• Make/Model: Chevy Bel Air station wagon
• Year: 1965
• Drivetrain: Dual four-barrel carbureted 409 cubic-inch big-block engine, four-speed manual transmission, and a Positraction rear end
• Location: Sherborn, Massachusetts
• Price: $19,995

Back in the day, there were no mini vans or cross overs. The station wagon was the family car. In a time when there wasn’t what we know today as an SUV, unless you wanted to drive a van, there was no other option if you wanted a large car for a large family. With the nine-passenger models, there was no need for anything else. The logic at the time was; big car, big cabin capacity, big engine. The car really only needed to have enough power to move easily, even when filled to capacity. It didn’t take long however, for the teenage boys and gearheads to realize just how much power those old wagons had.

This big-block 409 cubic-inch-powered 1965 Bel Air station wagon is an example of a grocery-getter gone street rod. Unlike our other Caught on Craigslist articles, this one was brought to our attention by a reader. A dual carbureted, big-block-powered station wagon with a four-speed manual transmission and Positraction rear end, this car can get you to the mini-mart faster than you can open a can of Spam luncheon meat. We had to find out more about this rare find, so we talked to the owner, Mark Epstein of Sharon, Massachusetts, and got the inside details.

Marc has owned this car for just over three years, and since it’s been in his garage, he has replaced both of the carburetors, and added a camshaft that is better suited for this car. “The car ran well when I got it,” he says, “But with these improvements, the engine runs extremely well. The way a car like this should run.” Marc says that his engine is one of the nicest sounding engines he has ever heard.

Originally from Georgia, this Bel Air was exported to Canada some time ago. It was in the private collection of a Toronto car collector for some years, before Marc purchased it and brought it back to the states. However, that is as detailed as we can get with the history of this car. Marc has done some research, and confirmed that the engine is period correct from 1965, and deciphered from the VIN, that this is an original V8 four-speed car, but he does not know for sure that it is an original big-block car. “I have not been able to find any documentation to support whether it did or did not originally come with a 409 cubic-inch engine,” Marc says. “It has all the other features that an original 409 car would have.”

A classic car collector, Marc is selling this car because he has too many others already. He rarely drives it, and wants it to go somewhere so it can be appreciated and used. “I will be replacing it with another musclecar from the late ’60s to early ’70s,” Marc says. “Not sure what it will be yet.  That is the fun part about this hobby.”

Marc says that he is also interested in trades. If you have a late ’60s or early ’70s musclecar, and want this wagon in your garage, go to the original craigslist ad here and get in touch with him.

Leave a comment and tell us what you think of this awesome station wagon. Do you think it’s an original 409 car? Would you drive your kids to school and pick up groceries in this performance family car? Let us know!