My cousin had a 1971 Chevy Caprice 2 door coupe with the 402 big block in it. That car was really fast,especially back in the early 80's when most Camaros and even Corvettes were severely underpowered. Hate to tell you how many of those new cars got taken for a ride at a stoplight by that old Caprice. Can still see the shock on the faces of those guys as my cousin and I left them in the dust.
I brought Chevy Impla used in 1975 with 350 Ci engine with 245 HP. In 1976 I brought the same car for 4,200.00 brand new. I love the American car back then. I don't like American New Car that made in China and charged 70K but worth a shit!
Turquoise! I bet it was a beautiful car! I’m sorry you lost your grandpa. I was 4 years old in 1971. I recall some of it, and it’s seems it was a better time to live than today. 😕
Damn, i just miss BIG Cars, and the good times that came in those days. It's all just memories now. Can't bring back the people we miss, luckily some of the rolling iron still exists!
My dad had a 1971 Biscayne with a taxi package (stronger diff, heavier duty springs and shocks). It had the base 350 V-8 2-bbl, 245 HP, THM 350 transmission. The smoothness and power of the powertrain was great. He had that car until the 1980's, it had over 200k miles on it. The engine still had normal compression, heads and oil pan had never been removed. The only real replacement was the original timing gear with the plastic teeth, but the metal-teeth replacement lasted until he sold it. It was bought in Hawai'i, shipped to California, driven to upstate NY, where the salty roads finally destroyed the body, but that power train lived on in another car after dad sold it. I loved that car.
I remember when only the Volkswagen remained the same from year to year. With most American cars, there were visible changes from year to year where even a casual observer could see the difference. Today it seems to be around a 5 year cycle before anything noticeable occurs.
I grew up in the late 1960s and early 1970s. There were so many cars to choose from, in lots of beautiful colors. To me, today’s cars are nothing to get excited about. These days I buy a car every 10 years or so and drive it over 150,000 miles. Each new car I get is more boring than the last. No style, no soul. The choice of colors suck. And unless you buy a higher end car you had better like a black interior!
My dad had a 1965 impala ss 396 turbo 400 back in the day. He was a gear head, he taught me and made me learn what makes a car tick. I miss him so much, I'm lucky to have had him in my life, my step-dad, he raised me from a pup, he taught me right from wrong. 👍👍🏁🏁
Adam, my grandfather bought a 1971 Impala Sport Coupe from Malcolm Konner Chevrolet in Paramus, NJ in November, 1970 during the big GM strike. She was the only new car on the floor, listed for $4,635 and had the 350 4BBL V8, THM350, P/S, P/B, A/C, clock, full wheel covers, tinted glass, body side guards, blue vinyl roof and interior, and AM radio with the poor-performing antenna in the windshield glass. She was Antique White and was quite the looker. I remember the fan that wouldn't shut off and the powerful A/C that would freeze you out. I waited all day with my grandfather in her on gas lines for fuel in 1979 during the oil crisis and I remember we'd pack a lunch and try to fill that 24 gallon tank all the way to the filler which was behind the rear license plate! He gave me that car in 1985 when I was 15, the Chevy dealer would only give him $50 on a trade in for the Celebrity Eurosport he was buying and he told the dealer to stuff it and he would give the car to me instead. I learned how to drive in the snow without Positraction and how to power brake and all those fun tricks a big heavy coupe with no electronic nannies would let you do. I put an AM/FM/Cassette stereo and 6x9" speakers in her. She got between 8 and 15 MPG, her appetite for fuel was quite big! Shining up all that chrome and the underhood was a chore, but when she was clean she was quite the looker! The car was VERY wide, it didn't have a passenger side rearview mirror, if we added it it would have been a very tight squeeze into the garage! I estimated the Turbo-Fire 350 V8 which was rated at 270 HP had an SAE net of around 175 HP and you confirmed that. In 1988 I was on the way home from school in the rain and a woman in a Camaro ran a stoplight in a traffic circle and I hit her head-on. That beautiful front end absorbed the impact, but was transformed into a horrible tangle of metal and chrome. Sadly, she was totaled beyond repair with about 85,000 mi. Every time I see a 1971 Impala I smile, one dream car would be a 454 big block convertible Impala, but they are very rare. Great video on the history and LOVED seeing the concept cars!
My folks bought a 1972 Caprice classic and it was the best car ever, I loved the pillarless hardtop and curved windshield, it had a thick chrome piece down the side that went across the fender skirts that was unique for that year and the front end styling was almost EXACTLYy like a Cadillac's from a year or two earlier. In fact nearly everyone thought it was a Cadillac when we pulled up in that car. The rear didn't look like a Cadillac but maybe more like a Buick but its overall size presence and mix of front end styling and beautiful green blue color (Sierra, I think) and vinyl top and fancy badging, just screamed luxury car. Our neighbours had a downsized Coupe DeVille and often said that our Caprice was the nicer car and it really did ride much nicer. He felt stupid for buying a smaller less comfortable car with plastic body pieces when our car was so much faster more reliable in far more comfortable despite despite lacking leather. The Cadillac was no match for the Caprice's ride, literally like it was floating but not like it was out of control, everything was dampened and tuned to be comfortable and easy to drive, we took many cross-country trips and it was very hard to keep it slow at 55 mph with that super smooth 400 cubic inch engine barely idling quietly away, and in fact the only speeding ticket my mother got was going 70mph across the Oklahoma border. We had many very nice family cars after that, large Mercurys and Buicks and a last generation Chevrolet Caprice that had more options like power seats and things like that but she always said none of them held a candle to that 72 Caprice Classic!
My pal had a '72 Caprice 2 door during our college days of the 70s. Grey with black vinyl top, grey interior, 400 2V. It was a beautiful car, rode great and was close to indestructible - the motor was very under stressed. The oil light came on when he had 90,000 miles - we checked and it was 3.5 quarts low. Filled it up with oil and the engine ran fine for another 90,000 miles after that incident. Thanks for the memories!
That sticky steering wheel showed the decline in materials quality from the 1966 Caprice with the premium interior. It would have been better if GM had put the 1966 deluxe Caprice interior in the 1971, and if it had the same solid build quality of the 1966. The styling of the 1971 is way above average.
Yes my 72 Corvette has a sticky wheel. It’s barely ever been in the sun but the material has broken down over the years. My 68 Buick doesn’t have that problem.
At the time, I remember more than one person expressing that the 1971 Caprice front end looked more Cadillac than what was on the Cadillac. A friend's 1971 Impala coupe with the 400 small block was just a delightful driver. I almost preferred it to my beloved 1972 Electra, perhaps the best car I've ever owned.
Love the channel..! Again and again, I applaud this channel because it's a car channel that actually shows the cars! I am just old enough to remember times when these cars still roamed the roads. I have ridden in many of the cars featured here (70s & 80s) as a kid. It brings back tons of memories. Great channel!
I drove a "76 Caprice and you are correct, this was a really nice care. It had cruise control and the 350 2 barrel. It also had the "Crotch vent" beneath the steering column. I wish you could get that on modern cars. I rode like a cadilac.
My friend's mother had a 1971 Caprice when I was growing up. We would sneak it out when his parents went out for the night. I was just 12 and he was 13 but, we never got caught. They were very nice on the road. I think the seats were very comfortable. The material was called brocade. They traded in a 1962 Impala SS for it.
My friend's first car in the mid-80's was his parents' hand-me-down 71 Caprice. It had the stock 400 small block in it, but boy that car could go, and it was just so smooth. I remember when he'd put his foot down on the gas at around 50, the transmission would kick down and let the motor roar to life before it shifted up into overdrive again and took off like a shot. Just a blast to ride in!
My first car was a 71 Impala, 4 door hardtop, 350 2barrel. I ended up driving it from Indiana to California. I will never forget that car. Her name was Loretta.
I, too, had a 71 Impala 4 door hardtop with a 350 V-8. It got me through my college years. It was sea aqua and absolutely the best car I ever owned. Her name was Bertha!
Great car name! I had never named my vehicles really until my daughter was old enough to drive. We bought my wife's sister's 2008 Lincoln MKZ and our daughter dubbed her "Mary Todd the Lincoln." From then on, everyone in our family, extended family, and friends talked about "Mary Todd" like she was a person. 😋 That little car went to college with her (5 hours away from our home - one way - and made many trips back and forth. She had a wreck in it last year that totaled it, but even at 15 years of age, the airbags deployed perfectly and "Mary Todd the Lincoln" protected her and she walked away from the accident. I miss cars of the 70 and early 80s, at least from a design standpoint. I have not truly fallen in love with many cars since then; they all seem to look the same or too similar. "Mary Todd the Lincoln" was an exception because it was a small car, but inside it felt roomy and the back seat was very roomy as well as the trunk. Fun fact: my daughter's "new" car is a little BMW and she has been given the name "Edith" to continue the First Lady trend. Sorry for rambling. Cars do that to me. 🙂 It was nice reading about your 71 Impala, Loretta.
My buddy's Dad bought a new '71 Impala, in the gold color as shown in your video-a beautiful car-and so quiet, compared to my Dad's Ford. Sadly, it was ruined by road salt, Thanks for a great video!
I vividly remember when these 1971 Impalas and Caprices came out. I was 10 years old at a neighborhood Texaco, and as I was putting air in my bike tire the attendant (Roy) looked up and said, "Hey here comes one of those new Impalas. It looks like a Cadillac from the front doesn't it?" On a side note it was this same gas station attendant who used to tease us as kids every time we went to get air in our tires and say, "do you want the pay air or the free air?" And we would always roll our eyes and ask for the "free" air. Little did we know we would all be paying for air in our tires 50 years later.
My grandmother always chose good cars and this was one of them. Her and my Uncle each bought one and had them for years. Both had 402 big blocks and they loved them. Very nice cars back then and now.
The 71 was my favorite. Love the brushed aluminum trim around the tail lights. Love the 74 Caprice because of the beautiful beltline chrome. Made the coupe look even longer.
My aunt had a Caprice coupe from this generation, great car, super smooth. She had it for over 20 years, well into the 90s and just purring away. Of course this was in California, so no rust. She finally sold it to some kids who turned it into a low rider. She needed a minivan for her business. Wish I had that old Caprice back now, it was pretty mint even 20 years old.
Well, that brought back memories from the very start. I had one of those Caprice models shown in your opening segment... brown with a cream vinyl roof and a cream(ish) interior. You'll get a lot of comments from folks telling you how nice and easy those cars were to own, drive, repair, and do regular maintenance on. I think every one of my high school buddies had one... modified, of course, and they were incredibly fast with good handling. I had a 71 Olds 98, and my Caprice felt so much tighter in terms of suspension and handling. The Olds was much softer, although no-where near your 71 Marquis. I'd buy a 71 Caprice new again, if I could. Imagine that ad in your opening segment today, with the caption: "The new 2025 Chevrolet... For the man who knows what he wants." "Full size, with full luxury" Sounds good to me.... ALSO... I don't know if this was a sort of tradition among some in the car sales industry... but my Caprice had one of those small vinyl pocket folders in the glove box... with the short version of the owner's manual in it. The salesman taped a penny onto the inside cover for luck. I wonder if anyone has heard of this, or perhaps found something else their salesman added... by way of a note, or whatever.
The rear concave glass was a nice touch but up north when sitting outside overnight would sometimes get frost on it and it was hell trying to scrape it off to see out of it. The scraper edge was flat an the window wasn’t, you would just scrape 1” wide strips of frost off the window 😖🙂 ah the good ol days
My friends Mom bought a brand new 73 coupe with a 350 4bbl. I was consistently impressed with how free of squeaks and rattles it remained no matter how much abuse was heaped upon it. Comfy, too!
Great job on profiling the great 71/72 Chevrolet full size cars. I have a beautiful 1972 Chevrolet Kingswood Estate Wagon with a 454 and beautiful black brocade interior, 9 passenger clamshell. I rescued it in Kansas from the demo derby. Cranberry red with wood paneling. True styling and appeal to the Heartbeat USA America!
My early childhood memories all center around a 71 Impala with the 400 small block that was the same color of green at the Caprice in this video. I loved that car. Seeing the green backlit instrument panel at night always made me feel safe. That huge car could get down the road too!!
My grandpa had a 71 Caprice and my dad had a 72 Impala. I was too young to appreciate them. I mostly remember being very careful with the huge doors. They could take a kid out! I would love to sit in one again. Great memories and cool cars!
Hi Adam, I actually owned one of the Caprices in this video. My wife took the photo of it back in 2016 which you can see at about 4:00 minutes in. Beautiful car with only 54,000 original miles. A very good looking car, but your point regarding the interior is spot on. There was a lot of plastic used and the fit and feel were undeniably poor. Unfortunately, quality took a hit across the board in GM in the early 1970's. And, my Caprice was a rare specimen in that it was not equipped with A/C. I parted with this car, selling it to a buyer in Holland who later on, sold it to someone in Germany where it currently resides. I was sad to see it go. But, I used some of the proceeds of the sale to buy a 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado, which is gorgeous and fun to drive. A masterpiece of engineering and reliability. The front-wheel drive transmissions in these cars were bench-tested to over a million miles. GM really wanted the Toronado to be a hit and it certainly was. And, it has air conditioning to boot. Keep up your great videos!
The “drop off” in quality really was pronounced from the ‘72 to ‘73 model years. More plastics in the interior, and foam in the seats instead of metal springs.
I love those cars! I am a tri 5 guy, but I love the big Chevys! I had a triple white 74 Caprice Convertible with a 400. It ran great and was beautiful.
When I was in high school a friend had a brand new 1971 Chevrolet Impala 400 smalblock. What a nice car and it was a coupe too!! Very quiet for sure!! Nice!!
My Dad bought new and owned a1955 Chevy, 1960 Impala, 1967 Impala, 1970 Caprice, 1973 Caprice, 1978 Caprice, then ended that fabulous reign with a 1986 Celebrity. Loved the big Chevy’s!
My aunt had a triple green 72 Impala coupe with the 400 duce when I was REALLY little. What I recall most about that car was the fact she could start it with any GM ign key, even a blank, then take the keys out and toss them in her purse, while it was running. She could turn the car off by simply rotating the cylinder back to the off position w/o any keys. She said it was like that since it was new!
We went to Reedman Chevrolet in Langhorne, Pennsylvania in 1971 and bought a new '71 Impala Custom Hardtop 2 door in Nevada Silver with a blue vinyl top and interior. On the show room floor, parked next to another Caprice/Impala was a Cadillac for comparison. Even Ralph Reedman knew he had a winner! We had that car in our family for 15 years. Handsome car.
I was a Ford loving teenager in '71 but that '71 Caprice was a winner. They were everywhere!. The interior was the best Caprice ever. The 400 4 barrel would growl and get up and go! The party was over in '72 with the loss of engine compression. I was stuck with my parent's '72 LTD Brougham which had a great interior but no engine punch.
In 77 I bought a 72 4dr BelAir with 60,000 miles and drove it to 150,000 miles with no big issues and a lot of wonderful drives and cruises. I loved that car if that is possible. Your so right Adam the 350 was very smooth and the 350 trans was tough. The front end on the 72 Chevs are the best looking in the day bar none. The tailights in the bumper were better looking than the 71 or 73. Mine was light blue and probably by now has been recycled into a Canadian Honda, a freezer and is now part of some steel roof somewhere. Cheers 🇨🇦
Adam, you bring me back to a 'Good Era' in America. I sure love having you dig up my old memories about vehicles from the past. My Father was a Chevy Guy. Not because he was a Fanatic. Just because they were Less Expensive and Practical. We always had Chevrolets except during the Mid 1970's while my Father in Semi-Retirement sold cars for a local Ford Dealer. A friend of his. My Father LOVED selling vehicles. He was Retied from the bank by then due to his health. So selling cars fit perfectly for him. He came home telling us how his day went. I remember one story of his where a Young Couple came in and they wanted a Mustang for their family with one child and another on the way. My Father being a Loan Officer from his Banking Days worked the numbers for this couple and explained to them it was a LOT more practical to purchase a Maverick then a Mustang. Meaning the couple really could not afford the Mustang plus there was not enough room for children in that car. Well, anyways he bought a LTD. Loaded with even a Quadriphonic 8-Track player in it. (My friends and I loved that sound system) Once again, thank you Adam for the videos and more importantly the history of these cars from that 'Good Era' of America.
I had a 1972 impala. Two door coupe with that concaved back window. It was black with fender skirts and a red interior. One of the prettiest cars I ever owned. Loved that rear window. Mine had a 350 4 barrel. Wish I still had her. ( I have nice cars now too though) one of my co workers begged me to buy it and I made money so sold it. Great car
Fifty years ago, my family rode to/from church in Aunt Irma's '71 Impala 2dr.; dad Jim Bernard financed a '71 Chevrolet Kingswood estate wagon: tan color and a black interior (vinyl seating)!!
Friend in high school had an olive green 72 Impala, with 350 2bbl. That thing would move, and had no trouble roasting the tires. Also had no trouble cruising at 120 MPH... likely on bias plies - YIKES! But we all lived.
As a Chevrolet enthusiast the 1971 Caprice/Impala will always be in the top 5 of my favorite full size Chevrolet's from the 60's thru the 70's in chronological order 61,65,67,71, & 77. IMHO were the best looking full size Chevy's of that era. Thanks for the video.
My grandpa had a 71 Caprice metallic bronze (baby sh*t brown?). I drove it for my driver's license 1986. Love the powerful V8. He put over 300K miles before retiring to the auto graveyard in 1993.
Our neighbors bought a triple-blue 1972 Caprice coupe brand new that year. It was a beautiful car and very plush to me as an 8-year old. I loved the concave rear window.
We had a '66 Caprice Coupe with a 396/400, a '69 Impala Coupe 350/350, a '69 Impala Sedan 350/350, a '69 Kingswood Estate Wagon 350 Barrel/400, a '71 Impala Coupe 350 4 Barrel/400, a '72 Monte Carlo 350 4 Barrel/400 , a '74 Impala Sedan 350 4 Barrel/400, and a '77 Monte Carlo 350/350...We liked Chevy!
My second car was a 71 caprice, got it from a neighbor who babied it when he bought a newly downsized Monte Carlo. Paid $150.00 for it.Had the 402 in it,great car. I found a set of Monte swivel buckets at a junkyard and installed them. Good memories.
My first car in 1978 was a 72 Impala Coupe with the small block 400. That car ran great! My next car in 1980 was a 75 Caprice Classic Coupe with a 350. Again, a fantastic car. However, I still have my mother's 72 Impala 4 door sedan. I took my driver's test in that car & my high school prom date too! Plain Jane 350 auto, power steering and brakes, AM radio, cloth seats and floor mats are the only options! It's such a trip back in time whenever I drive it. Worlds apart from anything built today. So much fun!
My parents bought a new 1974 Caprice Classic four-door hardtop, metallic blue with a white vinyl roof. The interior was dark blue. 454 ci and Turbo Hydramatic. It was a big, comfortable car with plenty of go. They traded for a ‘77 Caprice Classic two door. Another nice vehicle.
I learned to drive on a '71 Impala. The hood was like an aircraft carrier. The fan being on all the time was a bad idea. it was like having the heater on. In cold weather you froze until the heat came on.
I remember the low fan that couldn’t be shut off. Later models I Believe, had a thermostat to keep the fan off till coolant reached a certain temp. Can’t remember if my ‘72 had that or not. Helped avoid a frozen foot when the car was in below-freezing weather overnight.
My grandfather in the 60s and 70s owned a small casting and foundry business. In the early 70s when he was doing well he bought a triple black loaded Chevy Caprice Classic 4 door hardtop. My dad noted the most significant thing about it was that it was the first new car they bought and that it was also their first car with AC. Previously they had a Rambler station wagon so this was quite the upgrade. My grandfather also owned in the early 50s a 1939 Chevy Master Deluxe sedan just like the one you mentioned in this video and later a 1941 Chevy.
Excellent video my older elders drove Chevrolet Impala from 1959 to 1994 also Chevrolet Caprice cars 1968 to 1995 in both in LS or SS models or 2 plus 4 doors too! My parents bought 1976 Chevrolet Impala LS 4 door basic model Maroon body all Chrome trim and Beige Interior 6 seats with Am radio , 350 V8 4 barrel carb with single exhaust , Turbo 400 3 speed Automatic transmission, power steering also brakes and power trunk too! In 1985 gave to my oldest brother car for first one drive after got his license and had up till 1992 ! In 2011 I bought at GM dealership near a 2002 Chevrolet Impala E-X 4 door car in Navy Blue with Black trim body , interior was Baby Blue with Black trim also Woodgrain too ! 6 /5 seater had every option but no electric start on key fob and sunroof or daul exhaust! Plus no RPM gauge or ABS but one thing 4 disk brakes was awesome and easy to fix ! Was like driving old RWD but FWD instead on 2002 ! No bad problems with it and for V6 motor and rare 6 speed Automatic transmission had power like 350 V8 does ! Fuel mileage was amazing excellent!
I once had a 75 Impala, if that will count here. 2 door hardtop with the cool curved backlight. 350-2bbl, th350, AM-only radio, but with a single rear speaker, and a rear defogger. It also had ac, which our other car didn't have, so this was a real treat. It had the fuel-minder package, a big deal in those early OPEC days. 75 was the first year for the catalytic converter, so this was our first unleaded-only car, even though it was 5 years old by the time of acquisition. It was also full on ugly government bumpers, and still had the seatbelt ignition interlock. By age 5, when we got it, it already lead a rough life despite only having about 40k miles. Yhe prior owner performed limited maintenance, including infrequent oil changes. They also removed the shoulder belts as they were "in the way". The car rode beautifully, but its typical 70s lack of build quality and prior neglect resulted in it constantly needing something repaired. The rotten neighbor's kid stole it for a joy ride, and the cops claimed they couldn't find it, despite it being eventually recovered and having being cited for expired registration several times while it was gone.
Adam, This is another one of those videos where you hit the nail on the head! That is, you call attention to both the obvious details but more importantly, the subtle goodies that make these vintage automobiles so much more exciting than they were in their time. The way you point out belt-line styling, "shoulders" and comparisons between other divisions and makes have me looking closer at every classic I see around me. In sum, your knowledge and perspective has me appreciating these vehicles for their charms I may have missed if not for your presentations. Thanks for what you do and sharing with us! I "race" to cue up each new video you post, and I skip NONE of them!!!! Still, the Burgundy 69 Lincoln you have may well be my favorite! Or, your Ambassador, or....well.....😂 Thanks again from rusty NH for the excitement you share!!!
73 Impala with a 454. You could see the gas gauge drop when you floored in a 1/4 mile run. Best AC I have ever had in a car. Bought it from a old lady, didn't know the front seat wasn't attached to the body for 3 months, it was sitting on 3 4x4s.
Back in the early eighties; I bought a 71 Kingswood wagon with the 400 small block for $90 because I wanted the engine for another project . She was a rusty ole girl, but she would move ! Still have the engine in my garage waiting for a new home !
I bought a 1973 Chevy Impala for $550 in 1982 and had it for 4 years and beat the hell out of it and still sold it for $100 and it was one hell of a vehicle
I do agree that the styling on the '71s was pretty cool. I actually remember my dad joking that he might go buy "a Chevrolet that looks like a Cadillac", which was funny because he actually had a long history of owning Oldsmobiles and occasionally Caddies. One negative that I distinctly remember about seemingly all the GM cars of that year (and well in to the 70s) was the awful driveablility of these cars when not FULLY warmed up. It seemed especially problematic on the 2 bbl cars. The carburetors were jetted much leaner for emissions and the choke calibration was such that as soon as the car was running AT ALL, the choke was pulled off drastically, resulting in an engine that may idle alright but absolutely would NOT run at anything above idle. Even just putting the car in gear would likely result in a stall. Pulling into traffic in one of these without the engine being fully warmed up was a truly terrifying experience! For whatever reason, the 4bbl cars were nowhere near as bad although pretty much all of the cars in this era had a lot of hesitation at part throttle until fully warmed up. The malaise era had officially begun!
That stalling was a big problem with my grandmother's last car: a '75 Pontiac Catalina 2dr hardtop. Grandma had a serious lead-foot, so she made it work. In occasions where my mom (who drove 'normally') would borrow the car, it always stalled on her.
The change from 1970 to 1971 was total. it went on to 1976 with slight changes. we had a 71' Kingswood wagon. we loved it very much. it had the 350 - 4 carb and it ran great, despite of it only having 175hp. you pointed that out too and you are right.
The good looking full-size Chevys ended at 1970 in my opinion, however the Camaros got better looking for the 2nd generation...! Thanks for sharing... Keep up your awesomeness...!
So many guys had one of these in the 80s as a first car either inherited from grandparents or bought on own. They were great for hauling around a bunch of buddies cruising for girls! lol. And up north they were all rusted out badly
Two of my friends in high school had a Caprice, (year ?) both were green. But both ended up being sold because of transmission problems. At the time I wasn’t to enthralled with them, but now I like them.
I worked for a guy who had A 1974 Caprice coupe back in the 70's with the glass rear side windows and the concave rear glass. IDK what size of V8 it had but it was a very nice riding and driving car.
The Sunday morning that the advertising insert was in the newspaper just after Labor Day weekend my father saw the front page of the insert and said “My G-d ! It looks like a Cadillac!” That moment my obsession with cars began at ten years old. I’d hit the streets every day on my bicycle, go to a different car dealership and collect every brochure on every model from every single brand, bring them home and memorize every dimension, engine, transmission, option package and spec on every car on the market for years. Eventually I became an audiophile and did the same thing with audio equipment. Later in life I sold cars and though it wasn’t needed I could always answer questions that customers asked though those types of questions were very infrequent.
When early press photos of the all-new 1971 Chevrolet Caprice went public in 1970, the "Cadillac-like" styling caused a sensation! The full-size 1971 Chevrolet had all the elements to be a sales champion. Unfortunately, the Chevy's thunder was muted by the massive UAW strike of 1970, and the 1971 Ford LTD Brougham. I'm still in awe, even after all these years, how the delayed 1971 GM cars caused a Ford LTD sales bonanza in my hometown that had to be seen to be believed. The 1971 Chevy stole my heart while the rest of me was run over by Ford.
My Dad had a 72 impala 2 dr, he drove is for 2 years and handed it down to my oldest Sister who went on to drive it for many years, that car was a tank
I had a 73 I think it was, Caprice. Blue with a white vinyl roof and the concave rear window. By time I got it my two brothers had had it. I loved that car and what you could do with it in the snow. Awesome predictable side sliding . If you put it in reverse while going forward on a snow packed surface it would pivot 180 in it's tracks and then drop it in low. It would swing back around doing a complete 360 and just keep right on truckn. I could do it on ice at about 45 mph. Maybe that's why I lost 3rd and reverse early on. I just drove it on the side of the road and never parked where I had to back out. We called it......the scallywag!
Here's one testament to the luxurious appointments of the 1971 Caprice. Our neighbor traded his 1961 Rolls-Royce for a new Caprice and some cash. When I asked him why, he said that at 75, he was too old to drive three hours each way to get his car serviced!
Similar to others' comments here, my elderly aunt had a 71 gold one as seen in the video. I remember being impressed with the concave rear window as well as the windshield wipers concealed in the flair of the hood.
We had a 70 Kingswood estate wagon with the 350 4bbl/400TH pulled a 22 foot travel trailer with great ease put 110K on that car Dad traded it after I clocked a curb on an icy turn into a mall in 1975 car never drove right after that. My aunt had a 71 Caprice with the 400 that to me looked like a Cadillac and as a matter of fact during the 70's Chevy did a great job keeping the style like a Caddy and maintaining their sporty look also. My aunt decided to downsize in 73 to an aqua Monte Carlo which she loved. Dad traded the wagon for an AMC Hornet wagon but it had problems after 2 years he dumped it and got an 1977 Impala which even downsized was a nice driving car and was a mover with the 350/4bbl engine in it.
