The exception was the optional hp kW cu in 7. The three-speed Turbo Hydramatic transmission previously only offered with the cu in 6. As with all cars sold in the U. The Caprice received a minor facelift that included a new grille with taillights set into the bumper and optional hidden headlamps.
Federally mandated side marker lamps became standard on all US cars that year; the Caprice carried over the optional white corner marker lamps at the forward edge of the fenders in addition to the now-required amber parking lights which were illuminated with the headlights.
The famous L72 cubic-inch hp kW Turbo Jet was once again available. Also, a new cu in 5. Inside, the instrument panel was revised with a return to the horizontal sweep speedometer and a revised three-spoke steering wheel. The horizontal sweep speedometer made adding an optional instrument cluster a difficult proposition; this was solved by narrowing the speedometer within its opening and flanking it with engine-turned instruments in the place of warning lights.
The fuel gauge, placed next to the speedometer within its own pod in the base models, was moved to its new place next to the speedometer. A tachometer took the place of the fuel gauge in the large opening left by the fuel gauge.
The Caprice and other full-sized Chevrolets were restyled with crisper body lines and front bumpers that wrapped around the grille again with optional concealed headlights, for which headlight washers could be added as a new "one year only" option along with ventless front windows on all models. The inch 3, mm wheelbase, inner bodyshell and framework were carried over from the model — along with the rooflines of pillared four-door sedans which were offered in lesser Impala, Bel Air and Biscayne series, but not on Caprices, which continued only in two- and four-door hardtop choices only.
The station wagon was renamed the Kingswood Estate, but continued to use exterior wood grain trim along with exterior and interior trim shared with Caprice sedans and coupes. Inside, front seat headrests were now standard equipment due to a federal safety mandate and the ignition switch moved from the dashboard to the steering column and doubled as a lock for the steering wheel when the key was removed, a Federal mandate that took effect with the models but introduced a year earlier on all General Motors cars.
The Caprice also offered a new GM-designed variable-ratio power steering unit as optional equipment along with a seldom-ordered "Liquid Tire Chain" option, which was a vacuum activated button that would spray ice melt on the rear tires UPC option code is "V75". The standard engine was enlarged to a hp kW cu in 5. All V8 engines were now available with the three-speed Turbo Hydramatic transmission for the first time though the two-speed Powerglide was still offered with the and V8s.
The Caprice received a minor facelift featuring a more conventional under the grille bumper replacing the wrap-around unit used in along with new triple vertical taillights in the rear bumper. Power front disc brakes and fiberglass-belted tires on inch mm wheels were made standard equipment along with a larger hp kW cubic-inch Turbo Fire V8. Optional V8s included a hp kW and a new hp kW cu in 6. At the top of the engine roster, the big block was replaced by a new longer stroke cu in 7. Both the and hp kW Turbo Fire engines were designed to use regular gasoline while the hp kW Turbo Fire and both Turbo Jet engines required premium fuel.
A three-speed manual transmission with column shift was standard equipment as in previous years but the floor-mounted four-speed manual with Hurst shifter was dropped from the option list for as were the Strato bucket seats and center console previously offered on coupes. Automatic transmission options included the two-speed Powerglide on V8s and Turbo Hydramatic with all engines.
The Caprice was completely redesigned on a longer The new styling was highlighted by a Cadillac-like "egg-crate" grille with a "Caprice" emblem in the center and brushed metal trim surrounding the taillights on the rear deck.
The "Full-Perimeter" frame and all-coil suspension were refined for improvements in ride and noise reduction. Inside were revised interiors featuring a two-spoke cushioned steering wheel and new instrument panel with horizontal sweep speedometer and instrument placement similar to previous full-sized Chevrolets.
Caprices continued with higher grade interiors than their Impala counterparts with luxurious cloth-and-vinyl upholstery, wood grain trim on dash, steering wheel and door panels plus carpeting on lower door panels on both sedans and coupes.
A center front seat armrest was also featured on sedans. Station wagons now used a unique inch 3, mm wheelbase and were larger than ever before. Station wagons continued to use unique model names.
The Kingswood Estate wagon was considered to be equivalent to the Chevrolet Caprice being the top level wagon. Unlike previous years, station wagons used unique rear suspension using a solid axle with leaf springs as opposed to coil springs and trailing arms on sedans and coupes.
Also new was the "Glide-Away" clam shell style disappearing tailgate. This design had the glass upper portion of the tailgate slide into the roof, and the lower steel portion slide into a compartment under the floor, providing a completely open space with no tailgate in sight.
The cargo capacity was the largest for a Chevrolet wagon, at With Kingswood wagons came in two-seat or three-seat versions. The three-seat model had a forward-facing rear seat that was placed over the rear axle area allowing for two additional occupants making them eight-passenger wagons. The Kingswood Estate had the cu in 6. Station wagon models came only with single exhaust systems which meant lesser power ratings than coupes and sedans. Power front disc brakes were standard equipment, along with a larger horsepower kW gross hp kW net cubic-inch Turbo Fire V8.
This engine, along with all optional power plants, were designed to run on regular leaded, low-lead or unleaded gasoline of 91 research octane or higher. To achieve this, all engines had the compression ratios lowered to 8. General Motors was the first of the big three to have all engines run on regular fuel and these changes were made to help meet the increasingly stringent emission regulations that were to come in to place in years to come.
Optional engines included horsepower net cubic-inch Turbo Jet V8 not to be confused with the two-barrel small block this engine actually displaced cu in 6. When equipped with dual exhaust, the Turbo jet was rated at hp kW. At mid-year, the Turbo Hydramatic transmission and variable-ratio power steering became standard equipment on all Caprice models and lower-line models fitted with a V-8 engine.
Chevrolet specifications included both "gross" and "net" horsepower figures in , which was a year before the industry wide transition to SAE net horsepower figures.
SAE net horsepower standardized horsepower ratings in accord with SAE standard J figures to get a more accurate horsepower figure. For , the Turbo-Jet engine was rated at gross horsepower with and without dual exhaust, while the more accurate net firgures show it rated at hp kW with single exhaust and with dual exhaust. Beginning in , automakers would follow SAE standard J and the "net" horsepower ratings were the only advertised ratings.
The tested Caprice was powered by the V8 and loaded with virtually all available options. The Caprice received a facelift with a revised grille that was lower in height than the '71 model flanked by a new bumper with increased protection one year ahead of the Federal mandate. This was done by a bumper within bumper design. Heavy gauge beams reinforced the bumper which are attached to the frame.
The rear bumper also featured this design and now had the triple taillights now mounted in the bumper. Engine offerings were carried over from with the switch to "net" horsepower ratings including hp kW for the standard two-barrel cu in 6. Turbo Hydramatic transmission, variable-ratio power steering and power front disc brakes continued as standard equipment.
New to the Caprice lineup was a pillared four-door sedan. All models also featured a revised "Astro Ventilation" system utilizing vents in the doorjams that replaced the troublesome version that used vents in the trunklid and turned out to be a major source of complaints to Chevy and other GM divisions dealers from customers.
Increasingly stringent emission standards added EGR exhaust gas recirculation valves to engines, and accordingly horsepower figures continued to drop. The standard Turbo-Fire cu in 6. A convertible, brought over from the lesser Impala series, was moved to the Caprice lineup for the first time in and the wood grained-trim station wagon known as the Kingswood Estate since was renamed the Caprice Estate. The models featured a new grille.
New thick "B" pillars and fixed rear quarter opera windows were new on two-door coupes, which essentially eliminated pillar-less hardtop design much like the GM intermediates did the previous year.
Other body styles including the four-door pillared and hardtop sedans, convertible and Estate Wagon were carried over with only minor changes from New to the engine roster was a four-barrel version of the small block cubic-inch Turbo Fire V8 rated at hp kW which was the standard engine on wagons and all cars sold in California, optional on other models in 49 states.
All other engines were carried over from although the Turbo Jet lost 10 horsepower 7. The interlock mandate received so much public outcry that Congress rescinded it shortly after the introduction of the models. A new option this year was a remote control for the passenger-side outside rear-view mirror.
A dealer group shipped a batch of '74 models to New Zealand where they were converted to right hand drive by Mercury Bay Motors, a country firm on the Coromandel Peninsula. The models received a revised grille and taillight trim and six-window styling on four-door models. The Caprice convertible would be discontinued after the model year along with its full-size B-body ragtop counterparts including the Oldsmobile Delta 88, Buick LeSabre and Pontiac Grand Ville.
Just about 8, Caprice Classic rag tops found buyers in , and both surviving Caprice Classic to 75 and Impala , ragtops have demonstrated quite an appreciation in value. This depends on the car's overall condition with a low mileage, unmolested original always being highly coveted by collectors and fans. As fuel economy became a bigger priority among Americans following the Arab Oil Embargo of late and early , Chevy made the smaller hp kW cu in 5.
In California, the four-barrel hp kW V8 was the base engine and this engine was unavailable elsewhere. Optional engines included the hp kW cu in 6. All engines except for the were single exhaust systems with the introduction of the catalytic converter. The Caprice Classic was available as a 4-door sedan, a 2-door sedan, a 6-passenger 2-seat station wagon and a 8-passenger 3-seat station wagon. All models were pillared sedans, and all doors had window frames.
No more hardtop models were offered. The 2-door models featured a unique rear window that created a semi-fastback. This glass had sharp corners giving it three sides. This was done through "hot-wire" bending process. The Caprice was available as the sport coupe or as the Landau coupe.
The Landau coupe featured a partially covered vinyl roof. Station wagon models received a new three-way tailgate for ; the clamshell tailgate was gone.
The 3-seat models featured a rear facing third seat for two occupants making these cars 8-passenger models. The cargo capacity was reduced to 87 cubic feet, and although the station wagon could still carry a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood, this could now only be done with the tailgate down.
Station wagons used the coil spring suspension in the rear, like the sedans and coupes. The Caprice Classic was not only smaller in overall dimensions, but also in engine size. For the first time since the Caprice was introduced in , a V8 engine was no longer standard equipment.
The base engine for Chevrolet Caprice coupes and sedans was Chevy's long-running cuin six-cylinder powerplant rated at hp 82kW. This engine was last available in a full-size Chevy in in the lower-line Bel Air. Standard on station wagons and optional on other Caprice models was a hp kW 2-barrel cuin version of the Chevy's small-block V8. This was the first year the cuin had been used in a full-size Chevrolet; it was first introduced in in compact and mid-sized Chevrolet lines.
A hp kW cuin V8 with four-barrel carburetion was now the top engine offering as the larger and V8s were discontinued. With the new lighter weight and smaller engines, Chevrolet promised increase fuel economy without great loss of performance compared to models.
Performance was good when comparing the smaller Caprice to the Caprice. A 2-bbl powered Chevrolet ran in Car and Driver tested a Chevrolet Impala with the engine and 3.
The was available with a 2. In the full-size Chevrolet was the third best selling car in the United states, while the models became the number one selling car in the United States. More than , full-size Chevrolets were produced in , with the most popular model being the 4-door Caprice Classic sedan , produced. By more than 1 million downsized Chevrolets were produced, when another , cars were produced. Not only did the public take to the new downsized Chevrolet's but so did the auto publications.
Motor Trend named the Caprice its Car of the Year for and Car and Driver declared "Even the most jaded car critics are in fact tripping over each other trying to be the first to anoint this sedan to be the best full-sized Chevrolet ever made. Only minor revisions were performed to the Chevrolet Caprice Classic. Front and rear styling were revised slightly.
The engine line-up remained unchanged, but numerically lower axle ratios were used in an attempt to boost fuel economy. The and engines went from a standard 2. An optional 3. The V8 engine received an aluminum intake manifold which reduced engine weight by 35 pounds. A larger brake booster was also added to help reduce braking effort.
For the Caprice Classic continued with only minor refinements. Again the front and rear styling was refreshed slightly. The six gained five horsepower, while the V8 lost 15horsepower 11kW. The change to the was a result of switching from the larger Rochester 2GC carburetor to the smaller Rochester Dualjet carburetor. The engine was unchanged. The Caprice Classic saw its first major revision since the downsized.
To further improve the fuel economy of the car, efforts were made to reduce weight and improve aerodynamics. The Caprice received all new exterior sheet metal, without drastically changing the look of the car.
To improve aerodynamics the hood was tapered lower, while the trunk area was higher. The grille was now a egg crate style while the tail-light panel featured three separate square lights per side. All the doors and components within were redesigned to be lighter, including the window crank mechanisms, which now used a tape drive mechanism.
The new styling increased the trunk capacity of both coupes and sedans to This increase was also partially achieved with a now standard compact spare tire on a inch mm wheel. A new frame lift jack replaced the bumper mounted model. A larger 25 US gallon fuel tank was standard equipment in sedans and coupes. Easy-roll radial tires, improved anti-corrosion measures, low friction ball joints and larger front suspension bushings were also new for Puncture-sealant tires and cornering lights were new options.
The six, was replaced by a new 90 degree Chevrolet 3. This engine shared the same bore and stoke as the cuin V8. California emission cars used the Buick 3. The Chevrolet 3. Although the 3. The 3. The base V8 engine was new for The 4. This engine had a 2-barrel carburetor Rochester Dualjet carburetor, and was not available in California.
The 2-barrel carburetor on the cuin V8 was replaced with a 4-barrel increasing the 's output to hp kW. This was now the most powerful engine option standard on California station wagons , as the cuin V8 was no longer available, except as part of the police package option.
The Oldsmobile-built cubic-inch Diesel V8 was added to the option list for station wagons. To further increase fuel economy, all transmissions were equipped with an electronically controlled lock-up torque converter clutch.
Styling was unchanged other than the grille which remained egg crate style but now had larger sections. Refinements included redesigned front disc brakes for less drag and a translucent plastic master cylinder reservoir.
The cruise control became equipped with a resume feature, while wire wheel covers had locking bolts to secure them in place. The engine line-up remained unchanged, although the 3. All engines were updated with the Computer Command Control CCC system which included an electronically metered carburetor. This change occurred in for California emission cars and did not occur to Canadian emission cars until A new four-speed automatic overdrive transmission with lock-up torque converter joined the powertrain line-up.
This transmission helped boost highway fuel economy, while improving city performance by with a 3. The overdrive transmission was only available with the cuin V8, and was a mandatory option for this engine. Few changes occurred to the Chevrolet Caprice Classic.
Styling remained unchanged from The model line-up was reduced by one, with the Caprice Landau coupe leaving. The engine line-up and power ratings remained unchanged. The cubic-inch Diesel V8 engine was now available on all models. The automatic overdrive transmission was available with both the cuin V8 and the cuin V8 engine.
This transmission was no longer a mandatory option for the cuin engine, which now came standard with the three-speed automatic except for California models. No two-door Caprice models were produced, leaving only the Caprice Classic 4-door and the 8-passenger Caprice Classic station wagon, since the 6-passenger Caprice wagon also left the line-up. The cuin engine and the automatic overdrive transmission was standard on station wagons.
The cuin diesel was available with the automatic overdrive transmission at extra cost, while the cuin V8 came equipped only with the automatic overdrive transmission.
The Chevrolet Caprice Classic 2-door sport coupe returned for the model year making the line-up consist of three models. Styling still remained unchanged, and models were virtually identical to models. The windshield washer controls were moved from the dashboard to the turn signal stalk to create the multi-stalk.
An optional Landau package included a vinyl roof, sport mirrors and reveal moldings. Powertrain availability and power ratings were unchanged for The cuin diesel engine came standard with an automatic overdrive transmission when equipped in station wagons.
For the Chevrolet Caprice received minor updates while styling remained unchanged. The interior of the Caprice was updated for , marking its most significant update since The simulated woodgrain applique used on the dash was replaced with a simulated silver metallic applique. The shaft-style radio was replaced with a more modern double DIN style radio, while the pull-out headlight switch was replaced by a push button style switch.
The climate controls were updated with rotary switches for the fan and rear window defroster replacing the toggle style switches. The instruments were updated to have a more modern appearance, with a horizontal speedometer while a round speedometer was included with the optional gauge package. The engine line-up saw major changes for This engine came standard with a three-speed automatic but was available with the four-speed automatic overdrive transmission.
The 5. This caused the 's output to jump to hp kW. The cuin diesel engine remained unchanged. The front fascia was restyled to have a more aerodynamic look.
The Caprice emblem was no longer a hood ornament, and was mounted directly to the centre of the front fascia. A new smaller sleeker grille with prominent vertical chrome divider bars replaced the egg crate style used in Favourite added temporarily. To add it to your profile, you will need to sign in. Industry Quality car insurance coverage, at competitive prices. Ask for a car insurance quote today. GM may bring Chevrolet Caprice here from Australia GM has made no secret of the fact that it plans to use its far-flung global empire as a source of new cars for North America, so it shouldn't surprise anyone to learn that the company is working on a V8-powered rear-drive sedan called the Chevrolet Caprice Royale.
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