a blue 1984 Caprice Classic, with dish hubcaps, chrome mirrors, and manual windows. Funny enough, a previous owner had the dealer install the 3rd brake light sometime before we got it. So many core memories happened in that car. First day of school, road trips, all of that. I can only hope it's been as good to her owners since as it was to us.
Back in 1985, I ended up with my grandparents’ 72 Impala, a 4-door hardtop. I could move everything I needed from home to college in one trip. I miss that car…
I’ve had about a half dozen Caprices. 4-5 boxes and 2 bubbles. One was a 91 Kentucky State Police car and it was absolutely amazing. I’m a ford guy but the Caprice is my favorite model of car of all time.
As a Toronto Police officer in 1988, I ordered a fully loaded brand new 9C1 Caprice through Donway Ford in Scarborough, had the 350 replaced on delivery with an LS5 454 and a 175 hp NOS Cheater system at ENTEC Racing. Ran 13.2 in the 1/4 mile and was the wife's daily driver for nearly 19 years.
I remember one of my uncles owning a 1974 Caprice. Another uncle had a 1976 Caprice. I have always wanted a Caprice, especially the wagon version.
When I was a kid a neighbor had one is the 80s square Caprice. Maroon on maroon. He took very good care of it
I'd love to see a video on the Dodge Omni/ Plymouth Horizon twins. Pre K-car hatchbacks that somehow made it the same length as the 3rd gen caprice from 77-90. It was still being sold alongside both K-cars and their replacements, the Sundance and Shadow.
If you have not already done it, I would like to see a series on the AMC/Jeep Trucks Original Gladiator J2000,J3000, J10, J20 and Comanche. If you already made one maybe I missed it but I try to watch al of your videos and feel like I have seen 90% or more. Thanks for all the great info on classics before my time and during my life. I enjoy most all of them even if I dont care for the car the information is interesting.
94-96 Caprice wagons are some of my favorite automobiles of all time.
Opening up the rear wheels was a significant improvement in the looks. It actually looked decent at that point and when they released the Impala SS treatment, it was a cool looking car.
Great video and utube channel ! My very first car I bought was a 87 Chevrolet Caprice Classic sedan , the Caprice was reliable and comfortable which I owned for over 15 years . X0
The 1991 and especially 1992 Caprice is my favourite car. I'm in love with them since they came out. The perfect car design IMO. ❤ (Yes, I'm being serious.) Absolutely beautiful.
Congrats on 100k!
Thank you. I waited patiently for this requested video and you delivered with great success. I miss my old car. 😢
Here in the Netherlands, we mainly new the square body stationwagons, as they were quite popular as hearses 😅
Love the video grew up with the ol-box chevys... Probably had at least 4-5of' em... A white one red one a blue one 2 gray ones... N, I'm not 100% sure, maybe a brown one, lol.. Great video....
I loved the old square body Caprice my dad drove a used 1984 model for several years into my mid teens until the exhaust system got twisted over a capstone exiting old Boston Police Headquarters when that happened he got a white 1990 Volvo 760
My father had an 1982 Caprice Classic. Great Memories in that as a Kid. That body style was classic.
LOVE your videos. I have a 1987 Pontiac Grand Prix, and there are NO videos about the G-Body Grand Prix. I hope you'll consider it for a future video. Thank you for all the knowledge and entertainment!
My wife had one back in 1989 and it had more options than her dad's base Lincoln. Thanks Pat and congratulations on your 100,000 subscribers.
My dad bought a brand new 1973 Caprice in Fall of 1973 as his commute to work car, the big cars weren't selling well after the oil embargo, so there was a good inventory to choose from. He got 20% off sticker and thought it was a great deal. I remember that is was a really nice car, people used to ask if it was a Cadillac because the front end resembled the Sedan Deville of that time. It had a 400 small block 2 barrel and was so comfortable inside. My dad loved that car and used to say he wanted buried in it, lol, which he wasn't. In 1977 he ordered a Caprice sedan for my mom with every option, 350 4 barrel sport suspension F41 package with the sport wheel covers - that car was sweet. Always hated the big bloated whale Caprice's, what the heck happened! Oh well, at least I got to live in a time a really neat American cars - we really had some nice one's. Our Olds 98's were a pleasure mobile too. Great memories!
Great episode!
The Caprice had a single piece of glass that was bent over hot wires to shape it. It wasn't 3 pieces of glass. Although I'm sure they wish they had used 3 pieces because the scrap rate of those glass panels was pretty high from what I heard
I seem to recall something like one in nine were unusable. Though I don't remember from where. With a failure rate that high it made successful ones very expensive. Hopefully the company that made them was able to claw back some of the profits from other windows they sold GM.
BABE WAKE UP MY OLD CAR DROPPED A NEW VIDEO (I LOVE THE CHEVY CAPRICE MAN THANK YOU!!)
Lay off the caps chief.
As an Aussie I really liked the 3rd gen Caprice/Impalas and the 4th Gen Impala SS. Then the mighty last gen Ford Crown Vics. I was always jealous of many American car models that were never sold here.
Our Ford Falcons were nice and boxy from 1979-84 and had 351 Cleveland V8s in police hwp spec. I owned one for a while and it was a beast.
Also, Holden also ran the Kingswood nameplate from 1968 through to 1985. Family sedan, wagon, utility and panelvan body styles. The 2 door coupe was called Monaro. All very popular.
I inherited my 96 caprice from my grandfather. I loved cruising the highways in it. I had for 3 months till the neighborhood stole it. It was about 2010. It had 30,000 miles. It had the 5.7 liter...it was a great car. I never sat in a more comfprtable car.
I miss my 1988 Caprice Classic Brougham. And my 77 Impala. And my 84 Buick Electra. And my 80 Olds Delta 88. I've never had a Pontiac version, although I would love to have one. My 96 Buick Roadmaster sedan is pretty good. But the boxy B-Body cars were so much better. Except for the engines. The LT1 in my Roadmaster is great. I would love to have it in an older B-Body
Awesome thank you
My father designed transmissions for Borg Warner. He often brought home “Frankenstein” cars with experimental engine/transmission pairings. My favorite was a 1983 Chevrolet Caprice Estate wagon.
Yesterday, I saw someone’s project Parisian go by on a flatbed in a tiny town north of Fort Worth. It struck me because I had never heard of a Parisian before but it looked similar to an Oldsmobile my aunt had in the 1980s.
You could see the ground from the back seat of that Oldsmobile and kids riding back there were instructed to keep their feet on the back of the front seat by the chain smoking adults up front. I still remember how hot the ashtrays on the back of the seats would get in summertime. 😂
4th Gen is what I think of most often when it comes to the Caprice, outside of the more modern ones in police forces. That 4th gen is the best looking by far of any gen of the Caprice, hands down. It also has a weird little story from my childhood, as I associate with Radio Cab (local Portland, Oregon cab company) and a death experienced as a Tree Doctor. Yes, in that order, for real haha. I remember riding in his caprice, which was his pride and joy, and what stuck out to me which I LOVED was that it had a digital dashboard and thus speedometer, which I LOVED, and ever since, I've really wanted that same dashboard in any car I'd ever get.
My first car. 86 caprice (not classic. 5.0l no passenger side mirror AM/FM only) was amazing and loved it
There is something I love about the Caprice, most diffently from the 80's, good ole square cars, but also somehow I like the round ones from '91....that's because they were still the REAL big cars.
10:04 There was an SS version of the FWD Impala. One generation even used the 5.3L 327 Small block. Also, I was surprised when I stumbled across a Buick Roadmaster Police Interceptor version.
The Caprice had some interesting design features I never knew about!
My parents had a 1987 grey Chevy caprice , my mom was at a red light when a drunk driver slammed into the back of the caprice totaling the back half of the car, that huge back half of that car saved my mom’s life as she came away unharmed from that accident thank god , unfortunately the Caprice was too damaged to repair, She ‘s owned a 2004 Chevy Trailblazer since and still owns it today
I miss my 87 caprice. Wish I'd.had an older one with better body metal , but it was still the best car I've ever owned!
Loved those Caprice models from 1994-1996 they were and probably will always be among the best hi way cruiser cars ever produced
@7:43 did I miss something? That car in the Loaded Weapon I is most definitely a Ford LTD Crown Victoria station wagon. We had a 1985 model growing up, so yeah.
I own a 96 Caprice. Still drive it everyday. Wouldn't trade it for the world.
Interesting to see these models again. The styles never fit my tastes being a child of the '60s. But the history review is enjoyable.
My Dad had a 1971 Olds Delta 88 4 door sedan! I loved it, but due to the Oil shortage we went into a VW 411, then a Super Beetle in 1974.
Boy, what a downsize!
Those VW 411s were UG LY 😮
I’d love to see a video on the 1986 Monte Carlo LS because these are so rare now.
Had 1973 british racing green buick centurion. 455, 4 bbl, dual exhaust.....
My best memories of this car is my friend had a 96 SS and I had an 85 Mustang GT. We would race all the time. Sometimes I would win sometimes he would win but it was always fun.
Fun fact: he was a cop. I never got a ticket from him.
5:29 The 250 straight 6 was available from 1966-1974 and brought back in the 1980’s
8:30 I assume the bubble shaped Caprice was a lot more aerodynamic than the box shaped Caprice.
The Caprices became popular in the South when I was in college in the 2000s. People put custom paint jobs and big rims on them. I'm more partial to the "box chevy's" as we called them. In NYC, where we grew up, they were also the cab fleet before the Crown Vics became more popular too.
Late 80s. My grandparents couldn't drive from Toronto to Sarasota and back every winter, any more. They could fly, but needed a car and everything it could hold. I was the designated grandchild. Just take a week of vacation time, drive the car down, fly home. Then vice versa. Their car was a Caprice Classic. No problem driving that car for a couple of solid days driving. They loaded the car with stuff they wanted. I can't imagine crossing the border like that today.
I can't believe how insanely wide and long some of these old American cars are. Just giant rectangles and. it is so annoying having giant SUVs now, how did people park in all those small parking lots back in the 70s and 80s?
I drive a 91 caprice with the 305, and I’ve got absolutely no complaints about it (other than how slow it is)
Great content y brother!!!~~
Cool to hear mention of the Pontiac Parisienne during this video. My first car was a 1970 Parisienne, which apparently was a 🇨🇦-only model. (Not a great car - but it was mine!)
I'd love to see the classic, the inspiring, unmatched in both class, and the number of Midwestern grandma drivers, I'm talking the 1994 Pontiac Grand AM, the Turquoise Terror itself. My very first car given to me by my own little old lady on my 16th birthday in...2004 I think? The following day she showed up at my house in a .... brand new 03 or 04 Pontiac Grand AM. My Nana loved Pontiac... if you hadn't guessed lol
I don’t get the hate and drop in sales of the 90s models when they are synonymous with NYC in movies as cabs or cop cars making them one of the most iconic and recognisable cars of all time. Plus when they came out they must of felt like spaceships with that curved body design and interior space.
Maybe it’s just my nostalgia kicking in every time I see one on screen cause I’m an expat and left the states 20+ years ago but still an icon in my mind.
The critic at 8:39 is Ted Laturnus from the CBC show "Driver's Seat."
I don't know why but the Pontiac version just felt like an entirely different car. Not sure if it was because the interior was so much nicer. Certain color options also make it look better in my opinion. My grandma bought one new in 86 and it had less than 35 thousand miles on it when she passed away in 94. That was the same year that I turned 16 but never legally got to drive it lol, as we had to sell it to settle the estate since her will wasn't updated with whom she wanted it to go to. It was very smooth and comfortable, I wanted to keep it just for long road trips, gas was still cheap back then. Plus I wanted something other than my 82 Camaro as a daily driver because I was always in the garage turning wrenches trying to upgrade something or the other with little to know money to do so.