Sleeper ’68 Chevy L72 Biscayne up for Grabs in the Marketplace
Packing big block power and little else, this big ol’ pale yellow Chevy defines the term ‘sleeper’ better than any.
Chevy was red hot back in the late ’60s and early ’70s, cranking out an incredible array of muscle and performance cars. But while everyone is intimately aware of models like the Camaro, Nova, and Chevelle, few think of the humble Biscayne as a street machine. And that’s exactly why we love the big old family hauler. So when we came across this immaculate 1968 Biscayne up for grabs in the Chevrolet Forum Marketplace, we were floored to say the least.
If you love a good sleeper, they just don’t get much more subdued than this. Painted in a pale color of yellow and wearing hub caps, no one would ever guess what was going on underneath and inside this Biscayne. Well, at least not until it left them staring at its taillights. Because, you see, this is one of just 568 1968 Biscaynes optioned with the L72 big block engine. Packing goodies including a solid cam and lifters, 11:1 compression, and high-flowing rectangular port heads, it was truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
And that isn’t all. This particular Chevy also came equipped with an M21 close-ratio 4-speed manual transmission and 4.88 gears. Only 12 cars are known to have been ordered with the latter. So it’s also no surprise to learn that this big Chevy was originally ordered by a drag racer. That man, Ennis Lund, dubbed his ride “Ernie’s Menace” and routinely ripped up the local strip in his heyday.
Today, this car sports an incredibly low 14,000 miles and even wears its original paint. The original engine is gone, sadly, replaced by a stronger 512 block. The gears have also been swapped for slightly higher 4.56s. But the rest of this amazing machine is 100% original and absolutely superb. And we’re betting it’s still pretty fast, if not faster than it was originally.
This super rare ride is a fantastic example of a severely underrated piece of muscle car history. A time when you could order all the go fast parts and strip your car of everything else. Yes, this was an era that will likely never be repeated, even if today’s machines are undoubtedly faster and more refined. But there’s just something about a raw, vintage muscle car like this Biscayne that just can’t be beat.
Photos: Chevrolet Forum Marketplace
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