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This 1969 Caprice Packs a Beastly Engine Most Camaros Only Wish They Had

All too often, a select handful of names take up all the spotlight when talking about the apex of 1960s General Motors cars. The Corvette, Camaro, Nova, and a few others were purpose-built sports coupes with the engines to match. But even the average full-size family car could pack some heat under the hood with the right options checked off.
Caprice 14 photos
Photo: Craigslist Boston
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The Caprice of this period was remarkably different from other passenger cars in the Chevrolet lineup like the Corvette, Camaro, Chevelle, and so on. Most of the time, if one wished to own a big, luxurious land ship, you'd need to upgrade to a Buick, Oldsmobile, or even a Cadillac. The Caprice was the exception to this rule. With a gargantuan wheelbase of 119.0 inches (3,023 mm) and weighing in at 3,895 pounds (1,767 kg), this Caprice is a land ship in almost every respect.

Under the hood of this large and in-charge beast is the same engine that made GM a force to be reckoned with in the first muscle car war of the late 60s. At 427 cubic inches (seven-liters approx), it would have made little four-cylinder engines in European sports cars of the same era look like kid's toys. 335 horsepower is the figure advertised under the hood.

Otherwise, the owner of this car for sale via the Boston, Massachussettes section of Craigslist claims everything is 100% original, parts matching, and unaltered apart from the most basic routine maintenance. Both the engine and transmission are rebuilt, and the very same unites this car rolled off the factory floor sporting over 50 years ago. The interior is also decent, given the age. The listing states the car has 82,000 original miles (131,966.21 km) on the odometer, not a spring chicken, but not ludicrously clapped out either.

At $16,000 cash out the door, you can't even afford to buy a new sub-compact economy car for that kind of money anymore. Although your saving would probably be canceled out by how much fuel you'd have to shovel down this thing's carburetors. Worth it? Absolutely.
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