One Owner 396 V8: 1966 Chevrolet Caprice
Chevrolet introduced the Caprice in mid-1965 in response to the success Ford was having with the new LTD. The LTD was a luxury version of the popular Galaxie 500, so the Caprice was a gussied-up Impala. The car would sell quite well, becoming a series of its own in 1966. As demand for the Caprice increased, sales of the Impala Super Sport declined. This ’66 Caprice Sport Sedan (aka 4-door hardtop) has been owned by the same family since new and it has a nice surprise under the hood – a 396 cubic inch V8.
How popular was the Caprice in 1966? Well, 181,000 copies rolled off the assembly line, so it quickly attracted a flood of buyers. The Caprice was only available with a V8 engine and just about any eight-cylinder engine that Chevy built could be ordered. We’re guessing the 396 big blocks in this car is the 325 hp version as it came with factory air conditioning, and we think that was the only 396 you could get with that setup.
This sharp Chevy has had one repaint in the original color and the interior looks quite good except for the dash pad (the Sun has done a number on it). The family has kept a bunch of paperwork for the past 58 years, including the MSRP sticker and build sheet so you can verify that the machine was ordered with a 396. We assume the automobile runs as good as it looks and the seller is sending along some extra parts, though we don’t know where they are.
If you’re looking for a full-size Chevy with some muscle, this Caprice may fit the bill. It comes with an automatic transmission (Powerglide or Turbo-Hydramatic?) and the odometer shows barely 80,000 miles. The vehicle can be found in Orangevale, California, and is available here on craigslist for $15,800. The seller indicates that delivery may be available (depending on where you are, I suppose). Another great tip brought to us by Tony Primo!
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Comments
A set of Rally wheels and an engine bay detail would do wonders for this car
Wow, what a find! A big block with factory A/C, in such beautiful shape, I’d pay that much if I could, and had a place to put it. It has a 3 spd automatic, I’d guess a Turbo 400 with that 396. You can just make out the shift indicator in one of the pictures.
Yes, hopefully a T400, but you would want to check. I am no expert, but a friend had a big block 60’s Chevy that he insisted came with a powerglide. He worked on his own cars so I took his word for it
i test drove a 66 impala 396 w/powerglide, no a/c and it was seriously a dog. it was clean and idled well. did not sound like bad timing, either. i don’t know if it was the engine/trans combo or an engine problem but it turned me off to big block/pg trans cars for years.
2nd that great price for a big block with A/C !
This beauty won’t last long at this price!
Sweet Chevrolet cruiser.
Both Powerglide and the THM400 were available with the 396, but it appears that this one has the THM400, based on the shift quadrant. I see “Park R N D L2 L1”
Dude has a towel hangin off the front bumper.
License plate blocker?
I once owned a 72 Caprice and enjoyed it as Cadillac style (especially front end) at a more affordable price. But IMO, the 65 and 66 LTD did a much better job as a formal looking sedan with almost Limo looks and better interior. As I have stated many times, for me it’s about comfort, luxury, and Panache, rather than high performance monster V8s. At least CAPRICE returned to Aspirational names for 65, only to dethrone it a few years later. Today’s combination of numbers and letters is as bland and nondescript as the vehicles that wear them. Once again, I am On to VERSAILLES! 🏰 in Mt Town Car Signature Limited 👌 😎
Sweet looking Caprice. I may like these as a sedan more than the coupe. The ’66 brochure sure promoted the big-block engine. With a Hydramatic this would be a very driveable car.
Your type of comment degrades this site. Do you know anything about cars or just about wise ass remarks?
Second for the sedan on this year…69-70 then coupe would be my preference. This car with the 396 TH400 is a sweet find…
Is a replacement dash pad available ?
I am a long time Chevrolet fan and in my opinion, it doesn’t matter what motor was in the car, if it was equipped with a Powerglide gearbox, it was a dog.
Slip and slide with Powerglide was an oft repeated sneer when I was growing up. My little old lady neighbor had a 1950 Chevy with that transmission. It was the fastback model and proudly displayed the Powerglide nomenclature on the trunk lid. First year Powerglide was available l think. She loved it because at slightly under five feet tall she didn’t have to stretch for the clutch pedal. Dad said that manual was the only way to go and that’s when I first heard the little slip and slide ditty. Years later my neighbor next door bought a 1967 lmpala. Two door, red black vinyl interior and if I remember correctly the 327. Sweet car and I was totally enamored. But then I noticed that it had Powerglide which to this 16 year old car aficionado was sacrilege. I was sorely disappointed that my cool neighbor had settled for Powerglide. I guess that the TH400 was an extra cost option at the time and the old Powerglide; which by the way was as bulletproof as an anvil and was available up until 1973 I think, sorta “slipped” by him, lol. Dad’s brand new 1972 Impala had the TH400 and I think it was standard by then. I’m not 100% sure about that but I don’t think you could get a manual either by then in a four door Impala sedan and I don’t think the old man would have been ok with a Powerglide. He probably went into the dealer planning on getting a manual transmission and radio delete like he did with his 1966 Belair. But no dice doing that by then. Thanks for another trip down memory lane, BF!