We’ve written up a many ’71-’76 Chevies here at Curbside Classic. In fact, I’ve found two of them myself, a ‘73 Caprice Custom Coupe and a ’74 Impala Custom Coupe. With the addition of this ’74 Impala Sport Coupe, I’ve now found three of the four coupe roof lines GM used on these beasts- All I need to complete the collection is a ’71 to ’73 Sport Coupe.
Looking over previous write ups, there’s little love directed towards these Caprices and Impalas. They share the largest exterior dimensions ever applied to a Chevrolet (car), and phrases such as “bloated,” “fat” and “whale” litter the write ups in both the main texts, and reader comments.
While other Chevies used similar styling, I think it translated better on the smaller platforms. However, it is possible the overall concept is good and the stylists missed the sweet spot on these cars.
These B-Bodies have also been criticized for cheap plastic interiors and black steering wheels and columns. For its age, this interior looks pretty damn good, but to my eye, someone added the brown vinyl on the door panel to cover discolored or missing emblems or inserts. Checking online images, I don’t see another Impala with similar trim.
However, as B-body defenders like to point out, Chevy offered a colored steering wheel option, and this car takes advantage of it. It could be there was also a contrasting vinyl trim option as well.
I also could not find any ’74 Chevy interiors with contrasting upholstery piping. However, the buttons and stitching on the seat surfaces match the factory design perfectly. If someone reupholstered the seats and added vinyl to the door panels, they did a very professional job.
The plastic theme carries forward up front as well, as evidenced by this all plastic grille assembly. There’s a lot of layers and textures here, and it’s mostly molded plastic. Despite this, I found no nicks, cracks or damage after 45 years of use. It’s also either lost the original Blue and Gold plates, or been imported into California later in its life.
In fact, this missing trim piece on the bottom edge of the vinyl roof appeared to be the only real damage on the car. The owner parks it on the curb, and drives it on a regular basis, and despite the disdain many people direct towards this car they have kept it in remarkable condition.
So there you go, the third B-Body coupe I’ve found in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. Not a car I’d associate with the SoCal car culture, but that’s the thing about LA- We have a little bit of everything.
In that first, front-quarter photo, this Chevrolet looks like it could be a Cadillac, probably as it was meant to.
One of the consumer publications of the day (perhaps it was Consumer Reports) purposely compared the Caprice to the Cadillac.
They couldn’t figure out why anyone would pay more for the Caddy. (But mostly it was due to the Cadillacs equally plasticy interior.)
The comparison was made by Motor Trend in 1972. Their conclusion was that the only advantage the Cadillac Sedan de Ville had over a comparably optioned Caprice was better workmanship.
And that workmanship comment may not apply for Los Angeles area deliveries, as Cadillac shared the Southgate assembly plant with the lesser GM makes.
Workmanship…On the 1971 Cadillac Sedan de Ville my Dad bought new, we noticed a fluttering of the cowl panel behind the hood as the car went over bumps. We removed the plate that covered its left end and discovered that the bolt holding the cowl panel had sheared off when it was tightened.
Whoever installed the cover plate either KNEW the bolt was sheared and covered it up anyway, or was an automaton who didn’t look at the car he was building, and did only the least for which he was responsible.
Dad bought one more Cadillac but after that, had enough and his next car was a Mercedes, a W126 (300SD).
Isn’t it interesting how, from the mid-50s to about the time that the B- and C-bodies were downsized, Chevrolet often styling cues with their Cadillac brethren?
It‘s particularly apparent in the front ends of certain years. It shows how powerful Chevrolet was within the GM hierarchy, to be allowed to ape the styling of the flagship.
This was one of the better looking of this era’s Impalas.
Checking Google Images to confirm my memory, it was 1974 when Caprice and Impala began to carry completely different front ends. Previously, the Caprice nose was pretty much an Impala with fancier trim, different grill in the Impala opening, or on some models, hideaway headlamps.
The 1974 Caprice moved the turn signal/parking lamp inside the grill, then added a gigantic side marker that I assume doubled as a turn signal indicator as well. To my eyes, it was busy and disjointed compared with the more integrated “baby Cadillac” look of the Impala.
Does anyone know if California emissions required catalytic converters before 1975? Or if it came from out of state, maybe it was desmogged before coming to CA, then grandfathered?
I remember most 1974 cars as being finicky and miserable to live with due to the miles of vacuum lines and doodads that were largely replaced by converters for 1975. Then the cycle started all over again until computers and EFI became the next big breakthrough and by that time, the manufacturers were learning how to design engines that would simply run cleaner from the inside out.
If memory serves, 1975 may’ve been the year that the Impala and Caprice started with the different front ends. That was the year of the taillight change I know, as a guy I worked with at Black & Decker in Towson had a 1975 with ’74 taillights on one side (no center dividing bar), and ’75 taillights on the other side (with the center dividing bar).
I never did get the story on that one. Was the one side’s taillights replaced? Or did he get one with a mix up at the factory and decided to leave it that way.
As I recall, his was a Caprice, and he had the newer ‘different’ front clip than the Impala. Of course the different taillights he had on each side doesn’t really solve this question of ambiguity.
Upon further review, you were correct Chas….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Impala#Fifth_generation_(1971%E2%80%931976)
From the article: “The 1975 Impala used a 1974 carried-over Caprice front end, with a grille insert and emblem change.”
I should’ve known our resident Chevy guy would get this detail correct. ;o)
My accurate identification of all things Impala was probably waning at this point, as 74-76 was kind of a blur (the little taillight detail I mentioned above being one of the identifiers during that era), and with the ’77 downsizing, it got even harder to tell them apart.
’74 Caprice front clip; http://www.oldcarbrochures.org/United%20States/Chevrolet/1974-Chevrolet/1974%20Chevrolet%20Full%20Size/slides/1974%20Chevrolet%20Full%20Size-04-05.html
That was the face the ’75 Impala inherited, with a different grille insert, while the Caprice got exclusive use of the cut-back fender look that year; for ’76 the biggest difference was that Caprices had square headlights (and a grille insert that carried the theme) but they also lost body-color filling between grille and headlights, and gained a more prominent separation of grille and bumper.
“Does anyone know if California emissions required catalytic converters before 1975? Or if it came from out of state, maybe it was desmogged before coming to CA, then grandfathered?”.
My ’74 Mustang (with Cali emissions) did not come with cats, but they were never a “requirement”- tightening tailpipe standards drove manufacturers to apply catalysts across the board.
At present, California doesn’t require ’74s to go through an emissions test, so there’s no telling if this car retains the factory system.
There were no catalytic converters on production cars before the 1975 model year, and there has never been a catalytic converter retrofit mandate—not in California or elsewhere.
I can’t tell what you have in mind when you wonder whether it was “desmogged before coming to California”. The 1974 California emissions standards were more stringent on unburnt hydrocarbons than the 1974 Federal emissions standards (3 g/mi Federal; 2.9 g/mi CA), and the same was true for nitrogen oxides (3 g/mi Federal; 2 g/mi CA), but for carbon monoxide the CA ’74 standard (34 g/mi) was looser than the Federal standard (28 g’mi). The California ’74 standard also included an evaporative emissions limit (2 g over the course of the test) that wasn’t included in the Federal protocol until ’75. Additionally, the California requirements included more rigourous testing to try and make sure every vehicle actually met the standard. The Federal requirements were based on a type-approval kind of arrangement.
All of these specs were the ones the manufacturers or importers had to meet with their new vehicles in order for them to be legal to offer for first sale. These standards had little to do with the standards enforced at periodic vehicle emissions tests (such as California’s “Smog-Check” program).
In general, non-CA vehicles brought into CA did not (and still do not) have to be retrofitted with the equipment and tuning specifications of the CA-spec version of the vehicle. The exceptions were that pre-1968 non-CA vehicles with open crankcase breathers had to be retrofitted with ducted breathers, and for awhile ’66-’70 models (CA-spec and non-CA-spec alike!) had to be retrofitted with NOx control devices. That latter retrofit program was a real fiasco, worthy of its own CC article. It’s on my to-do list.
I remember doing the NOx device retrofit on the ’67 VW and ’66 A-100 V-8. In both cases I used an EGR kit. Most just capped the vacuum advance and added a sticker to the dash about possible overheating. Both had unusual vacuum advance setups, so the EGR was mandatory. It caused backfiring with the VW, but no averse effects on the Dodge.
Getting back to 1974, my Ford E-100 with the 302 had seemingly miles of vacuum hoses and the very first Duraspark ignition. It always had trouble passing the CO portion of the test.
There was no requirement anywhere for catalytic converters before 1975 (link goes to big CC article about CCs).
Wow, this one looked perfect till you zoomed in on the vinyl roof. Still, pretty nice.
In the 69 70 models, the column and steering wheel were color-keyed. 71-73 the Impala went to the black column and wheel. 74, Impala and Bel-Air came with color- keyed column’s. In 75, the whole dash was color- keyed.
These cars are appreciated by those who were there. 1974 was the first year i started getting heavily into cars. I used to go to the car dealers and dream of owning a new Cady or Monte or a Park Avenue optioned Electra 225 etc… This car is special to me as Chevy’s rulled the roost in this era. As G.Poon said……….these cars were very similar to Cadillac in their execution. Cadillacs were the cars to aspire to at this time and Chevy used many of their styling cues(hence the “working mans Cadillac”moniker). these cars are our history and what the public was both used to and wanted.
I learned to drive in one. It was a new Spirit of America Impala at my high school’s drivers education class. It was white with special striping and logos on it. Inside, the dash and interior pieces were navy blue and dark red. There was only one Impala, and the other guys drove one of the Pontiac Le Mans or Buick Regal coupes. The other drivers were jealous of our Impala, believe it or not.
Can you imagine, putting five guys in a coupe for driving lessons? Not a sedan? I never understood the appeal or practicality of jamming people into dark back seats, three in a row, during the Chicago summer.
So the car was about as much fun to drive as it looks – not fun at all. It was bloaty, floaty, oozy, and the steering wheel gave you about as much road feel as if your hands had fallen asleep – totally numb. It was able to move out of its way, but piloting it around the City was dull and plodding, except getting on the expressways. Nothing prepares a kid driver like merging onto the Dan Ryan expressway, all eight lanes of bodacious traffic hell.
So the car was about as much fun to drive as it looks
Well said!
My father used to refer to this color as “Prosthetic Leg Beige”.
For me, it was “hearing aid brown.”
Or “Flesh Colored Crayon”… remember THAT one? Not PC at all, but then what was in 1974?
I totally agree that 1974 was perhaps the nadir for performance in American cars due to all the half baked efforts to reduce emissions. What I don’t understand is that the introduction of the catalytic converter in ‘75 was supposed to change all that. The addition of the converter was supposed to allow removal of all the vacuum lines, hoses etc. that strangled performance and killed gas mileage. That never happened and cars in the 1975-85 era (until the widespread adoption of fuel injection, computers, etc.) were some of the worst performers in history.
“That never happened and cars in the 1975-85 era (until the widespread adoption of fuel injection, computers, etc.) were some of the worst performers in history.”
The situation was not static from ’74 on. In 1975 the EPA tailpipe test first measured NOx emissions (the ’74 test only measured HC and CO), and all standards continued to tighten over the next six years.
Therefore, manufacturers had to continue to evolve the emissions control equipment to meet tougher and tougher targets every two years.
Interesting color, sorta beige, sorta pink.
This would be the last ever Chevy hardtop coupe. The ’75 got large, separate rear quarter windows that didn’t roll down.
I’m fine with this generation of big Chevrolets. They had their deficiencies but the mile-wide interior is unlike anything on a modern car; the days when you could comfortably seat six adults in a coupe.
Actually 1975 was the last year for the real two-door hardtop. I have included the page from the ’75 sales brochure.
First I had forgotten about the two different rooflines on the 2 doors.
That said, I think this one has had extensive work. The the vinyl roof – the ones I saw online had a bit of vinyl going across below the rear window, while this one does not. I also saw a “halo” style with a paint gap between the windows and the vinyl, but that might have been an option of some kind.
That interior has been extensively redone. The beige piping is new as is all of that beige trim on the inside. My family was shopping GM dealers in 1974 and I remember blue, green, dark tan (saddle) black, and white. White interiors got black red green or blue dashes. There was also this parchment tan color that had a really dark brown dash. This is all going from long ago memory, but I will be really surprised if that dash has not been painted by someone really crazy about this beige. Which is also not a real 74 color, unless someone was really off on trying to replicate the formula.
All that said, the 74 is the last big Chevy I really found attractive. These made a really nice 4 door hardtop, but this sport coupe is not bad.
Bel-Air was really nice in its simplicity………love those 4 tail lights on the back.
And more rarer are the Canadian Bel Air sport coupe and Biscayne sedan who was sold only in Canada.
http://www.oldcarbrochures.org/Canada/GM-Canada/Chevrolet/1974-Chevrolet-Full-Size-Brochure-Cdn/slides/1974_Chevrolet_Full_Size_Cdn-16-17.html
I had no idea that there was a 1974 Bel air coupe in Canada in the US they stopped making Bel Air coupes after 1969……………….interesting and looks great!! Thanks for that history lesson Stephane!!!
Agreed on the work that’s been done here. That dash originally had multiple pieces and parts, many of which were either black plastic, woodgrain, or a combo of black plastic with “chrome” bezels. It looks like in this case someone basically sprayed the car in the base beige color both inside and out, then had the upholstery redone and the vinyl top added at the upholstery shop. The quality of the work looks pretty good overall, but it’s a complete mystery to me why anyone would go to all that trouble and choose that color. To each his own, I suppose.
“t’s a complete mystery to me why anyone would go to all that trouble and choose that color.”
Best comment on this string!
A few things on this car…the interior has most definitely been redone and the dash and steering wheel have been painted. I’m sure this car started life with what was called the “neutral “ interior. It was a sort of off white beige color with Dark brown dash/steering wheel/A pillar trim and carpet. My Dad’s 74 had the neutral interior and it was a source of annoyance to him. When he ordered the car, he was told he could get the white interior with blue dash/steering wheel/carpet a pillars. He ordered the car in Aqua Blue Metallic. It came through with the neutral interior which brown accents didn’t match with the blue exterior so he was furious. He accepted the car anyway. The photo car has also had the vinyl roof replaced or was dealer installed. Factory installed would’ve had a single seam down the center. The bumper fillers have been replaced, they don’t fit the contours correctly, though the originals were far from perfect. The inset area around the taillights has also been painted. It should be satin gray not black. And of course the 76 Caprice wheel covers look out of place. My Dad chose the custom coupe even though he hated the triangular side windows. The dealer converted it opera windows and Dad thought it looked like a Cadillac. Ours actually handled quite well because Dad ordered the F41 Suspension. Ours had the 400 small block and essentially every option except positraction. The bumper rub strips really toned down the mass of the bumpers and hid the bolt heads. Ours was very reliable but not exactly a model of quality assembly. Dad always said our 68 Impala was a far better car all around and was glad he hadn’t traded it in on the 74. He traded our 71 Chevelle instead. Here’s our 74 when it was brand new.
So, I wonder if the beige coupe in the background may have received the blue interior bits that your dad had hoped for…..
It seemed like anything was possible then. The picture definitely shows the difference in the side windows between factory and aftermarket. Oddly enough the 71 Chevelle my Dad traded in had the same neutral interior with the dark brown dash/carpet but the steering wheel was black. Of course the dark brown parts matched as the exterior of the car was Sandalwood beige with a dark brown vinyl roof.
when you see cars out in the wild like that… esp when they look like drives and not weekend toys… it seems more special. last summer up in cold toronto…. i saw a hyundai pony go about. good body, but looked like the old guy just took care of it and drove it.
Will someone please retrieve my comment from the trash? Thanks kindly.
I like it! The ’72s are my favorites, but these ’74 Sport Coupes are right up there, certainly above the Custom Coupes for my money.
Of this generation Aaron, I’d have to agree, the ‘72 is my favorite as well.
If I could get a ‘72 with the ‘73 back bumper with its larger taillights, that would be perfect!
Both links in the first paragraph are pointing to the ’74 Impala Custom Coupe.
Thanks- Fixed
Great job on the interior. It looks really sharp.
The outside, well, it looks almost as good as when it left the factory, which is to say terrible.
On an episode of The Rockford Files, Jim rented one of these and had some kind of chase. I almost rooted for the bad guys…
It’s the pilot episode with a different actor playing Rocky
The first thing I noticed about this “hearing aide beige” Impala was that it has ‘76 Caprice hubcaps – It’s a bit scary that I know that.
As mentioned starting in ‘74 the Impala started sporting a more different look (other than grill design) from Caprice, in ‘75 ‘76 Impala took on the Caprice’s previous year look. This was nothing new – Ford did the same thing in the late 1930’s with its Standard & De Luxe models.
Now if we could only run this through a 3D printer and dial it back to say 90% size, I think I could like it.
I’ve never read an explanation as to why this generation of GM’s biggies were so huge.
I wish my 74 Sport Coupe was the same color as the California one. I have the same interior. That interior color is actually called Neutral. According to the trim book it was supposedly also offered in cloth in that color, but I’ve never seen it. And those are 1975 wheel covers on this one.
I remember that Rockford episode, it was a ’74 Caprice Custom coupe with the wide bodyside chrome strip- he lost a hubcap on it then was out in the desert towards Las Vegas I think when he did a 180 on the highway and a massive burnout throwing sand up lol