Love can cause a person to do strange things and this Chevrolet Chevelle Laguna S3 is that concept realized in sheet metal. In the eyes of many, the Laguna is just a part of the lineage of cars that descended from cars like the Camaro but suffered under Malaise Era power restrictions. Built from 1973 through 1976, it was a car born into the oil crisis.
A quick peek at its original specs shows how underpowered it was when compared to the greats that came before it. Despite leveraging a 400 cubic inch V8, it made just 175 horsepower when new. Sprinting from 0-60 wasn’t really possible. Instead, it sort of jogged there in over 11 seconds.
Today, the Chevelle Laguna isn’t exactly a high-end collector’s item. As of this writing, only one has ever crossed the block at Bring A Trailer and it went for just $18,000 in 2021 during the midst of the wild pricing of that year. Despite that, someone reportedly spent over $150,000 making this Laguna S3 what it is; a tribute to what love can drive a person to do.
Up for sale over at Volo Cars, this 1976 Laguna S3 is mostly original with a few desirable upgrades. Let’s start with the stock stuff which includes the body itself save for the rear quarter panels. The seller says that “All the panels have been painstakingly aligned with consistent gaps that are well above average. The long heavy doors close easily with minimal effort. All the glass was replaced except for the rear quarters. They all have new rubber seals and fuzzy strips too.”
That’s the kind of attention to detail that Chevrolet might not have provided to this car in 1976 when it was on the production line. This car has its original urethane nose, egg-crate grille inserts, c-pillar window louvers, and even its “Strato-bucket” swiveling front seats. These are all products of a frame-off restoration that happened within the last few years.
What’s perhaps more impressive is just how far beyond a typical restoration this car is. If you’re curious, here’s what a stock one looks like:
Sticking to just the exterior, the rear bumper is now tucked into the body for a more uniform look. It also has cutouts for the exhaust tips. In addition, the builder grafted in functional front fender vents from a 1976 Pontiac Firebird. The wheels set the whole car off as they’re a set of staggered 18-inch akin to these ones from Ridler.
Under those wheels, keen-eyed viewers will note the huge slotted disc brakes and the Wilwood calipers. They’re an excellent indication of just how extreme this build is. Under the hood is a decked, bored, and honed 454 cubic inch V8. On top of that, it features Speedpro piston rings, rods, and main bearings.
The engine breathes through a Weiand Street Warrior intake and coated Hedman headers. In addition, it uses Holly Sniper fuel injection. New electric fans and an aluminum radiator help to keep things cool. According to Volo Cars, it’s dyno-tuned and makes 367 horsepower and 482 lb-ft of torque.
That’s more than twice what it came with stock. In an alternative universe where the Oil Embargo never happened and OPEC kept pumping out that sweet, sweet crude perhaps this is the power the Laguna would have ended up with.
Interestingly, it went to auction back in 2022. At that time, Mecum Auctions claims, the clutch and brake pedals were welded together to function as one giant pedal, but the twist is that the gearbox was a Turbo 350 automatic, so the clutch pedal didn’t function, anyway. Today, the car sports a Tremec five-speed manual, and the pedals are back to doing their own thing. Power routes to the rear wheels via a rebuilt 10-bolt positraction rear differential.
The steering linkage, gearbox, and sway bars (yes, it has both front and rear sway bars) are all new as well. The builder even went to the trouble of replacing the gas tank and all of the associated lines.
Whoever ends up slipping into those swivel seats looks like they’ll enjoy the cabin, too. It has air conditioning, a new carpet, a new headliner, a new Hurst shifter, a new rearview mirror, and new speakers. In fact, they connect via Bluetooth and an integrated microphone enables hands-free phone calls.
Dual controls allow for wing-mirror manipulation and additional gauges enable the driver to monitor vitals. The floors are rust-free and the trunk is just as nicely appointed as everything else on this car. The next buyer even gets a full-sized spare, a jack assembly, a lug wrench, and a fire extinguisher.
It’s worth noting that this car has a bunch of Cale Yarborough graphics on it. Those aren’t stock but instead come from the 1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II. In this case, they’re still appropriate considering that Yarborough dominated NASCAR in a Laguna during the 1976 season. Chevrolet actually won the Manufacturer’s Cup eight times in nine years between 1972 and 1980. The Laguna S3 picked up two of those victories in 1976 and 1977.
Clearly, somebody with a lot of love was willing to do whatever it took to make this the ultimate Laguna S3. According to Volo Cars, they have receipts for over $24,000 worth of paint and bodywork on the car. In addition, they claim another $18,000 in upgrades during 2024. It’s asking $75,998 which is undoubtedly a lot of cheese, but this might be the greatest Chevelle Laguna on earth.
Someone had a vision and took it to the extreme.
All Photos: Volo Cars
Jesus, I never thought I’d see the day when a link to a set of aftermarket wheels brings me to flipping AMAZON!
Also, whats the significance of the American and German flag in the S-3 badge?
I like the build, nice color and detail. The fact that they kept and un-choked & modernized the 454 is cool. Power numbers aren’t crazy meaning it probably has a mild can & compression for smooth torquey fun. Not sure if it will move at that price, maybe 1/2 of that for the right guy
I love it! These were some of the sharper-looking malaise-era cars, and the restraint shown in the build is admirable. Is it $150k cool? That’s another matter.
I’ve watched enough Engine Masters, Sponsored by Amsoil to know that a built 454 with Fuel Injection should be capable of more than 1 HP per cubic inch. To quote Freiburger “Weak!”
I’m working on a friend’s ’73 Laguna doing a complete mechanical refresh with upgraded suspension and powertrain. I figured the project was upside down before the first Rock Auto box was delivered, but maybe not if this thing sells for anywhere near the asking price.
Colonnades have their issues (stupid door glass and rear window rust) but they can made into solid, well handling drivers. My son has an LS/4-speed swapped ’73 Century.
Primo Laguna is an oxymoron to my ears. And yet…
After sleeping on this post, I realized just how much this car reminds me of my last project vehicle, and what I learned about the car auction economy.
Several years ago I bought someone’s unfinished project, a 1965 Chevrolet K10 pickup, out of their garage. I got it home and did a bunch of work to it to get it back on the road. I rebuild the entire fuel and braking systems. I combed the local classifieds for parts and managed to build a somewhat (but not totally) correct stepside bed with a side mount spare tire. I found a NIB early 80s Kraco car stereo and jury-rigged a Bluetooth receiver using an old Van Halen II 8-track. I replaced the clutch and upgraded the accessory belt drive to a serpentine belt system using OEM parts and instructions I found online. I did a ton of work on this this, but in the end the shortcomings and inconveniences of a 60s 4×4 truck led me to lose interest in the project, so I put the truck up for sale on Craig’s List. Received and accepted an offer, and about a week later I met a transporter at a parking lot around the corner from my house and the truck was on its way to Colorado.
Fast forward about four years and I get an email from a friend with a link and a question, “Is this your truck?” I click on the link and I’m taken to a classic car dealer website and an ad for my old truck. The rear fenders had been painted to match the rest of the truck, as had the nose, which featured this weird lace effect multi-color design, but otherwise it was exactly as it was when we loaded it on the transporter. That ad described the truck as an original (it wasn’t) low-mileage (it wasn’t) truck with a rare 283/4-speed drivetrain. The 4-speed part was correct, but the engine was the same old worn out 400 SBC that I stopped working on because I knew it needed a full rebuild and I didn’t want to sink more money into the project. Doing a little more research, I found that the truck may or may not have ended up in Colorado, but it was quickly reconditioned like a trade in about to go on the dealer lot, and offered for sale through one of the auction houses. I don’t recall if it sold there, but subsequently it made its way to at least one other classic car dealer before finding its way to the dealer in Orlando whose website I was looking at. Still with the smoking 400 small block. Still with the mismatched bed sides. And still with the Kraco 8-track.
Not all auction cars end up at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, being fawned over by Steve Magnante and Mike Joy. And not all of them recoup the money invested into their half-baked ideas.
There are 6 Miatas on CL in my area. 2 NA, 2 NB, 1 NC, and 1 ND. I could get all of them for $62k.
Please mark me as “present” for any meeting of the Colonnade Appreciation Society, especially where we talk about the Laguna S-3 and the Grand Am.
And while this is probably the cleanest one that isn’t in the GM Heritage Collection, I agree it’s too much. Don’t love the front fenders, don’t love the T/A fender scoops, and the wheels could be a skosh smaller. And even accepting that everything at Volo is overpriced, $76K is ridiculous.
But I hope its new owner loves it.
My brain initially read this as $15,000, and I read through thinking, “yeah, cool, l like this thing”, then I recognized it finally at $150,000, and thought NOPE, sorry.
The older I get, the more swivel seats look like a good idea.
It may have more than twice the horsepower now vs. stock but I bet it also gets better gas mileage when cruising.