The long, successful life of the Chevy Caprice Classic was on display in various styles and designs, and it proved a real winner for the company from the time it debuted back in 1965 until it ended its run after the 1996 model. The car served GM well, and its many customers took to it with enthusiasm for four generations and a number of body and engine/transmission changes.

Meant to be a full-size car for many consumers, the Caprice Classic filled the role ably, being the company’s most expensive real-wheel, big-car offering right from the time it first came off the assembly line in the middle of the 1965 model year. General Motors knew what it had and took pains to stock it with as many options as it could.

For the first two generations (there were four in total) Chevy offered on 8 cylinder big and small-block powerplants. At the start of its third iteration, the company dropped an inline-6 into the mix in an attempt to improve fuel economy, though the car had never been able to brag at being much of a gas sipper prior to that. The most important change to the car up that point came in 1977, when it was completely redesigned and slimmed down in dimension.

This new model proved to be a success, too, and quite different in appearance from its predecessors, taking on a cubed-off and boxy shape, which it would retain until 1990. The vehicle also proved to be quite popular with police departments all over the country due to its body-on-frame construction, rear wheel drive, V8 engine availability and extra-large rear seat.

As the luxury offering in the Caprice line, the Caprice Classic did its job well and with a great deal of aplomb, never straying far from the top of the Chevy price lists for full-size cars. Its final offering resulted in it appearing in another new redesign, though it carried over nicely-powered V8 engines to the point it offered a detuned Corvette mill.

The Caprice Classic also strove to offer much in the way of interior room and was a favorite of consumers everywhere, though it eventually saw its sales numbers drop off as the car market segmented itself down into ever-smaller slices. This meant that it never reached sales levels of the 70s, when it was most popular and the 80s, though police departments continued to rave about its abilities.

The Chevy Caprice Classic, for all intents and purposes, went away after 1996, though there is a version of the Caprice being sold in Middle Eastern markets which is based off an Australian vehicle made by the Holden auto company. Truly an American icon, the big Chevy occupied a place in many an American consumer’s heart for over thirty years.

Andy Zain is the admin of Caprice Classic Forums , a place where fans and owners can get the right information for tuning, customization and general discussions on anything about Chevy Caprice. Get the information you need when you visit Chevy Forum