The first time the world heard about the Caprice was in 1965, when this nameplate helped Chevrolet’s Impala reach a historic milestone: more than 1 million units were sold in a single year, with the Impala, therefore, becoming the first car in the U.S. to do this after WWII.
Just like the Impala was promoted to a stand-alone series after one year of being part of the Bel Air series, the Caprice ended up becoming a dedicated lineup in 1966, being marketed as the top-of-the-line full-size Chevrolet model.
Available as a 2-door coupe, 4-door hardtop, and 4-door station wagon, the Caprice could be ordered with a wide variety of engines, though a six-cylinder unit wasn’t offered. The base V8 was the famous 283 (4.7-liter) that could also be ordered on the Impala, while the top unit was the 396 (6.5-liter) Turbo Jet.
The 396 was introduced in 1965, and with 425 horsepower, it provided the Caprice with massive power that brought it in line with Chevrolet’s SS models.
The Caprice that was listed on eBay by seller elpasoconnection is also powered by a big-block unit, and surprisingly, the matching-numbers unit still runs when gas is poured directly into the carburetor. It sounds good, the seller claims, but worth knowing is the vehicle spent decades in storage, so an in-person inspection is more than recommended.
The photos perfectly highlight the current condition of the Caprice, so you know what to expect if the plan is a full restoration to factory specifications.
And the good news is the car is still complete, which theoretically means that a full restoration is totally doable. Sure, the condition of the parts is also a critical detail, but at first glance, the Caprice appears to tick most of the boxes for a restoration candidate.
Finding a buyer for this 1966 legend shouldn’t be too difficult, so anyone willing to pay $12,500 will be able to take the car home.