In this day and age, the great lumbering beasts of the road are the full-size sport-utility vehicles. Based on full-size trucks, able to seat a large family, able to tow good-sized loads, filled to the brim with the latest trinkets and toys, they have become both the top-tier peoplemover and the bane of those who want anything else.
Hmm, sounds familiar.
As a kid born in the early 1980s, I got a first-hand witness account of the death of the great American station wagon. I’ve seen the herds of minivans, I’ve survived the Great Explorer Epoch, and now I’m gearing up for…well, I’ll save my thoughts on the future of automobiles for another day. But to the point…I’ve seen the days where a car like this was gutted of it’s engine and cast off like trash. That’s why the moment I saw this car’s listing in the upcoming Mecum auction in Glendale, Arizona, it was a no-brainer. With room for eight comfortably, the brute strength of the GM B-body fullsize was on full display with wagons like the Kingswood. Lament the lack of wood paneling if you must, but the Gold and White paint works here. So does the 502 swap, the 700R4 overdrive automatic, and the full-kill suspension setup that features Hotchkis and RideTech components. The Wilwood brakes are a welcome upgrade over the stock items as well.
I know of neighborhoods where this car would cause certain members of society to go into full-on protest mode as they cry about the old gas-guzzler that is taking away from the overall asthetic of McMansion and Escalade. Would those same individuals explode when you tell them that it’s just as capable as that brick-house $120,000 mammoth that gets privately detailed once a month, drives the same places and is far more exclusive? And maybe, just maybe, you might hint that you’ll have more fun, talk with more interesting people, and have stories to tell for years to come?
Nah. Screw ’em. They’d just park this thing in the garage under blankets. This Kingswood needs to be on roadtrips all summer long.
Mecum Auctions’ Glendale 2022: Lot T146 – 1970 Chevrolet Impala Kingswood
‘I’ve seen the days where a car like this was gutted of it’s engine and cast off as trash.’
Guilty as charged. I plucked a 400 SBC out of an early 80s Kingswood in the early 90s. I didn’t feel too bad about it, (still don’t), It had been cast off behind a body shop but I was assured that for $150 and my labor of removing the engine that I’d have an up and running whatever I put it in. True enough, it landed in a ’69 GMC “heavy” (6 lug wheels) 1/2 ton that was my firewood truck for 2 years. After I came outta the woods and back to town, I traded it for a 1972 XLCH, good deal all around.
Anyway, the featured 70 is a gem and I’d trade the Jimmy, the Kingswood, the Sportster AND the $150 for it right now.
After consulting with Mrs. Piston I realize that I was off about 10 years in my recollection of the Kingswood 400/69 GMC swap.
Woulda been early 80s and the wagon was early 70s.
Time shrinks as it fades away.