In 1976, America was celebrating its bicentennial, and come summertime, the living was easy. With Elton John and Kiki Dee crooning on the stereo, you could cruise on down the main street strip on a warm evening, top down with friends on board. All you needed was a big 'ol convertible the size of an aircraft carrier.
Hoving into view at Bring a Trailer, this 1975 Chevrolet Caprice would have been basically brand-new in '76, and given its low mileage, it basically still is. On the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it's still the perfect way to celebrate with some classic big-body convertible slow-rolling.
1975 was the last year for domestic convertibles in the U.S., apart from the Cadillac Eldorado. The Caddy might have been more exclusive when new, but this Caprice is an example of the kind of land yacht accessible to the everyman. A very similar example featured in an episode of The Brady Bunch, with Greg and Marsha competing over who was the better newly licensed driver.
This example has just 951 miles on the odometer, so it is basically a sealed time capsule. It's finished in red over white vinyl, with bench seats front and rear and a white folding roof. Anyone who has ever griddled their legs on a black interior on a hot day knows that this is perfect summer spec for a Caprice.
Under that hood is a 400-cubic-inch V-8 paired with a three-speed automatic transmission. Good for 175 horsepower and 305 pound-feet of torque when new, it's no hot rod, but rather offers up lazy dollops of V-8 grunt while you helm the low-effort steering wheel and sail down the road. It's basically a parade float.
There's been a fair amount of mechanical refurbishment done in the past five years, including an engine teardown and work on the cooling system and various gaskets. This begs the question: Having missed out on spending the summer of '76 rolling around decked out in patriotic bunting, is now the time for big red here to put on a few miles?
We say yes. This big car has the perfect front seat for watching the USA 250 fireworks. Summertime is the perfect time for cruisin' USA, and this big ol' Chevy is just the machine for it. Call up five friends and get your Uncle Sam hat out.
The auction ends on July 7.
Source: caranddriver.com
