Let’s do a bit of car shopping thanks to these two images of Chevrolets in 1976. The first photo dates from March, with a Caprice Landau Coupe, a Woody (as called in the brochure) Chevette, and a Vega appearing prominently.
Far crisper lines appear in this second image from September, with the downsized full-sizers of 1977 already on display. Some Monzas complement the group, with a hatchback in the back and a Town Coupe in the foreground. A Colonnade-era Chevelle/Malibu seems to be on the floor as well, blocked by some folks on the right.
As for myself, I’ll take the crisp ’77 Caprice in the second shot. What about you?
How about that Chevette Woody! (?)
The Chevette Woody was quite rare – 1976 only. The interior got some woodgrain trim too on the doors, dash, and console which was also available as part of a deluxe interior option on other Chevettes; the interior woodgrain was also 1976 only.
I can’t make out the car behind the Chevelle – a Camaro possibly?
Although the ’77 Caprice was more practical and much better to drive than the ’76 seen here, today I’d have more fun owning the pre-downsized version. I remember sitting in a leftover ’76 in a showroom that also had the ’77 on display, and the ’76 was sooo wide inside, you could seat four across with plenty of room for everyone.
I’ll take the Nova. There must be a Nova kicking around somewhere on the lot?
Looking back when seeing cars on the street one often wonders how some of them managed to sell in the first place, usually when seeing bedraggled ones or ones that ended up with a less than stellar reputation. But then looking at vintage “new” photos, the allure is there. Even the woody Chevette looks somewhat appealing, and the white interior on the Monza looks dazzling.
That second shot looks less like a showroom and more like a hotel conference room, perhaps as some sort of preview for dealer personnel or similar? Everyone’s got a nametag, is somewhat dressed up, and there are zero younger folk.
I love these old dealership photos.
Surprised both Photos are B&W. That being said, i wager the Monza in the foreground was “Ice blue” A light metallic Blue. often paired with a white interior. A number of Pontiac Sunbirds wore that combination as well.
I’m thinking “Orange”. Most of them had “tan” inside though. One of the “10th grade” teachers had a “Vega”, notchback in about the the same color , orange.
Half black top, interior.
Love the sideburns, corduroy jackets and bell bottom pants. we all had em.
The Colonnade Malibu must have been a tough sell in 1977, sitting right next to the new B-bodies.
My late workmate Leroy Moore bought a brand new 1976 Caprice two door and kept it until he passed . he never stopped loving it .
I find the Chevette interesting, being a ‘hair shirt’ offering I can’t imagine they sold many .
-Nate
Overall, they didn’t make that many. The ones I recall were usually, yellow, or white.
Generally, there was a roof rack too.
I spot a Half Cleveland, but not the elusive Full Cleveland –
My father had a 78 Caprice Classic. Identical to the one in the picture.
The big change from 77 to 78 was the steering wheel and engine options.
It was his first car with power windows and a stereo (aftermarket).
We convinced him to get the package that added the rear stabilizer bar but
he wouldn’t get the 350, only the 305. It was still a great driving car. Best Chevy
sedan in my lifetime. I think consumer reports agreed at that time.
For me, and yes, I realize it’s not pictured, it would be the 1977 Chevrolet Concours 2-door in triple-red, just like my Dad did when he bought a smaller car for my Mom in 1977. 305 cubic inches. Very nice handling car back in the day, with just enough Brougham. I liked that car a lot. It was the first car my Dad purchased right off the showroom floor.
Nice pictures, but I too am surprised these are in black and white.
“Nice pictures, but I too am surprised these are in black and white.”
Unfortunately, we don’t know anything about the origin of the images. But it’s not really surprising that they’re in black and white. Almost everything that was printed in the daily press was printed in black and white, then. The same applied to publication in the vast majority of specialist journals.
So why waste any expensive color film or even slide film?
Good point regarding wasting color film. Not to mention that good black and white photos often show better contrast. Look at Ansel Adams work at Yosemite. You can almost see the colors in his photographs.
“Kelly Chev/ Cadillac”, in my home town had a similar, showroom arrangement then. Wasn’t quite so “spacious” though.
Let’s see….. I’ve owned a 74, 75, a 79 and an 82 Caprice!
The 75 was a great car, as told in my article. But the 79 was really a great step forward.
By 1982, the horrible 229 V6 was standard and what a joke that was! On flat straightaways, 74mph was top speed!
I love that these photos are still around.
I’m embarrassed to admit a brief desire to take the spanking new 4 door Chevette to college in 1977-8, before I didn’t win a full scholarship. I was a weird teenager that liked 4 door hatchbacks.
That Vega looks so cool with the front-hinged hood open. By ’76, the engines and rust were sorted out. Finally. I always liked the ’76 restyle, even if I dislike the fake rear amber taillight sections that aren’t actual turn signals.
I had a lot of experience with “The New Chevrolet”, and it was a fine car. But I do have a soft spot for this…..
I’ll take what appears to be a barely-visible 1977 Impala Sport coupe with the hot-wire-bent rear window. (2nd image, right rear) Looks like it could be Firethorn and (in my dreams) grippy light grey velour with f41 suspension. If I could buy a new one now I probably would!