Today’s Pick: 1966 Chevrolet Biscayne with 427 Engine

people usually think that It’s believed that in the early days of the muscle car era, high-horsepower engines were most often installed in cheap cars used for drag racing. However, our featured 1966 Chevrolet Biscayne today proves that’s not the case, as it’s even rarer than its fancier brothers. The coupe is listed on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Columbus, Ohio. (Click on the link to view the listing)

In the world of high-performance Chevrolet automobiles, the first notable flying machine was the “Black Widow,” a couple of 1957 Chevrolet 150 utility sedans painted in a black and white color scheme decided upon by the crew operating the Southern Engineering and Development Company. 1957 Chevrolet Racing Competition Guide”, different 283s could be specified, but we tend to associate the Black Widows with the RPO 578, the fuel-injected, 283-horsepower 283 and the three-speed manual transmission. However, if you look at ’57 fuel-injected production, the Bel Air Sport Coupe (hardtop) was the most popular. Based on the available data we have, this has proven to be consistently true.

By the early 1960s, the limitations of the “Mark I” 348 and 409 big-block engines were becoming known. By the time the 409’s replacement arrived in early 1965, the new “Mark IV” 396 offered a more modern horsepower distribution for full-size Chevrolets (and Corvettes). The “regular” 396 RPO L35 was rated at 325 horsepower, while the solid-lifter L78 was rated 100 more horsepower.

In 1966, Chevrolet enlarged the 396 to create the 427. While the L35 was still available, the L72 427 replaced the L78 as a solid lifter big block. It was also rated at 425 horsepower, though the extra cubic inches (and torque) made it more powerful on the track. The L72 was available for both full-size cars and the Corvette. There was also a new L36 427 with hydraulic lifters and 390 horsepower.

Sure, more racing enthusiasts might opt ​​for the cheapest, lightest model and equip it with the most horsepower, but the fact is that most L72s were installed in Impala Super Sports (1,246 in total, according to the GM Heritage Center). That makes this L72-equipped 1966 Biscayne coupe pretty rare, as only 225 coupes (Biscaynes and Bel Airs included) were built out of 1,856 full-size L72 cars. This Biscayne originated in Superior, Wisconsin, where the buyer traded in a 1965 Tri-Power GTO. Alas, Uncle Sam came calling a year later, so he sold it to 20-year-old Leroy Levens, who blew the engine out within a year.

According to the seller, “The engine was soon replaced with a service replacement block, and Leroy continued to drive and enjoy the car for nearly 20 years until it underwent a frame-off restoration in the mid-1980s.” Repainted in Tuxedo Black and fitted with a host of NOS parts, the Bow Tie was sold a few years later to a New Jersey man who managed to find a date-coded L72 block and rebuilt it to factory stock.

In 2013, the Biscayne found a new owner in Ohio who spent 300 hours restoring it to perfection, ultimately making this Biscayne an AACA show winner. Equipped with the correct color combination and M20 four-speed, transistor ignition, AM radio, tinted windshield, heavy-duty battery, F41 suspension and Positraction, is there a more desirable full-size 1966 Chevy? At $105,995, you won’t find anything better.

Click here to see the ClassicCars.com Daily Picks.