Chevrolet CAPRICE WAGON U9

The register lists 37 versions with six- and eight-cylinder engines from 3,800 to 6,210 cm³ and 77 to 140 kW, kerb weights from 1,850 to 2,235 kg, gross vehicle weights from 2,530 to 2,835 kg, lengths from 5,340 to 5,580 mm and widths from 1,930 to 2,040 mm.

As a full-size estate, the Caprice served the US fleet, taxi and family markets alike for decades, offering a large load area and straightforward mechanicals. The wagon versions were also used as a basis for funeral homes, as the long body and high payload suited coffin transport; specialist body builders such as Starcraft supplied such conversions directly.

Buying a used example, the main points are corrosion at the rear wheel arches, sills and chassis rails, the condition of the automatic transmission and the function of the rear drum brakes. On hearse conversions it is worth checking the factory reinforcements and original fittings, as parts for these special bodies are hard to find new; for the standard mechanicals, the US classic-car trade still supplies replacement parts.