Chevrolet Capitol Series AA and 1920s race replicas (1927)

The Series AA Capitol was Chevrolet's car for the 1927 model year, and it is remembered as the model that took Chevrolet to the top of the American sales charts. With Ford's Model T at the end of its life and Ford's factories stopped for months while the Model A was readied, Chevrolet sold more than a million cars that year. The Capitol was a development of the earlier Superior range rather than a clean-sheet design, using a 171 cubic inch (2.8 litre) overhead-valve four-cylinder engine, a three-speed manual gearbox and a 103 inch wheelbase. It was offered in a wide choice of open and closed bodies, and the chassis was also used under Chevrolet and GMC light trucks.

Because the running gear is simple, robust and was built in huge numbers, period Chevrolet chassis have long been used as the basis for specials and for replicas of 1920s racing cars. This file covers both the original car and the separate question of what a buyer should check on a race replica or special built from a period chassis. The two need very different inspections: a standard Capitol is judged on originality and condition, while a replica is judged on how well it was built and whether its paperwork reflects what it now is.

• Model year: 1927 only; replaced for 1928 by the Series AB National.
• Engine: 171 cu in (about 2.8 litre) overhead-valve inline four.
• Gearbox: three-speed manual; rear-wheel drive.
• Wheelbase: 103 in; the 1928 National grew to 107 in.
• Brakes: owners' club discussion states the 1927 cars had rear-wheel brakes only, with four-wheel brakes arriving for 1928.
• Production: just over one million Series AA cars, a record that put Chevrolet ahead of Ford for 1927.
• Wheels: steel disc wheels were standard, then something of a novelty.
• Assembly: several US plants plus Oshawa in Canada and overseas plants including Antwerp, Port Elizabeth, Petone, Osaka and Buenos Aires.

• At launch in January 1927 there were seven body styles, three open and four closed; the two-door Coach was the best seller. A four-door Imperial Landau was added in May 1927.
• Sources differ on the count of body styles: one magazine history gives seven at launch plus the later Landau, while Wikipedia's summary says eight but lists only four.
• The Capitol name was also applied to light trucks of 1927 and 1928 (designated LM, LO and LP). Late 1928 LP trucks gained front brakes and differ in frame, front axle and steering, so a "Capitol" chassis may be a truck rather than a car.
• The 1928 AB National looks similar but has a longer wheelbase and four-wheel brakes. Mixed AA and AB parts are common on surviving chassis.

Identity and paperwork

• Find the chassis plate and engine number and photograph both. Owners' club advice explains that the engine block carries a small casting date code near the distributor (month, day and final year digit), which helps confirm a 1927 block.
• Ask whether the car has ever been registered in the UK. If it has a V5C, check that the chassis number and description match what is in front of you, including body type.
• For an import, ask for the NOVA confirmation. HMRC must be told about an imported vehicle within 14 days of arrival, and DVLA will not register it until that is done. Foreign titles or registration documents are normally kept by DVLA as dating evidence.
• Since August 2025 DVLA has used new policies for repaired, restored, modified and rebuilt vehicles. Like-for-like restoration no longer needs reporting, and a structurally modified vehicle normally keeps its original identity, but the keeper must notify DVLA using form V627/3 and the V5C will carry a "Modified" note.
• DVLA defines a structural modification as cutting into the chassis or frame so that its appearance or dimensions change; shortening or lengthening a chassis falls into this category. Many speedster and race replicas use a shortened frame, so ask directly.
• MOT status matters. DVLA's leaflet says a vehicle over 40 years old needs an MOT before a modification is submitted, and the MOT exemption for historic vehicles does not apply to a car whose chassis, axles, steering or engine have been substantially changed in the last 30 years. A recently built replica should be expected to need testing.
• A vehicle that has never been registered and is assembled from period parts of several cars may qualify as a "reconstructed classic". DVLA requires genuine period components over 40 years old, the same specification as the original, a true reflection of the marque, and an inspection and written report from the appropriate owners' club. A newly made body is allowed on a separate-chassis car. If the criteria are not met, a Q registration number and type approval follow.
• A car built from new kit parts, or mixing many reconditioned parts, falls under DVLA's kit-built or kit-converted rules instead.
• If the car is offered as a VSCC-eligible special, ask for any eligibility paperwork. The Vintage Sports-Car Club accepts some specials built from specified pre-1941 components with committee approval, but that is a club matter and separate from DVLA status.

Build quality on a replica or special

• Look at the quality of welding, brackets and fabrication on the frame. Cut and re-joined chassis rails, and drilled frames, deserve close attention.
• Check that the body is properly mounted, that fuel tank and lines are secure and clear of exhaust heat, that wiring is fused and that the battery is clamped down.

Brakes

• A standard 1927 car stops on rear brakes only. A replica built for speed with original brakes needs a frank conversation about how it will be used. If later four-wheel brakes have been fitted, ask what parts were used and who did the work.
• Owners report broken or missing guide pins on the band brakes, which let the band drag or rub off-centre. Look at linkages for wear and makeshift repairs.

Steering, axles and running gear

• Check the steering for free play at the wheel, worn track rod ends and kingpins. Replicas often have a lowered steering column or altered drag link geometry; ask how it was engineered.
• Look for cracked wheels, and for wire wheel conversions that may not suit the original hubs.

Engine and gearbox

• Look for oil leaks, signs of overheating and an engine number that is consistent with the claimed year. Ask whether speed equipment has been fitted, as some period racers used aftermarket cylinder heads; be wary of any claim that a specific racing history attaches to a replica.

The Vintage Chevrolet Club of America, Inc. (https://vcca.org) was founded in 1961, publishes the monthly Generator & Distributor magazine and has technical advisers who specialise in particular years. It has international members and regions. In the UK, the Pre-50 American Auto Club caters for older American cars, trucks and motorcycles. For specials and racing use, the Vintage Sports-Car Club (https://www.vscc.co.uk) handles eligibility for pre-1931 cars and approved specials. Reproduction mechanical parts for early Chevrolets are supplied by US specialists; availability for some brake and chassis parts is patchy and owners often make or adapt items.

• Is this an original Capitol car, a Capitol truck chassis, or a special or replica, and which parts are genuinely 1927?
• Has the frame been shortened, lengthened or otherwise cut, and has DVLA been notified with a V627/3 where required?
• What does the V5C say about body type and chassis number, or, if unregistered, which DVLA route (original number, age-related, reconstructed classic or Q plate) is expected?
• What brakes are fitted, and has the car been tested on the road since the build was completed?
• For an import, can you see the NOVA reference, the foreign title and the shipping paperwork?