427 V8 Sleeper! 1969 Chevrolet Caprice
Chevrolet introduced the Caprice in 1965 as a combatant against Ford’s new luxury car, the LTD. The Caprice was to the Impala as the LTD was to the Galaxie 500, the same car with more creature comforts and sound deadening The Caprice was popular enough to soon become its own series and was part of the Chevy portfolio into the 21st Century. This 1969 edition is a nice – but not perfect – example of how you could combine both amenities and performance: it has a 427 V8 engine. Located in Del County, Pennsylvania, this Chevy is available here on craigslist for $11,000. Thanks for the BowTie tip, local_sheriff!
Though unintentional, the Caprice led to the demise of the Impala Super Sport. From 1962 forward, the Impala SS offered a higher level of trim over the standard Impala, and you could get one with all sorts of engines, from small to large. While the Caprice’s target audience differed from that of the SS, buyers began to make the transition anyway. As the Caprice’s popularity grew to sell more than 100,000 units per year, the Impala SS dropped from a high-water mark of 243,000 units in 1965 to 75,000 two years later. By 1969, only the SS 427 remained, and Chevrolet only delivered 2,500 copies of those, so the Impala SS was retired for 1970.
So, while you could get a 427 in an Impala SS in 1969, you could also get one in a Caprice, like the seller’s car, although we believe the horsepower output was lower in the Caprice. This may be the second or third time in the last couple of years this car has been for sale, as we find online what appears to be the same automobile here on Guys With Rides. We that the engine is numbers-matching and the car had factory A/C, but there is an absence of plumbing under the hood now.
At 130,000 miles (or more as the odometer is broken), this 427 has an “older high-performance build” as the earlier listing says. Overdrive has been added, not something the Caprice would have had in 1969. A 12-bolt posi-traction rear end is coupled with an automatic transmission, probably a TH-400. It has all sorts of luxury doodads like power windows, power door locks, and tilt steering. The interior looks quite good, and the body and paint are at least fair, with some potential issues with the lime green paint on the passenger side. And upward-facing sheet metal may be getting faded.
This is probably a car you could tool around in as-is unless you’re seeking perfection, in which case you’d give the exterior a cosmetic restoration, at least a paint job. With its formal looks and even the Rally Wheels, this car looks like one Grandma drove to church. And then you see the 427 emblems on the front fenders. That’s a sleeper!
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Comments
Back in 73 I had a mechanic neighbor that got a 69 427 Impala (don’t think it was an SS or Caprice), kind of high mileage to my taste (almost 100K at that time). I got to ride in it once, and admittedly it was a nice riding car. Unfortunately this was shortly before OPEC, and it was soon gone. From what he told me, it was thirsty for hi-test gas.
A true sleeper doesn’t advertise its engine size. If this were mine the fender emblems would be switched to 307.
Was every 427 Caprice painted this color? Nice ride, though. The only thing it seems to be missing is hidden headlights.
@Jack M. – Better make that a 327 emblem. Caprices weren’t available with the 307, so a 307 emblem would be a give-away to street racers in the know.
@Russ – The Caprice could be equipped with the Impala SS’s 390HP 427 or the unpublished L72 425HP version. The difference is the the Caprice also offered a 335HP version.
This car was listed here in Barn Finds, back in November 2021, with an asking price of $15,000.
https://barnfinds.com/rebuilt-427-v8-1969-chevrolet-caprice/
Hasn’t this car been on barn finds a few times already ??
Yep….a few times all over the net….
The big block is a nice option here, but the 69 and 70 full size Chevys were serious rusters . I dont know if it was the way the wheel arches were designed , but the lower front fenders and the rear quarters were real problem areas. This car already shows the rear quarters are gone , and I wouldn’t be surprised if the front fenders have Bondo in them.
I replaced those 96″ quarter panels on a 70 Impala and the front fenders. The quarters ar the same as the Chevelle so it’s easy to find. Front fenders have patch panels. Had to MINI Tub mine because the inner wheel wells were gone. It was from Pa. also and OLD MAN WINTER can tear some cars up it not taken care of. Love the way it looks but not ready to do it again.
The 1/4s are no where near the same as a Chevelle ! The length, body lines and wheel arches are totally different
Drive it like you stole it!…..from gas station to gas station.
At Kelsey Hayes the company allowed the salesman to order what they wanted with few guide lines. If it was a salesman for Cadillac he was limited to Chev. and Pontiac. The salesman for Checker Motors purchased a 1970 Caprice sedan with the 454 engine. I was hopeing that car would come around to be sold but I left the company prior. I did buy a 1970 Oldsmobile 88 Brougham with full power and the 454 engine and high ratio axle. I got 7 MPG in that car. My Mark III at the time was giving 20 if I was on the interstate.
Overdrive or Turbo 400?
Seems like a respectable ask, for the condition of car.
Es hermoso para mi. Y es el que algún día quisiera poder tener. Siempre e Sido amante de esas grandes máquinas. Anchas y vajitas. Aqui no entraron más nada americano desde el 60s lo más parecido que ahí aquí es el Impala 60 de la Chevrolet.