Front-end styling on the 1976 Chevrolet Impala Custom Coupe carried on the Caprice look of a year before.

The 1976 Chevrolet Impala and Caprice were the only full-size Chevys this year (Bel Airs were gone), and they shared new front-end styling that included a reworked grille. Caprices displayed new rectangular headlights and triple-unit wraparound taillights, while Impalas used four round headlights. The pillarless Impala Sport Coupe faded out of the lineup, so a formal-profiled Custom Coupe was the only Impala two-door. After 1976, the four-door hardtop body style also would disappear.

Measuring more than 222 inches overall on a 121.5-inch wheelbase, the Caprice Classic and Impala ranked as the last of the really big Chevys. For the last time, a 454-cubic-inch V-8 engine could be installed in Chevrolets, now yielding 225 horsepower. Full-size cars made the most of their perimeter frame and full coil-spring suspension to deliver a smooth ride that pleased their owners.

Both models had such luxuries as simulated rosewood vinyl trim on the instrument panel, steering wheel, and doors. Each rode steel-belted radial tires and carried an automatic transmission, power brakes, and variable-ratio power steering. The standard bench seat could be replaced by a 50/50 split front seat. Landau Coupes had a harmonizing padded elk-grain vinyl half-roof.

The 1976 Chevrolet Impala 4-door Sedan sold more than 86,000 copies.

"There's no such thing as too much comfort," said the sales brochure of Chevrolet's Caprice Classic, offered as a sedan, sport sedan, coupe, and Landau coupe. Interiors contained new standard knit cloth/vinyl upholstery or soft expanded all-vinyl. Front and rear stabilizer bars were standard, along with a radial-tuned suspension system with modified shock absorbers.

Impalas came in the same four body styles as the Caprice, billed as "a tradition that keeps getting better." Low-budget buyers could get an Impala S four-door sedan, lacking extra trim and steel-belted tires. Options included a reclining passenger seat, power six-way front seat, power locks and windows, power trunk opener, rear defogger, and Four-Season or Comfortron air conditioning.

1976 Chevrolet Impala and Caprice Facts