They were drying up in the late 1980s, were endangered by the time I was ready to start looking for my own car, and are all but gone: the period-correct, as they were vehicles from the 1970s. Mag wheels, louvers, CB antennas, and all of the sporting premise of the era are now whittled down to the few lucky survivors and the one or two left out in the wild. These were the cars your uncle or older brother’s cool friend had, the one with glasspack mufflers that earned disapproving looks from the neighbors with the K-car New Yorker Turbo in their front yard.
Nostalgia is big business. People will pay good money to relive the past how they see fit. But forgive me for seeing this from a hipster point of view, but there’s nostalgic and then there is real history, as it truly was, and that’s where this 1976 Chevrolet Chevelle Laguna S-3 comes into play. You want “as it was”? Here you go: mismatched wheels ant tires. Stock paint with blemishes and all, with tacked-on louvers on the back window and twin antenna on the rear bumper, side pipes, mud flaps and driving lights. This is how it really was: rough enough to be in the hands of a younger crowd, cool enough to stand on it’s own.
How do you put this thing back together without messing up some of the history? Where would you start? Like all good projects, we’d suggest at getting the car up and moving…it’s been sitting since 2000, so seventeen years of neglect have to be addressed before anything else can be worked on. Or you can just go down the road from where this Laguna is parked to Blueprint Engines, plonk down for a crate mill, and cross one item off of your list. How would you finish this thing off?
Craigslist Link: 1976 Chevrolet Chevelle Laguna S-3
The asking price is likely optimistic, but certainly worth giving it a try. However, based on this car’s condition and my experiences with this generation of GM A-bodies, that’s either a gift to someone or a $500 car. I paid $3900 years ago for a running, driving, excellent condition, absolutely rust free 73 Grand Am. Parts availability for these cars is spotty and certainly not at the level of previous generations. The rear louvers on this one are kinda 80’s kitschy and surely rare, I’ve never seen them. The absence of interior, engine, or inside of the trunk pics is either a sign of laziness or it’s something the seller fears might scare potential buyers away. On the positive side, its unique and “rare”, and these cars, when in drivable condition, have surprisingly good handling, and there’s lots of suspension equipment for them as they share the same front suspension as same year Firebirds and Camaros. Not to rain on anyone’s parade, but anyone buying this is going to have their work cut out for them.
I always liked these 1970s A bodies, but three grand? Good luck!
The odd part is how few of the 1973-1977 cars were Hot Rodded in this area (Dayton Ohio) compared to the 1978-1988 versions of the RWD A/G platform
About 10 years ago they started becoming ‘desirable’ to restore around here. The replacement parts companies have started making some thiongs for some models. I would not mind having one. Yet unless you prove to me that car was born with those rear window lovers, I would pull them off the day after I put a 383 or 406 in it.
Love the car…Laguna :)\\
I have a 76 Blue laguna 21,000 original miles…