Original 454: 1976 Chevrolet Caprice Estate
While there are times when practicality might seem boring, it doesn’t necessarily have to be. Take this 1976 Chevrolet Caprice Estate as an example. It is large, roomy, and has the space to seat six people in comfort. With a cavernous cargo area, it also offers the opportunity to pack in a load of luggage if the whole family fancies channeling their inner Griswolds to embark on a cross-country adventure. However, it is loaded with luxury appointments, and the big-block nestled under the hood gives it the muscle to haul those larger loads. It is also a classic wagon searching for a new home, so the owner has listed it for sale here on eBay. The Caprice is located in Falls Church, Virginia, and spirited bidding has pushed the price beyond the reserve to $26,088.
At more than 19-feet in overall length, this Caprice could never be a wagon that people would describe as small. It is a big vehicle designed to carry big loads, and this is graphically demonstrated by how much of its total length is given over cargo space. However, Chevrolet’s decision to bless the wagon with vast expanses of glass helps prevent it from looking heavy and cumbersome. It is a striking vehicle, and it presents well as an original survivor. The owner doesn’t mention any previous restoration work, so I have taken it as read that the Estate remains as it was the day it rolled off the showroom floor. It is a forty-five-year-old classic, so there’s no great surprise that it isn’t perfect. The red paint has a few flaws and marks, but nothing that would demand immediate attention. The same is true of the matching vinyl top, although I think that some careful attention with the right products would return the vinyl to as-new condition. The faux-woodgrain also sports a few imperfections, but these aren’t glaring. Unless the buyer is a perfectionist, I would advise them to leave it untouched. This type of vinyl will fade as the years pass, and finding replacement pieces that match the existing finish could be a battle. It would probably entail replacing the lot, which is why I think that leaving that can of worms unopened could be a wise move. Rust seems to be confined to a small area in the lower rear quarter on the driver’s side, but the next owner should be able to address this with a simple patch. The trim and chrome are in excellent order, as is the tinted glass. One of the coolest features of this wagon is the power clamshell tailgate. I never get tired of seeing those things in action, and I have included a video of this one at the bottom of this article to demonstrate how nicely it works.
When a vehicle tips the scales at more than 5,300lbs, it demands something special under the hood if its progress is going to move beyond what I would class as glacial. Chevrolet delivered on this because the original owner ordered this Caprice with the 454ci big-block V8 under the hood. The rest of the drivetrain includes a three-speed Hydramatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes. Considering that this beast rolled off the line in the depths of The Malaise Era, the 225hp and 360 ft/lbs of torque being churned out by that big-block look pretty impressive. Obviously, the weight will blunt overall performance, but the 18.4-second ¼-mile ET still looks respectable for something that is only marginally smaller than your average suburb. The owner says that the Estate has a genuine 25,800 miles on the clock, but he doesn’t indicate whether he holds verifying evidence. He does say that it runs and drives well, meaning that the buyer can probably start planning that trip to Wally World.
When we turn our attention to the Caprice’s interior, we find a continuation of the theme of things looking impressive but not quite perfect. The overarching theme here is red, although the cloth on the seats features touches of black and gray to provide some contrast. Visible flaws seem to be limited to some minor wear on the outer edge of the driver’s seat and some cracks on the dash pad. The buyer might decide to go to town and replace the faulty items, but there are viable alternatives. A set of high-quality slipcovers would protect the seats from further deterioration, while a cover could hide the issues with the pad. If the next owner is seeking perfection, they could potentially source a replacement pad. However, these generally cost around $600, and installing them is a complicated task for anyone to tackle. The last option that might be worth considering is restoration using a product like Polyvance. I would be investigating all options before committing my cash on this front. When you look beyond those faults, you find that the original owner ordered this wagon fully loaded. The buyer will receive ice-cold air conditioning, power windows, power locks, a power driver’s seat, a reclining passenger seat, remote exterior mirrors, a rear defrost, a tilt wheel, and an AM/FM stereo radio.
I’ve always thought it is a shame that full-sized wagons have disappeared from the new car scene. The reality is that people-movers and SUVs have taken their place, and there is no indication that they will reappear in showrooms anytime soon. I am unwilling to consign them to the pages of history permanently. However, there isn’t sufficient demand at present for manufacturers to consider outlaying the millions of dollars required to develop new models. That means that people who don’t want an SUV are looking more to the classic market to get their fix. That helps to explain why there have already been thirty-seven bids submitted on this Estate, and there’s still plenty of time left on this listing for that figure to increase. Are you tempted by this gentle giant, or are you going to go with the flow and park an SUV in your driveway?
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Comments
WOW – I’m always excited to get my daily BardFinds, and usually look through all the cars before I hone in on the one that excites me the most. Not today. I saw this Caprice Classic and went right for it! What a beautiful example of a “survivor” (please don’t troll my definition of survivor). My only question around it is how much money WILL it go for ….
Hauled newspapers in one of these in mid 70’s. It was a beast. We also had a Dodge Monaco. They don’t build them like this anymore. And too bad they don’t.
Never seen vinyl top on a wagon. Customer definitely checked all the boxes.
The only thing not checked on the order was a third seat.
One glaring omission on a full-load car like this is no cruise control.
I love these station wagons from GM, 1971 to 1976 with the “clamshell tailgate.” I had a 1973 Caprice estate wagon in 1975. Mine was blue with black vinyl interior. Some friends and I would go to the naval base in Orlando, Florida, pull over, drop the tailgate a pile a bunch of sailors in and give them rides to their destination. MPs pulled me over and asked how many people I had in the car. I said 9. It’s a 9 passenger wagon. Actually had 16 people crammed into that car. Those were fun days.
The power steering went out on it and I left it at the garage to be fixed. It got stolen from the garage and later found in Key West. What a mess. I love my luxury land yachts but as station wagons go, the ’71 through ’76 GM are my favorites.
Pull that train Girl!
Had one as my first company car. This was a great car for highway driving and boy I did a lot .It was as long as a Contiental and was a joy to parallel park lol.( I actually got good at it) Was a better car than the next company car I got….an Olds diesel. POS.
Yes, the Olds diesels were definitely boat anchors, but the ones fitted with the Chevrolet 350 or the new 403 small block (Also found in the Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am) were some really tough SOB’s. From 1977 to 1979, THESE were the engines to shake your Custom Cruiser, Lesabre Estate, or Safari wagon….
Friend’s mom had one of these when we were all back in high school although I think it had the small-block 400 in it.
CAFE more than anything else killed off full sized wagons. Rather than try to get full sized wagons to meet fuel economy standards, Detroit got the market segment that would have bought those cars to move to minivans and then to SUVs, which fell under much looser “truck” fuel economy standards.
Stunning land yacht but did I suffer a concussion? $26 large for a car 5 years ago you had to pay to get rid of!?
Sorry and no I don’t and never will wrap my head around why we are as a society impoverished but yet a house or car can’t be obtained for anything resembling a reasonable cost.
I for one yearn for the days before the internet, when people had to work hard and didn’t necessarily go out of their way to retire on every meaningless transaction.
People are spending big right now. Especially on cars and houses. Combination of a lot of stimulus money coupled with a strange fiscal form of depression binge eating. I personally wouldn’t buy either one if you don’t absolutely have to right now. Take my word for it, it will not last.
Wow I love wagons and man would I love to own this one! No negative comments from me, this one is at the tippy top.
1971 Plymouth Barracuda:
In 1980, a good bargain at $1,500
Today A STEAL at $150,000 (+-)
Hard to tell, today’s trash might be tomorrow’s TREASURE
That’s one wild classic 1970’s interior. lol. all the options and no cruise control.
GM has had it creative moments in the early to mid 70’s – clamshell tailgates for station wagons and scissor tops for full sized convertibles. These station wagons were odd looking back then and flat-out look like hearses now. But creative.
I learned to drive in a 74 Caprice Estate. Big and comfortable is how I remember that car. I had it up a college and of course I was always the chauffeur of all my friends and I went out because we had so much room. 1976 is my favorite year I love the square headlights
That would be a sweet demo derby car!
That is one big wagon so I’m not surprised it weighs over 2-1/2 tons. It certainly seems to be in great shape but I have no interest in single-digit fuel mileage. The bid so far is pretty amazing, especially for a Malaise-era land barge.
These wagons are way too cool! Better than your Audi Q5 or Q7. A 454 but no fish trolling third row back seat. This was America!
You described it well, FordGuy; a malaise-era land barge. I never liked the later iterations of this era big Chevy (’75-77) as IMO they were aggressively ugly. Similar for the other GM full-size cars of the time. It’s like the designers actually tried to make them as ugly as possible, especially the two-door coupes. Even this wagon is WAY too ugly for me.
Snooty tight-jeans import cars be damned – this beast is the pinnacle of automobile production. Maybe you don’t like it, but you’d change your tune when the microchips on your Lexus died, and you needed to load it in the back of a real car for a ride home. Wouldn’t be surprised if it has automatic ramps under the back door just for that purpose. God Bless America!
I had a neighbor that yanked the stock motor out of one of these and transplanted a Chrysler-Nissan marine diesel in its lace. That car didn’t have much acceleration but with its gearing on the long straight it went faster and faster until we hit 110.
Uh..how much is gas per gallon again? Way more than it was in 1976. Whoever buys this would be better off parking it because a gas saver, this ain’t.
I worked on these beauties when new in 76 at a Chevy Olds dealer. We had a dark blue one loaded. The woman owner took very good care if it. Yeah Jack ass Carter was sending our country on the path of the Titantic, but overall things were still made in America and lasted. What a car, but yes thus stupid spending on old cars and houses is gonna end.
Not just old cars. Have you tried to shop for a new car lately? It’s the same. Reasons are different. With old cars, I believe a significant percentage of the population believes it’s over and wants to capture that last bit of excessive Americana. The other’s caused by a supply shortage. Neither will last.
As the prices of new cars reach ungodly amounts, so goes the prices of used cars.
Weird. Seems like most of the low mileage cars on barn find are red. My bad luck. Car color I dislike the most.
Love it! I love these old wagons in general, and this one is a gem. Admittedly, the price is eye-watering. However, I would take this beast over any modern day SUV in a heartbeat.
This wagon was actually my car. I was the second owner. The original owner was the owner of a Chevrolet dealership in Livonia Michigan. I found sitting at the rear of the dealership. I found out that the owner of the dealership passed away and spoke to his son. He asked me why I was interested, I told him the story that my family had a brown 74 wagon just like it growing up. I bought it from him on the spot. That was in 2002. I pulled the motor and replaced every gasket and hose in it. I have the car to my parents who lived in Vegas (hoping that dad would take it to car shows, etc). All the car was to them was a grocery getter and straight to the garage. Since they are now getting old, getting them a new car for reliability. I don’t have the time to fly out to fix. We all miss that car. I knew the guy buying it was going to flip it. That’s fine. I was going to take it to Meccum Auction, but parents made getting it there difficult. Good luck to the buyer. Feel free to contact me if you want more history on it. I think I have the documents verifying the mileage