Nostalgia might be the strongest force when it comes to all of us who are afflicted with this gearhead sickness. Somewhere along the way, usually early on, there was something about a car that made an impression on you that has since been unshakable. I know mine…my uncle Ben’s 1977 Camaro when I was in kindergarten…but for many, I’m willing to bet that it was whatever your dad or grandpa drove. Especially if you are of a certain age, Dad usually had the cooler car while Mom was driving the family shuttle around. Maybe not. But whatever the “cool” set of wheels was that triggered you, that memory sticks. It’s cemented in place.
Which leads me to asking a question: Whose parents optioned this beauty back in 1969?
There are about three ways this 1969 Caprice came to be:
One: the original buyer was a die-hard Chevrolet type and wanted to have the baddest MF on the block with four doors…but also wanted to slip under the radar. A blue and white Caprice four door? Sure, that’s a respectable family sedan. Pay no attention to the callouts on the fenders, we’ll just motor along until we’re past the city limits…then we’re going to scare the kids stark-white with a bit of an Italian tune-up.
Two: Imagine this beauty cruising down the highway, boat in tow, helper springs doing their job, four gentlemen in comfort looking forward to a weekend of fishing on the lake before Bill has to clean the car up and head to work on Monday morning. That 335-horse 427 has the grunt to keep the car going just fine, and since this car comes straight out of Washington state, why bother with the air conditioning when you can roll all four windows down and enjoy a true four-door hardtop properly?
Three: This was Grandpa and Grandma’s retirement ride. A fully-loaded, special-order Caprice with all the bells and whistles? Well, when Grandpa spent his early years hauling ass across Europe in a fighter plane, no Thriftmaster six-cylinder is going to get the job done, now will it?
Whatever the case, this is one of the few times that “stock” is perfect. Yeah, it’s a 30K-mile survivor with full documentation and it’s original 1969 license plates intact. But even if this thing had half-a-million miles on it, who cares? This unicorn deserves to be left alone. This might be one of the few times that I pick a car that Lohnes and Chad both would turn into drooling idiots for. This was just a family sedan with some options in 1969. When was the last time you were that excited for anything with four doors from GM? Let me guess…either 1996 or 2017. Am I right?
Oooof…this thing is too good.
Mecum Auctions’ Glendale 2023: Lot G134 – 1969 Chevrolet Caprice
My grandparents had one almost like this. It was the same blue and had a black vinyl top, but Papaw only checked the 350 cu. in. box. It was still a hauler.
i love me some fast floaty boats. my grandparents bought a 2nd hand garnet red black vinyl top 69 impala 2dr sport coupe with an L48 350. it transitioned from their daily in the 80’s to hibernation in the barn around ’88. in ’96 she was brought back into the light and freshened up for its new role, my first car and daily until i bought a 1990 454 ss in 2000. its now fully restored with some day 2 mods i wanted and lives a very cushy life on the weekends.