Second generation
1971–1972:
The 1971 Caprice was completely redesigned on a longer 121.5-inch (3,090 mm) wheelbase and featured fuselage styling. Flush exterior door handles and double-shell roofs were new on the Caprice – both features first appearing on the 1970½ Camaro and Pontiac Firebird. The new styling was highlighted by a Cadillac-like "egg-crate" grille with a "Caprice" emblem in the center and brushed metal trim surrounding the taillights on the rear deck.The "Full-Perimeter" frame and all-coil suspension were refined for improvements in ride and noise reduction.
Inside were revised interiors featuring a two-spoke cushioned steering wheel and new instrument panel with horizontal sweep speedometer and instrument placement similar to previous full-sized Chevrolets. Caprices continued with higher grade interiors than their Impala counterparts with luxurious cloth-and-vinyl upholstery, wood grain trim on dash, steering wheel and door panels plus carpeting on lower door panels on both sedans and coupes. A center front seat armrest was also featured on sedans.
Station wagons now used a unique 125-inch (3,200 mm) wheelbase and were larger than ever before. Station wagons continued to use unique model names. The Kingswood Estate wagon was considered to be equivalent to the Chevrolet Caprice being the top level wagon. Unlike previous years, station wagons used unique rear suspension using a solid axle with leaf springs as opposed to coil springs and trailing arms on sedans and coupes. Also new was the "Glide-Away" clam shell style disappearing tailgate. This design had the glass upper portion of the tailgate slide into the roof, and the lower steel portion slide into a compartment under the floor, providing a completely open space with no tailgate in sight.
The cargo capacity was the largest for a Chevrolet wagon, at 106.4 cubic feet (3.01 m3). With 100.5 inches (2,550 mm) from the front seat to the tailgate and 48.8 inches (1,240 mm) between the rear wheels, these wagons could easily carry a 4 ft × 8 ft (1.2 m × 2.4 m) sheet of plywood with the tailgate closed. Kingswood wagons came in two-seat or three-seat versions. The three-seat model had a forward-facing rear seat that was placed over the rear axle area allowing for two additional occupants making them eight-passenger wagons. The Kingswood Estate had the 400 cu in (6.6 L) two-barrel engine as standard with the same engine options as the coupes and sedans. Station wagon models came only with single exhaust systems which meant lesser power ratings than coupes and sedans.
Power front disc brakes were standard equipment, along with a larger 255 horsepower (190 kW) gross (170 hp (130 kW) net) 400 cubic-inch Turbo Fire V8. This engine, along with all optional power plants, were designed to run on regular leaded, low-lead or unleaded gasoline of 91 research octane or higher. To achieve this, all engines had the compression ratios lowered to 8.5:1. General Motors was the first of the big three to have all engines run on regular fuel and these changes were made to help meet the increasingly stringent emission regulations that were to come in to place in years to come.
Optional engines included 300 horsepower (206 net) 400 cubic-inch Turbo Jet V8 (not to be confused with the two-barrel 400 small block this engine actually displaced 402 cu in (6.6 L)) and 365 horsepower (272 kW) gross (285 horsepower (213 kW) net) 454 Turbo Jet V8 which came standard with dual exhaust. When equipped with dual exhaust, the 400 Turbo jet was rated at 260 hp (190 kW). At mid-year, the Turbo Hydramatic transmission and variable-ratio power steering became standard equipment on all Caprice models and lower-line models fitted with a V-8 engine.
Chevrolet specifications included both "gross" and "net" horsepower figures in 1971, which was a year before the industry wide transition to SAE net horsepower figures. SAE net horsepower standardized horsepower ratings in accord with SAE standard J1349 figures to get a more accurate horsepower figure. "Net" horsepower was measured "as installed" in a vehicle with power using accessories and emission equipment installed, exhaust systems, and air cleaners, leading to lower power ratings. For 1971, the 400 Turbo-Jet engine was rated at 300 gross horsepower with and without dual exhaust, while the more accurate net firgures show it rated at 206 hp (154 kW) with single exhaust and 260 with dual exhaust. Beginning in 1972, automakers would follow SAE standard J1349 and the "net" horsepower ratings were the only advertised ratings.
In its May 1971 issue Motor Trend magazine published a comparison road test that included a Caprice Coupe and a Cadillac Sedan de Ville. The tested Caprice was powered by the 454 V8 and loaded with virtually all available options. Though MT noted that the Cadillac had a higher level of quality than the Chevrolet along with a far more luxurious interior (the DeVille was upholstered in leather while the Caprice had the standard cloth trim), the magazine ultimately considered the Chevy as the better value at $5,550.35 compared to the Cadillac's $9,081.00 price mainly due to the fact the $3,500 price difference bought only a modest quality addition and a few more luxury features.
The 1972 Caprice received a facelift with a revised grille that was lower in height than the '71 model flanked by a new bumper with increased protection one year ahead of the Federal mandate. This was done by a bumper within bumper design. Heavy gauge beams reinforced the bumper which are attached to the frame. The rear bumper also featured this design and now had the triple taillights now mounted in the bumper. Engine offerings were carried over from 1971 with the switch to "net" horsepower ratings including 170 hp (127 kW) for the standard two-barrel 400 cu in (6.6 L) Turbo Fire V8, 210 hp (157 kW) (240 hp (179 kW) with optional dual exhaust) for the four-barrel Turbo Jet 400 big-block V8 and 270 hp (201 kW) for the four-barrel dual exhaust 454 cu in (7.4 L) Turbo Jet V8 (rated at 230 hp (172 kW) in wagons with single exhaust). Turbo Hydramatic transmission, variable-ratio power steering and power front disc brakes continued as standard equipment. New to the Caprice lineup was a pillared four-door sedan. All models also featured a revised "Astro Ventilation" system utilizing vents in the doorjambs that replaced the troublesome 1971 version that used vents in the trunklid and turned out to be a major source of complaints to Chevy (and other GM divisions) dealers from customers.
1973–1974:
The Caprice was renamed the Caprice Classic for 1973, a year highlighted by a new cross-hatch grille over the new 5 mph (8 km/h) energy absorbing front bumper and revised square taillights, again mounted in the bumper. Increasingly stringent emission standards added EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) valves to engines, and accordingly horsepower figures continued to drop. The standard Turbo-Fire 400 cu in (6.6 L) two-barrel was now rated at 150 hp (112 kW) while the only optional engine was the Turbo-Jet 454 cu in (7.4 L) V8 produced 245 hp (183 kW) with dual exhaust (215 hp (160 kW) with single exhaust used in station wagons). A convertible, brought over from the lesser Impala series, was moved to the Caprice lineup for the first time in 1973 and the wood grained-trim station wagon known as the Kingswood Estate since 1969 was renamed the Caprice Estate. A new option on sedans and coupes was a 50/50 bench seat with recliner on the passenger side.
The 1974 models featured a new grille. The taillights were moved above the new 5 mph (8 km/h) rear bumper. New thick "B" pillars and fixed rear quarter opera windows were new on two-door coupes, which essentially eliminated pillar-less hardtop design much like the GM intermediates did the previous year. Other body styles including the four-door pillared and hardtop sedans, convertible and Estate Wagon were carried over with only minor changes from 1973. New to the engine roster was a four-barrel version of the small block 400 cubic-inch Turbo Fire V8 rated at 180 hp (134 kW) (which was the standard engine on wagons and all cars sold in California, optional on other models in 49 states). All other engines were carried over from 1973 although the 454 Turbo Jet lost 10 horsepower (7.5 kW), now rated at 235 hp (175 kW) Also new for 1974 were integrated lap and shoulder seat belts and the unpopular "interlock" system that required the driver and front seat passengers to fasten seat belts in order to start the vehicle. The interlock mandate received so much public outcry that Congress rescinded it shortly after the introduction of the 1975 models. A new option this year was a remote control for the passenger-side outside rear-view mirror.
A dealer group shipped a batch of '74 models to New Zealand where they were converted to right hand drive by Mercury Bay Motors, a country firm on the Coromandel Peninsula.
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