Early History
The Caprice name was coined by Bob Lund (Chevrolet's General Sales Manager) after a classy restaurant he frequented in New York City. Some say the car was named after Caprice Chapman, daughter of auto executive and influential Indy-car official James P. Chapman.
The Caprice Custom Sedan option oackage (RPO Z18) was very well received during the sole year it was offered despite adding $200 to the $2742 price tag of an Impala 4-door hardtop. Essentially a luxury package for the Impala, the Caprice included a heavier stiffer frame, suspension changes, black accented front grille and rear trim panel with Caprice nameplate, slender body sill moldings, Fleur-de-lis roof quarter emblems, color-keyed bodyside stripes and Caprice hood and dash emblems. Wheel covers were the same as that year's Super Sport, but the "SS" emblem in the center of the spinner was replaced by a Chevy bowtie. The Super Sport's blackout rear trim panel was also used, sans the "Impala SS" nameplate. The interior featured a higher-grade cloth and vinyl seat and door trim (as well as thicker, higher-grade carpeting), walnut trim on the dashboard and door panels, pull straps on the doors and extra convenience lights. A full vinyl roof was optional. A 283 cubic inch, 195 horsepower V8 was standard equipment; no six cylinder engine was available for cars equipped with the Caprice package.
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