While collecting El Camino images for last Thursday’s Streetscape article, I also encountered this ’73 Chevy. It’s hard to miss Curbside Classics when they park side by side…
While I don’t love this shade of brown, it seems period correct, and brings out the lines of this coupe quite nicely. Overall, the owner seems to have a good feel for this era, as the steel wheels and slight body rake attest.
The hood scoop also fits the time and place of this Caprice, and if it’s neccesary to clear the engine induction system, this threatens to be a very quick coupe indeed.
It also appears to be shorn of the ugly side molding that so many cars of this era were adorned with.
There’s one of these in the apartment complex where I live- a ’71. I’m eagerly waiting for Paul to publish my full article 🙂 .
O jeez; sorry about that…been really slammed. I need reminders, and now you’ve given me one!
I found the ’71 to ’76 Caprice 2 door hardtops continued the similar styling look and feel started by the ’70 Monte Carlo. Obviously, it was much larger of course. To my eye, it looked less crisp, and more bloated.
I’m getting a late night detective TV show feel from this.This is the car punks who hold up the liquor store drive away burning rubber for 3 blocks.
It also is the car Sgt. Rick Hunter uses to pursue said punks….(although his has a mis-matched front fender)
I know where I saw one before now!Thanks Dave
Thanks for this article and photos Dave.
I appreciate the owner of this Caprice hoping to make the vehicle sportier looking.
But I don’t find the Rally wheels and white letter tires suit this generation of Caprice.
I don’t recall seeing them at the time. They were common on Malibus.
The lack of vinyl roof is nice. This generation was one of the most bulbous, style-wise.
I don’t have a strong opinion about the style choices the owner made, I just felt the car looked more 1975 than 2013.
I often see these cars mounting modern wheels or with major suspension modifications, and I prefer this period look. D/S
Completely agree!… It’s definitely an authentic look an owner would have done at the time to customize it. But not the factory.
I’m pretty sure that those Rally wheels are aftermarket. Full size GM cars of this era came with a 5 on 5-inch wheel bolt pattern- the same as a 1/2 ton, 2WD full sized pickup or van. My ’72 Delta 88 has this same pattern.
I had a set of classic polished Centerline Autodrags on my Delta for a while, but eventually went back to stock ( full hubcaps with whitewalls ) . Those Centerlines are now gathering dust in my garage parts pile.
So nice to see one of these that hasn’t been “donked”! The huge rims & hydraulics look ridiculous, in my opinion.
That is one big, ugly Chevy. These always looked best in broughamier trim.
+1 To think that when I was 19 I actually thought of trading my ’87 Caprice coupe for one of these because I thought it had more style.. no thanks. They look great in brochure shots and standalone pics but seeing one in a parking lot, wow what a big behemoth it really is.
It looks almost naked without the vinyl top, not to mention those moldings and some chrome wheelarch trim.
Nothing says the seventies like one of the last, truly full-size, big-ass Chevys, particularly one with the 5-mph bumpers.
I’m not sure what you would call the area of the hood between the fender peaks and raised area above/behind the radiator grille, but it is so much lower that it looks strange and I wonder why there was such a contrast
Any truth to the rumor that the barges of the 70’s were actually designed by the steel and petroleum industries. Certainly they were the main beneficiaries.
Cowll induction hood just doesn’t work on this car. Everyone seems to be using them now, like every early 60’s Ford seems to have a “lightweight teardrop” hood.
+1. I suppose this poor car will be wearing hood and deck stripes to complete the “package”. The chinese repop “rally rims”, jacked-up rear end, and awful shade of brown (not a factory color) add to the aesthetic abomination that was once an attractive car.
The owner should have saved his cash for a Chevelle since that appears to be what he’s after.
Often hard to tell from a picture, but I didn’t think that shade of brown looked right either. If anyone can identify a proper color on a 1973 GM B body, it would be you.
I actually LIKE this, color and all, and BTW, those ARE likely GM rims, maybe not what was offered on this particular car, but they ARE GM rims, prolly from a Camaro or something along those lines.
This looks like a semi factory sleeper whereby it’s really a daddy of a hot rod, but in more plain Jane clothing to hide its true potential.
Anyway, these weren’t the most huge things out there at the time, and yes, I’m well familiar with a 4 door 71 variant of this body style, and saw a wrecked blue 2 door, also a ’71 in the junkyard, they were on the long side, but not overly tall for a full sized car of the day.
Not so sure if they’re genuine GM rims or not. The big GM behemoths used a 5 on 5″ wheel bolt pattern, same as a 1/2 ton truck. while the F, A, and X bodies used the standard GM 5 on 4 3/4″ bolt pattern. I don’t remember GM offering a specific 5-slot Rally option for the big Bs, unless I’m mistaken. The pickups, vans, and Suburbans had their own raly wheel option that looked nothing like the 5-slotters.
There are several aftermarket manufacturers who reproduce the GM 5-slot rally for nearly any application, GM or not. A brand called Wheel Vintiques is the best example. That could be what those are. Considering the cowl hood, that wouldn’t suprise me.
I like the color too. In fact I’ll have to admit, I’ve always had a strange desire specifically for a 73 in this color and without all the busy trim pieces and vinyl top(although I would perversely prefer the 4 door hardtop over the coupe!). Though he Z28 cowl looks terrible to me, and I’m uneasy about the RWLs — I generally prefer them to blackwalls if I’m given a choice but they do seem inappropriate here. I don’t think whitewalls would look good either. The Rally wheels are a nice touch though, those look appropriate on everything.
Some of the big BOPs from this era are pretty attractive, but this lumpy log is hard on the eyes.
Owned a 71 Custom Coupe and loved it. What’s amazing is I could have kept it all these years [engines-transmissions] and still be driving it.
The battle for “the ends” was in full swing on this car. The rear was still blessed with the more integrated look that was originally envisioned for these beasts. To me it looks pretty good, even if it is chunkier than the debut ’71s or even the ’72s where the tail lights were in the bumper stock. That front, however, is ready to plow into 1974, and the enormous bumper guards just add to the effect. At least it still was a true hardtop. This visual battle was fairly short-lived however: the design of the 74s was more unified (if less attractive), as the Colonnade coupe roof united the heavy batting ram front to the newly bulging batting ram rear with a uniquely ugly batting ram roof design in between.
I owned one of these but in light green. It had the 400 smallblock with 2-barrel carb. It was a great car until I collided with a semi at 50mph and miraculously walked away (no seat belts).
The nondescript brown color, lack of trim, cowl induction hood and Rallyes with raised white letter tires makes me think that something mean ‘n nasty lurks under the hood of this boat. I’m sure it’s no match for the fresh white Camaro in the background, but I bet it smokes the tires real good and cruises comfortably at 80.