When GM bosses ordered division managers to drive the cars that paid their salaries, it left the bosses at Chevrolet a little cold. After all, the best they had, outside of the Corvette, was a fully loaded Impala. While it was a spectacular car, executives wanted a posher image—something more exclusive, more luxurious, more conservative. In quick fashion, the Caprice was born. Introduced midway through 1965 as an option package, it added about $200 to the cost of a four-door Impala, which stickered around $2,700. Known as the Caprice Custom Sedan, RPO Z18 offered a massive group of changes to the Impala with items such as a heavier frame, softer suspension, high-grade cloth and vinyl upholstery, a multitude of color options, thicker and softer carpeting, walnut interior trim applique and a flurry of other trim changes, creating a unique, more stylized and more luxurious vehicle. For 1966, the Caprice became its own line and was positioned among Chevrolet’s best. It was available as a four-door hardtop, a six- or nine- passenger station wagon or as a two-door hardtop with a unique, formal roofline in comparison to the two-door Impala. During its lifetime, the Caprice, and subsequent Caprice Classic as it was renamed in 1973, would stand as one of the best-selling full-size cars in the world. Thanks to its abundant roster of standard features and optional extras, the Caprice was heralded for its value by publications comparing them to the likes of the Cadillac Sedan Deville and Buick Electra 225, with the Chevrolet Caprice often coming out in first place. This 1970 Chevrolet Caprice four-door hardtop is likely among the best representations of the Caprice, showing just under 3,000 miles on the odometer. A one-owner car, it was stored in a heated garage its entire life. Finished in Misty Turquoise with a black vinyl roof, the Caprice rolls on white-stripe tires with full-width, color-matched wheel covers. A 400/265 HP Turbo-Fire V-8 engine and an automatic transmission motivate the car, which pampers its occupants with an AM radio, heater/defroster, clock, power steering and Astro Ventilation. The Medium Turquoise interior features the upgraded, patterned upholstery with tufted cushioning, wood applique detailing and a front bench seat. To be sold with the owner’s manual and original window sticker, Protect-O-Plate and title, it is quite likely among the lowest-mile Caprices available.
