(first posted 6/7/2012) Ah, the early Sixties. In a way, it was like graduation. Suddenly, all of the carefree and foolish (though fun) things of the recent past were just that, the past. Times were changing. It was time to get a bit more serious. The 1960 Impala fits right in between those periods.
The story has been told many times before, so it’s unnecessary to go into a ton of detail, but in a nutshell, several GM Design employees stumbled upon a lot full of new ’57 Chryslers and Plymouths in Highland Park in the late summer or early fall of 1956. They freaked, ash-canned their Chrome Baroque ’58-based barges, and started from scratch. All ’59 GM cars were new, and while the ’59 Caddy has got to be the craziest, the ’59 Chevy is a close second. One feature it had in common with all the other GM makes was headlights incorporated into the grille, instead of in pods above it. This was a striking new feature, though it was lost in all the other wild styling cues.
Yes, the 1959 Chevrolet looked pretty far-out from the front with those “eyebrows” above the grille and the extreme panoramic windshield, but the rear styling made the front look tame. Gullwing fins soared below a sweeping decklid that looked like you could land a Piper Cub on. Cat’s eye taillights rounded out the back, set off by a “shadow box” license plate recess, a rather simple rear bumper and backup lights on the lower rear valance.
Response to the new Chevrolets was, well, mixed. Obviously, the styling was pretty crazy, and the ’59 was lampooned in several cartoons at that time, implying that it scared your kids and was too wide to fit in your garage, among other things. In addition, customers did not exactly take to the super low profile, as it made getting in and out a chore, and once you got in (hopefully not barking your knee on the windshield “dog leg”), you felt like you were sitting on the floor, with your legs splayed out in front of you.
Well, Chevrolet couldn’t do anything about the height of the car, but they could tone down the styling. The 1960 Chevys were certainly not plain, but they did take the wild styling and made it a bit more classy. The cool triple taillights, introduced on the ’58 Impala and eliminated in ’59, were back on Impalas. The gullwing fins were still in evidence, but instead of being a continuous, curvy swoop, they were bent at about a 45 degree angle in the middle of each fin, and ended at the edges of the license plate housing.
Up front, the wild and crazy ’59 nose was exchanged for a conventional look. The eyebrow grilles, with their built-in parking lights, were gone, replaced with a chrome framed “Venetian blind” grille, with the parking lights relocated to below the front bumper.
All 1960 Chevrolets received more modest side trim compared to the ’59s. While nearly all the sheetmetal was new, it was still clearly derived from the 1959. All you had to do was look at that airy greenhouse and wraparound windshield. The overall proportions were nearly identical too, with a 119″ wheelbase and 210.8″ overall length.
As before, 1960 Chevrolets came in three series (four, if you count station wagons): plain-Jane Biscayne, mid-level Bel Air, and the top of the line Impala. While still the best Chevrolet you could get, it had gone from an exclusive hardtop and convertible in 1958 to a full line including four door models, in 1959. As befitting its status as the top Chevy, Impalas had exclusive chrome “speedlines” extending back from the headlights and a chrome rocket on the side with “jet trail” chrome spears set off by an accent color.
While frontal styling was shared with other Chevrolets, out back, Impalas got triple taillights and an anodized aluminum trim panel. The pattern of six taillights on Impalas and four on Bel Airs and Biscaynes would continue for many years as a Chevrolet trademark. Starting in 1961, Corvettes would receive four round taillamps too. Did that make them Biscaynes?
As far as equipment was concerned, Impalas were similar to Bel Airs, but added parking brake and glovebox lights, back-up lights, extra exterior trim and fancier interiors. The Impala two door hardtop (Sport Coupe in Chevy terminology) sold for $2597 with the six and $2704 with the V8. In 1960, Chevrolet sold 204,467 Sport Coupes. It is unknown how many were Impalas, as there are no model breakouts available. Popular options included air conditioning ($468), positraction ($43), tinted glass ($22) and power steering ($75). The tinted glass and A/C must have been especially popular in the warmer Southern states, considering the large amount of glass area these cars had.
Interiors were very nice, with a combination of houndstooth cloth and vinyl bolsters in several two-tone combinations, not to mention lots of chrome trim and a patterned aluminum garnish panel on the dash. Our featured CC is rather special, as it has a factory equipped floor shifted four speed manual, a Borg Warner T-10 unit.
While the standard V8 in Impalas was an OHV, 185 hp 283 V8, this Impala has the optional 280 hp 348 with triple carbs, also original to this car. This was one of the top engine offerings for 1960 and included dual exhaust. If you wanted even more power, however, you could get a 348 with an 11.25 compression ratio (in place of our featured car’s 9.5 compression), good for 320 hp with a four barrel carb and 335 hp with triple carbs.
Here is a view of the attractive instrument panel, with round hooded gauges and sporty steering wheel, both inspired by the contemporary Corvette. I found this car in a most unlikely place – a new car dealership. I had stopped in to get a catalog on the ’12 Impala and Camaro for my brochure collection, and this stunning car was just sitting in the showroom, minding its own business. I had the camera in the car, but for some reason didn’t run out to get it. Stupid me!
A couple weeks later, I realized I needed to get some shots of this car and went back. It was gone! I asked a salesman about it, and he introduced me to the owner of the dealership, David Mills. I explained about Curbside Classic and how I would like to do an article on it. As it turns out, the Impala was from his personal collection. He was very cordial and explained that the car was being prepped as it was going to auction, but it was still in the service area. “Would you like to go back and see it?” “Yes, that would be great!” “Follow me.”
I should mention that I really like 1960 Impalas. We even had one in the family, though it was years before I came along. My Mom’s second car (a ’59 Dodge Custom Royal hardtop was the first) was one of these, an Impala Sport Coupe in Suntan Copper. It was a bit unusual in that it was not two-tone; the whole car was copper, including the interior. Mom really liked that car, especially that houndstooth interior.
She had a friend in high school who also had a copper 1960 Impala, though his was just a four door sedan. According to Mom, it wasn’t near as cool as her two door hardtop. Her Impala was just a used car back then (circa 1970) and had a few old car quirks. One of them was that it could be started without a key. She recalled several times when she’d be in class, and see her car drive by. It was just her friend, taking it for a ride! Apparently, he thought it was hilarious. She always liked that car, and even after it was replaced with a Diamond Blue ’68 Mustang hardtop, she fondly remembered that copper Impala and still loves the looks of them today.
Anyway, back to the present. While Mr. Mills and I were checking out his car, he offered to pull the car around front so I could get better pictures. Perfect! It was neat to see it go around and park out front, as I usually see cars like this parked at cruise-ins and car shows. I rarely see them under their own power.
This particular Impala is very special. In addition to the rare floor shift and tri-carb 348, it is also a largely original car. On the outside it has had two resprays in the original colors – once in 1980 and more recently in the winter of 2009 – and a bit of replating here and there. The interior is as it left the factory, with the exception of the carpeting. It was an original North Carolina car and still has the chrome dealer tag on the back, and has a bit less than 70,000 miles on it. This car’s title history is known going all the way back to 1963. Quite a time capsule.
This car was built the second week of August 1959, making it an early ’60. It was built in the Norwood, Ohio plant and was finished in code 900 Tuxedo Black with white spear and code 873 red and white interior. When this car was delivered in late 1959, it basically looked like it does today. In this age of 100% nut and bolt, frame-off, better than new restorations, this car is a breath of fresh air. After all, it is only original once.
1960 was Chevy’s last year of really flamboyant styling. The 1961 models, while attractive, were quite a bit more restrained, and not as in-your-face as the 1959 and 1960 Chevys. It was also one of the last years that almost the entire lineup was based on one car, with various body styles and trim levels. Soon, a conventional compact, the Chevy II, would join the Corvair, and the mid-sized Chevelle and Camaro would make for an especially broad lineup for Chevrolet. Things would never be the same, though Chevy would enjoy many years of success and would end the ’60s fat and happy.
By the time you read this, this beautiful Impala will probably be with a happy new owner, but I’m sure it will continue to be preserved and cherished, as it should be. I would also like to thank David Mills for his hospitality, especially towards someone he had only just met. Thank you sir, it is much appreciated.
Oh man…oh man! THIS IS THE CAR THAT DID IT FOR ME!
Dad’s 1955 Dodge Royal Lancer had about had enough, and dad was getting tired of having the transmission fixed seemingly every 6 months.
I came home from school one day and viola’! This beautiful space ship right out of the Jetsons was sitting in front of our driveway in May, 1965! A drop-dead beautiful 1960 Chevy Impala Sports Sedan. White w/off-white stripe, three-toned brown interior. An AM radio THAT WORKED. 283 cu in. V8. Powerglide.
Man, oh man…did my eyes begin to open that summer! At age 14 I was a bit of a late-bloomer as to radio and music, but that vacuum-tubed, 6 x 9″ speaker-equipped AM radio cranked out the tunes Kx-OK radio in St. Louis played like no tomorrow! Wow! What sound! Wow! What great music! Wow! What a car!
Dad never owned a new car – our beloved 1950 Plymouth was six months old when he bought it – about the time they got me – was the newest, but this car, this 1960 Chevy was simply the most beautiful and special vehicle he had ever owned up to that time.
I began to learn a bit about cars, studying that engine – never a more compact powerplant that gave that car so much power. A nicer-looking motor I don’t think has ever been designed – modern-day plastic engine covers don’t count. I have been a fan of the 283 ever since. My avatar had one. Powerglide, too.
His car did not have power steering, brakes or A/C, but that car was soooooo sharp-looking, it needed no help turning every head on our street.
This was the car I learned to drive in. This was the car I learned to cruise in. This was the car…well…never mind, I never dated in high school…
I did do a bit of “customizing” to dad’s car. Wood-grain adhesive-backed vinyl contact paper was all the rage in the mid-60’s and our house was no exception. The house was built circa 1935, all-brick 2 bdrm bungalow with a basement garage – Mom’s kitchen had metal cabinets and were looking a bit tired, so being skilled in artsy-stuff, I convinced her to buy wood-grained contact paper and I covered all the cabinets in the kitchen – there weren’t many – and gave the kitchen a whole new look. She was quite proud of my effort and others agreed. Well, as dad’s car was white-on-white, I applied walnut-grained contact paper to that off-white jet stripe and did that stand out! It received a great deal of positive comments around the neigborhood and at the gas station where dad filled up once a week.
I mentioned my parent’s house because of that drive-in basement garage – a teenager’s dream to work on cars in – the perfect environment. Two years later when I had bought my first component stereo, I fixed up a corner of the basement and we had a place to relax, watch my new Zenith 12″ B&W TV, listen to KSHE-95, play records – and – work on dad’s and later my car as well as my buddies’ derelects all year long!
Tom, thank you for this article. It brings back a flood of great memories. My life has been a happy one, though I have had challenges like everyone else, but those years were special and would get better when dad bought his 1966 Chevy Impala Sports Sedan – but that’s another story!
The 1960 Chevy Impala – truly an anchor point in my life that signalled a transition from a boy to becoming – albeit slowly – a man!
Thank you so much!
Ah, KXOK…Johnny Rabbit, the Bob Kuban Band…good times indeed.
I met them both – several times. Spoke with Bob Kuban in 1997, shortly after Johnny Rabbitt – the one I grew up with – Don Pietromonaco, died.
I take it you’re from the STL area? I lived in Jennings back then.
I wasted my youth in Peoria but was a frequent visitor to Belleville. Although I’ve lived in SoCal for 30+ years I still miss Steak ‘n Shake, and can’t help but smile when I hear “The Cheater” played on XM. I remember that Chas. Schmitt was the St. Louis dealership for exotic cars, and also that their ad copy was quite patronizing and judgmental in tone; I adopted their style early on and have tried to maintain it throughout my copywriting career. (Sorry for going off thread, everyone.)
A high school friend inherited a ’60 Biscane from his grandfather. With a 6 cyl and powerslide it was no race car, but was built like a tank. With just am radio, we were forced to listen to KXOK until an FM converter was procured, which allowed high volume K-SHE to crack the single cardboard speaker cone.
This was early- mid ’70’s. Zackman we were almost neighbors, as I grew up in Ferguson, close to Forestwood park. Last 20 years have been in Michigan.
Old home post here. I’m a St. Louis native, too, having grown up listening to KXOK (before graduating to KADI and KSHE), when I wasn’t tuning in a ballgame up the dial.
I love convertibles, and the fever really took hold when I was in high school, on the west end of St. Louis, when a buddy’s dad bought a blue 1960 Chevrolet Impala ragtop. Of course, my buddy would borrow it often, and we’d cruise around town in that thing. My first convertible experience, and, as exciting as driving was for me, with the ink still drying on my first license, the sheer enjoyment of driving open-air style propelled my enjoyment like nothing else could have. I was hooked. Still am, in fact.
Zackman: Don’t hold back, tell us how you really feel… 😛
Now what did I do wrong???
@Zack – sorry bro, I was just having a little fun at your expense. I can’t remember the last time I saw you respond with a message THAT long… Obviously, these cars really ring a bell for you. And me too. 🙂
Another ex-pat St. Louisan here. grew up in Bridgeton, in the Carrollton Subdivision MCM style, walk out basement and a 2 car garage, where I learned a lot about cars, My Moms Grand Prixs, My Dads Bonnevilles and my first car a 64 Cutlass, when I was 16 in 1967, The factory Am radio blasted KXOK religiously until that fall, when I stumbled on a certain FM station that was playing whole albims, it seemed Yep KSHE, found another listener and The Am radio and single speaker with reverb in the rear was replaced with an AM-FM and 4 speakers, Good times, indeed.
I spent a little time in two of these. Mrs. Mejer was one of the moms in my kindergarden carpool, and she had a copper wagon. I remember liking the sporty pods in the dash. Later, I was visiting my grandma. She sent me over to her neighbor’s house to take care of something while the lady was away for the week. The neighbor was a typically small town old lady and had a medium green 60 Bel Air sedan in the garage. I probably spent about an hour communing with that one. A six/Powerglide car, it was a low-mile car that only a little old lady would have.
I like the 60 A LOT better than I like the 59. Still, these have never been my favorites. I would have taken the newly-wierded-out Plymouth. Or, if there was a need to stay within the GM family, a Hydra-Matic-equipped Pontiac would have been worth the extra money, and better looking too.
I would question whether air conditioning was a popular option on these. Maybe it was different in the south, but I never recall seeing air in the Ford/Chevy/Plymouth class with any frequency until the late 60s. My Dad’s nicely equipped 66 Country Squire did not have air. Nor did my Grandma’s new 69 Catalina, although by 1969, it was becoming a lot more common. Even in the south, I suspect that most people who bought Chevys in 1960 just rolled the windows down and sweated, just like they had always done.
I’ll agree with your thoughts regarding air conditioning in areas other than the south. Dad’s annual new Chevy was always equipped with whatever were the popular options and not too much else, so the car would be easily resellable the following year. And he was religiously boring about that to the point taht I was stunned when he got an Impala SS for ’62, rather than the regular Impala (and continued thru his ’65, his last company car). Mom got an annual top-of-the line station wagon equipped the same way; and I do remember that mom’s wagon got air conditioning first (I think in ’63) because we always used that car for the annual vacation trip for six (dad, mom, myself, my sister, and mom’s two sisters – both of whom were in constant quiet warfare about how much the windows should be open while travelling). I don’t think dad bothered with a/c in his car until the ’64 Impala SS.
Had we not invariably vacationed at the beach, usually south of the Mason/Dixon line, I don’t think dad would have bothered with a/c for a few more years. We’re talking western PA, about 75 miles east of Pittsburgh.
My Dad’s first a/c car was a 69 Delta 88 which briefly served as a company car that replaced the 66 Country Squire. My Mom’s first was a 72 Cutlass Supreme (also notable for its power windows – whoo hoo!). It seems like in my area (northeast Indiana) the tipping point for “regular cars” was 1969-70. By 1974, any mid sizer or above without air was definitely an oddball, but still found on dealer lots. Luxury cars around here started commonly getting air in the early 60s.
Meanwhile, my parents ordered my mom’s 1986 Aerostar without a/c. Her next car (a 1986 Monte Carlo) didn’t have a/c either. My mom took my grandma’s Monte and used the Aerostar as a trade-in when my grandma wanted a new car, which would have been around 1991 or 1992. About a week after the deal was done, the dealership called my parents and said, “We assumed this vehicle had a/c when we determined the trade-in value. We want some money back.”, to which my dad said sorry about your luck, pay attention next time.
Oh my goodness, a car dealer left money on the table and then wanted it back later?
Sounds like a scene right out of the movie ‘Fargo’!
“pay attention next time.”??
I would have said a lot more than that, very little of it family friendly .
You’re right, I remember well when my Dad was shopping for our ’73 Wagon, he took me around while he was looking (seemed we went to a lot of dealers, which is unusual for my Dad, more an impulsive buyer). We had a ’69 Country Squire in trade, he took it to “Texas” Ted Britt in northern Virginia (not sure where it was, maybe Fairfax or McLean?..almost 50 years ago). He spent quite a bit of time negotiating for another Ford Wagon, when someone reinspected our ’69 and found it didn’t have AC. We’d bought it when living up in Vermont, and moved it down to Virginia, but we lived several years in Virginia without having an air conditioned car. Anyhow, my Dad was livid, he thought it was a ploy to get more money by reducing the amount for his trade, since it is pretty easy to inspect for presence of AC either inside the car or from the engine compartment, that they should have noted which options it had when first inspecting it. We left the dealership and ended up buying a Ranch Wagon at Eustess Merchant Ford in Manassas, which was better equipped than our Country Squire. It wasn’t quite loaded, but had a bunch of “first” options for our family, including AC, power locks (but manual windows) AM/FM stereo (radio only) and trailer towing package.
After that, the “main” family car always got AC, his commuter car did not (for another 10 years till he moved to central Texas, when everything needed AC) even after we moved back up to Vermont a 2nd time. When he bought the Ranch Wagon, he’d also just bought a pop-top camper and one of the first trips was down to Florida, so I’m sure he wanted to have Air Conditioning for that trip. However, he’d already had the Country Squire outfitted with a hitch and wiring, and got a raised eyebrow when a month later after buying the camper he brought in the Ranch Wagon to have the same work done on it. Yes, he should have bought the Ranch Wagon before buying the camper, but as I say my Dad was impulsive, and probably didn’t think the order out ahead of time.
Most of our relatives (who lived in NE Pennsylvania) had cars without air conditioning probably into the 90’s or so, when I guess AC was phased in as being standard, even up north. I found it great defogging windows which seems to be a bigger issue up north (we seldom have that problem in Texas, maybe a couple months in winter, but of course we need the AC for other reasons than getting rid of foggy windows…such that I now consider it almost a safety feature up north, where fogging windows seem much more common.
No comment on the ’60 Impala, my Dad was still in his Rambler phase back then, though his last 2 cars were in fact Impalas (he had a run of 3 Mercury Sables before those last 2) he hadn’t started buying GM yet, that would wait until 1965 when he bought a new F85 wagon.
Our first a/c car was our 1970 Chevrolet Kingswood wagon…bought in 1971 – we couldn’t get a ’71 wagon with the clamshell tailgate because of the GM strike then.
Then it was a 1973 Volvo 144E with no air con, because my dad reasoned that the combo of an auto trans with a 2 liter 4-cylinder engine would tax the engine excessively. Plus in those days many import cars didn’t have factory air, though I think the ’73 model might have been the first model year for the Bricks with an integrated factory air system.
After that all the cars we got had A/C.
We were 35-40 miles north of the burg. First a/c car came in late 1970; was an aftermarket, hang on the dash style.
Growing up, we never had air in our parent’s cars. My dad thought it was just something else to have to fix. Up until the 80’s no one in our immediate family had a car with a/c.
We were in Northeast Ohio, near Youngstown, and the summers get farkin’ humid, even though we’re 60+ miles from Lake Erie. The trips up to Geneva on the Lake, Pymatuning and Conneaut (on the PA side) were much nicer when we had air in the cars…
Great car. Great article. This is one of my all time favorites. I believe that the crossed flags above the “V” in the grill and on the trunk lid are indicators for the 348 engine. Cars with the 283 just got the “V” and sixes got nothing at all. In later years the crossed flags meant 327 and the 396 got the “396” numerals above the flags.
Yet another side-mounted rocket on a non-Olds, like on the Poncho pace car from last month. I’d like to hear the audio from the meetings where that got approved!
I was fascinated with these 60 models as a child, when they were new. I loved the GM wraparound windshield with the uniquely shaped vent windows, and I thought it was a step backward when the A-pillars were straightened out in the 1961 and later GM cars (although the 61s and 62s still had that classy curve at the bottom). As a kid, I didn’t have to worry about hitting my knee on getting in the car. (My aunt had a ’59 Bel Air sedan.)
I drew these cars endlessly in the third grade, after the 1961s were out. I also had a promotional model of a ’60 Impala convertible in olive green.
Talk about bringing back memories. Dad’s ’60 Chevy was an Impala convertible in exactly the same color combination as the feature car – only dad’s was a 283 with Powerglide. Yes, it was dad keeping his kid happy, I managed to finally talk him into a convertible rather than the annual Sport Coupe. The first and last convertible to ever sit in the Paczolt family driveway, mainly because the top only came down twice in the year we had it. Both times on the weekly Sunday drive. And both times mom bitched like crazy about how the sun was too hot, then the breeze was too cold, then her hair was getting messed, then bitch piss and moan thru the entire ride.
Even at ten years old, I realized that I wasn’t going to ask dad to get another convertible. Mom was going to make our lives miserable again if we did.
My mother loved convertibles. I can just remember her 1950 Olds Rocket 88 convert, and well recall her droptop ’58 Impala. She would just hustle my brother and me into the back seat, put the top down and go, with her long dark hair flying. Ma was very attractive, and she occasionally got pulled by policemen who tried to flirt with her. She was not amused. Neither was Dad. Fun times, though.
Sounds like you had one hell of a mother. Mine? Let’s just say, back in college when I read “Mommie Dearest”, after finishing the book I couldn’t understand what Christina Crawford was complaining about. Sounded like a normal mother to me.
This is a beautiful car, and the factory options and level of originality are great. It is a good evolution of the 1959 look, but I prefer the 59s. I have a bias against plain circular taillights, especially when the cat’s eye taillights on the 59s looked so good and integrated well with the shape of the fins and “eyebrows” above the headlights.
I agree, the 59’s tail lights look interesting and expensive and they make the 60’s rounds look boring and cheap. In fact the 59 Chevy is my all time favorite full size with a bow tie.
Sweet ride and great article!
I like the styling of the 59s and 60s, though the 60 styling has worn much better over the years. I actually like the 1959 styling a little better because of an overall love of outrageous design, given the pedestrian nature of most car designs.
The big issue that will keep me out of these cars will always be the X-frame – call me chicken little but it would bother me to be sitting that far outside the frame on a car that old.
Despite all the hoopla over the X-frame, especially after that crash test against a new car recently, if you’re worried about that I think you should be more concerned over the lack of shoulder belts in older cars.
Well that’s a factor too, but that I can alter more easily. And it has nothing to do with the famous “Bel Air + Malibu” crash of recent. Call me crazy, but in an old car I’d rather have the frame rails and the doors be working together for a minor amount of more side impact protection.
Here is the Youtube of that famous crash test. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joMK1WZjP7g
To me the more important factor is the quality of engineering and materials …modern cars use very specific varying grades of high-tensile steel in their engineering and construction to create modern crash protection/crumple zone tech. Older cars, no matter how stout, are for the most part lower-grade steel, and there’s no telling how unpredictably they’ll kill you…. Cf. http://i.autoblog.com/2011/11/27/1962-cadillac-vs-2002-cadillac-in-head-on-collision/
Yes, and look at this real world crash – a 1967 pontiac parked in a parking lot was hit by a new Lexus SUV. Thankfully no one was in the pontiac. Notice that this was a fairly low speed crash, the lexus has hardly any damage, the air bag did not even need to go off, and the crumple zone did not even need to crumple. Yet the front of the lexus destroyed the entire 1967 pontiac passenger compartment as it hit it above the frame.
http://ls1tech.com/forums/racers-lounge/1434978-lexus-vs-lemans.html
And if the old pontiac hit the lexus, the whole front of the pontiac would be destroyed, while the ultra high strength steel door frames of the lexus would remain intact.
My oldest sister’s first new car was a ’60 Impala convertible in white, with the same red houndstooth and black top. My sister bought a 6 cylinder with Powerglide. The 6-year-old me thought that was just the coolest car ever, well, until we visited Mom’s aunt in California the next year – the aunt with a ’58 Thunderbird.
I rather liked the 69-60 series; they looked a lot cooler than our 58 wagon to my 7 year old eyes. My grandfather got rid of his stepside pickup (he was a carpenter/contractor in Chicago) in favor of an elderly 60 wagon (probably for the ability to keep his tools locked up), and we had some good times riding with him. Don’t all 60 Chevys smell of cigar smoke?
(From the 60s, my personal favorite is the 63. It looked good as a sedan as well as a wagon.)
Mom and Dad had a ’59 Beetle when they married, but that was pretty quickly traded in for a ’60 or ’61 Impala. I was born not-too-long thereafter, and remember us being rear-ended when I was maybe four or five years old. My brother and I were in the back seat (no seat belts, of course!), and my infant brother was in the front (and I’m sure Mom did the arm fling maneuver to stop him flying into the dashboard).
I think it had been running poorly up to that accident, and it was traded in not long after, I think for the Rambler American we had for a few years.
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That 60 Impala is beautiful. I’ll bet the new owner paid a ton of money for it. But I think the 59’s were nicer. My Dad bought a 59 Biscayne new, silver blue hood and sides, and dark blue roof and trunk. A nice two tone, 2 door post coupe, stripped with no radio, no whitewalls and 6 cylinder with 3 on the tree. He traded it and $1500 for a 64 2 door Biscayne post coupe, not quite as autere, but no radio, no whitewalls, and 6 cylinder with manual shift. The 64 though, had carpet, padded dash, and a deluxe seats. It seemed much more luxurious than the 59.
Dad and I visited the dealership a week or two later, and Dad’s 59 was on the lot. A bit of rust repair, WWW tires, a radio, and deluxe hubcaps made that car sparkle, The dealer even put in carpet; there had only been a black mat. My Dad wanted to buy it back, but the salesman told him that a local doctor bought it and was picking it up later in the day.
Imagine a doctor today buying a 5 year old Chevy. Times sure have changed.
A pal of mine bought a red and white 1959 Chevy similar to that – 6, 3-speed, it did have a radio though. I got a kick out of the contrast between the swoopy styling and the mundane appointments it had. I do think that these 1959 and 1960 GM bodies had the best-looking two-door sedans of the time.
My best friend had a 1960 light blue Impala convertible; “3 on the tree” with the 283. What a cool car, especially since I was driving a ’57 Ford tudor (6) and then a ’56 Pymouth Plaza 6!!! That Imp was quite the chic mobile!
I thought cool rides were necessary to bag chicks until I was schooled otherwise. But the girl that taught me a lot didn’t care that my dad’s Chevy was a 2-dr post with blackwalls. She was just happy that I had access to a car. She said, “let’s have a blanket party!” I asked what a blanket party was. I learned. God, I love corn-fed midwestern farm girls and their willingness to teach.
I wonder when the styling of the 1960 and 1961 cars were ‘locked’ in place? Did they start restyles right after the 59’s hit the showrooms?
Maybe since the ’60 had to use the 59 bodyshell it was locked in summer ’58, before unveiled to the public. With some negative reaction to the fins, they would then start designing the 61’s while the 59 was for sale.
I think that it had more to do with the fact that Harley Earl retired as the 59s were being finished and that Bill Mitchell took over while there was time to do a little cleanup on the details for the 60 models. You will note that the entire 1960 line from Chevy to Cadillac is significantly cleaner than the corresponding 59.
I believe if you look at car sales and economic history, there was a big recession in 1959 and that car sales tanked. That, coupled with some new management at GM who saw that the 5 lines of GM cars shared very few parts and ordered that they start sharing parts as much as possible is what made the big changes to the ’60 models.
After a design was approved for production, stylists immediately began working on the facelift for the following year. During those years, customers expected each year’s car to look “new” even if it was only a facelift of the existing body.
Bill Mitchell has said that, as soon as the 1959s were finished, everyone involved realized that they had pushed the limits of styling. GM therefore began backpedaling with the 1960 models.
Also, Mitchell was now in charge of GM styling, and he had a different philosophy than Harley Earl. He didn’t care for such flourishes as the heavy use of chrome or wraparound windshields.
Makes sense to me, Mitchell said he was proud of the ’61 line.
We had three 61, full size Chevy’s living in our small neighborhood.Two of the three were still there in1970. The tudor hardtop had moved on.
I spent quite a lot of wheel time on a 1960 Biscayne, 4 door post, with Stovebolt Six and Three on the Tree. The comment about sitting on the floor with your legs splayed out was right on and this was common with all GM cars for a long time, including B bodies without the power seat.
The one I drove was all original and with only like 45,000 miles on it. What struck me was just how “unsafe” the thing felt. Any bump of any size made the whole thing quiver and shake like a wet dog. The owner told me it did that from new. Seems that between 1960 and 1977 cars got a lot better!
My car-mentor Howard told me of a co-worker with a new 60 Impala convertible. They worked at a place with a big gravel parking lot and the guy with the Chevy had to park where it was level, or else the doors would bind up and not open.
They quiver, that explains a couple I looked over in Aussie my mates neighbour had two parked amongst 50 or so other cars in her front paddock all inspection failures the two 60 Chevs had stress cracks all over them but were otherwise complete cars driven to where they were parked the washboard sand roads of the Pilliga scrub area beat them to death, first year of V8 assembly in OZ both cars had 283 engines.
I love the 60s! Despite the dog legs, despite the X frame, despite the still relatively outrageous back end, these are my favorite full size Chevys behind the 55. Really after the bubble top was dropped and became more and more blocky in years to come, they lost all appeal to me.
My 1st 1960 Chevy is being delivered next week. I like the 60’s way better than the 59’s.
Wow! That car is just beautiful in red-on-red!
Like Zac’s Dad, my uncle bought a used, three-year old 60 Impala four door hardtop, red with white top and trim, 283, PG, PS, PB, twin rear antennas, wide whites. These Impalas were such sharp looking cars, with flashy interiors, that they attracted positive attention even after they were a few years old, especially in color combinations of red, white, black, and copper.
In my small town Midwest fullsize Chevies – both 59s and 60s – sold very well, in all models. I remember my school teachers drove Biscaynes and Belairs, the more affluent or credit crazed (with those 24 payment books) bought Impalas. My grandmother had a Kingswood wagon (copper and white). The Impala hardtops and convertibles were great favorites of the kids who bought them used and ripped off the wheel covers added rear antennas, hopped up the engines, put in floor shifts. As two 9 year olds, I remember my cousin and me cruising around one week-end in the back seat of our cousin’s friend’s red 59 convertible (with a Continental kit and the 348), how cool it was that they took us along, and that car was so over the top attention getting, you felt like a million bucks riding in it.
The 60s was a great decade to be an American car nut, and every year fresh metal rolled into the showrooms.
I really like ther design of the 59-60 Chevys (but I like the 59 more). They just have a flair about them that most other cars after them lack. I like the “bat wing” that bucked the bigger is better tailfin craze. I can always tell one of these cars when I see it from the rear, even a mile away.
I also prefer the 59 – the original design is usually the purer and better, I prefer the 55 over the later 2 years also.
It is interesting when you do know these things, and come across people who don’t – a while back at one of our offices in a small industrial complex there was a 59 Chev outside a unit approx 100m away, and a couple of guys were saying “gee that is a nice car, I wonder what it is?” Shows how rare it is to see a Chev on the road out here these days.
Another ’59 lover here. When I saw my first ’60, I thought they’d ruined the beautiful (to little me) far-out spaceship ’59 and made it boring. Sorta like gelding the lily. But reading this article, I’m beginning to understand the ’60 love.
It must be the austere Catholic in me but I always thought the ’61 was the best design of the ’59-61 series….
“Her Impala was just a used car back then (circa 1970) and had a few old car quirks. One of them was that it could be started without a key. She recalled several times when she’d be in class, and see her car drive by. It was just her friend, taking it for a ride!”
All Chevy’s from about 55 through 64 or 65 had the ignition switch with the little handle on it which you could take the key out of at any time. In fact you had to have the key in to put the switch into the “Lock” position (it was labeled Acc, Lock, Off, On and Start). You could start and shut the car off without a key anytime, as it would only go to the Off position and you could simply twist the handle to start it and and be on your way.
I suspect this is why your mom saw her car on the road without her so often!
’64 was the last year for the keyless lock. I definitely remember dad’s silver blue ’65 Impala SS 2-door had a slightly recessed brushed chrome circle where the key was inserted.
Yes, I distinctly remember my parents’ 1962 Biscayne with this feature – they would remove the keys from the lock cylinder and leave them laying on the flat dash.
Our ’62 Buick Special had the same switch, with Briggs & Stratton keys. Yes, the same company that powers your lawn mower. And ’59 Buicks were not exactly centerfold material either, but I like them.
An interesting bit of trivia is that the engine revving sound at the beginning of (and mid-way thru) the iconic Beach Boys tune, ‘409’ was not really from a 409, but Terry Melcher’s 1960 Tri-Power 348 Impala.
The story goes that Brian Wilson took all night to get the sound just the way he wanted it. The effort shows.
Beautiful car I like the 59/60 Chevys the only years the styling went against the trends, reguarding the 348 I was sure the biggest gruntiest engine in a 60 was the 409 with 409hp in a 2door 1 hp for each 8pounds of car or was that just a option sheet myth most of the 60s that were assembled in NZ were 283 sedans though one kid at my primary school rode in a Brookwood wagon and a rusty one at that it must have been 4/5 years old and no salt snow ice where I grew up.
Don’t force me to choose, I like em both. One of the other families my folks were friends with (who were also emigres from Austria) had a 1960 Impala sedan just like the one in the factory illustration before the photos of the feature car start. I was friends with their son, and the two dads and the two fathers would go hunting and fishing trips in that Impy. Even though my dad became a Ford man after moving to the States, I think he really liked their Impy. It was a knockout in that two tone blue and white. IIRC, it had a 283 + glide, while our 1962 Fairlane had a 260 + Fordomatic. Even though the Fairlane was smaller, I remember my dad commenting about how strong the Impala felt when we merged into traffic.
By 1969, my friend’s family had moved up in the world, they built a new house in an up and coming suburb, got out from underneath the coke furnaces of the steel mill we lived near. Additionally, they bought a new Oldsmobile Delta 88 and sent the (now) rusty Impala to the scrapyard, even though it still had some life left in it. I hated to see it (and my friend) go, but there was little I could do.
Our corner gas station was run by a bunch of motorheads. In our neck of the woods, it was the practice to have your tow vehicle painted and outfitted like your race (drag) car. Our gas station had a straight axle 1955 Chevy in brown metal flake with Cragar mags, and their tow vehicle? It was a 1959 El Camino outfitted the exact same way.
I’ve wanted one like that since I was a little kid…
Thanks for sparking the memories.
i was fortunate enough to grow up with my mother’s 1960 impala convertible in baby blue with a white side stripe. it was undoubtedly her favorite car ever.
A blast from the past.
When I was a little tyke, these were all over…I’m talking about 1964-65 or so. They were commonplace but already decomposing dramatically with rust; the gull-wing styling didn’t shed water or road salt so well.
They were commonplace but sad-looking old cars…that was in the day when a six-year-old car was “old.” Typically they were driven by hardscrabble folks…and looked it, the drivers and their cars.
Then, as if overnight, they seemed to all disappear. Amazing how that can happen so quickly to an automotive generation…
As a little kid, the odd-shaped A-piller with its dogleg and styled vent windows puzzled me…I couldn’t figure out the function, not having figured out that sometimes the form IS the function. Strange, strange…especially when the “modern” cars, the 1968s and later, came with straight angled A-pillars; and bigger door glass. And…hey, a new idea! The 1970 Chevrolets came without vent windows! Kewel.
Such is how you view the world as a kid, when everything is new and untried.
The emblem-socket of the 1960 models holds a particular attraction to me. A neighbor kid, about seven years older than my buddies and I, had a 1960 two-door hardtop. That was around 1968, when most of those had rusted away…but this one was cherry; shiny white paint with the chrome jet with a red contrail. He was about 18, and very proud of his preserved specimen – and that, at that age, he owned a car at all.
One fine day he was riding up our street…he lived one street behind us. Along the side of my home was a cluster of pine trees; and in the backyard a walnut tree. We, some friends and I, were hanging out…and one of those unclean geniuses got the idea that that grove of pines were the PERFECT blind…from which to sling out walnuts, bombing passing cars.
Well…we picked up our ammo…and waited. First car to come along…got a barrage. One hit the mark.
It was that Chevrolet. One of our missiles had nailed the Chevy…RIGHT ON THAT EMBLEM.
Busted. In a million pieces. In those days, there were no replacements, NOS or aftermarket. Once gone, it was an empty hole…and that’s what was there then.
We ran; not wanting to stick around and inspect our handiwork…but Daniel was so mad the neighbors came out to try and help him get his mind right. And Dan was a big kid; a football hero. My folks were mercifully out…
Memories.
My cousin had a batwing 59 Biscayne in the late 60’s that she drove back and forth to work and college classes. She got a ticket for a busted taillight lens so I went to the junkyard and got a replacement for her. That sucker was so big it practically filled up the back seat of my 60 VW bug.
OK, now we’ve gone thru the tri-fives, and the batwings. And I still like the ’58’s the best. Especially the Impala coupe.
“Then, as if overnight, they seemed to all disappear…”
Yeah, it seemed as soon as 1970 turned he corner, the finned Chevys were way out of style and junked. And 1971-73 were huge new car sales years, and seemed to take over the streets. The Tri-5’s, though, stuck it out.
Yeah…the Tri-Fives were already getting a rep as a cool “kid’s car” in those days. I started high school in 1973; and there were five Tri-Fives in the 60-car student lot. (We had 2000 students; big high school; and parking permits were in demand)
The batwing bubbletops never got a similar rep in those years. They were just viewed as weird; like cat’s-eye eyeglasses and beehive hairdos.
They were hustled off to the dump just as fast as replacements became available.
Agreed, the Big Chevys that young hot rodders loved in the early 70’s were the Tri-5’s, or they jumped to the 61-64 Chevys. [A few 65-67s]
Lots of gull wingers went to demo derbies that era.
Me, l love them all!
But, by the late 70’s, mid size and compact Chevys took over as ‘first kid’s cars’ from the biggies.
“In 1960, Chevrolet sold 204,467 Sport Coupes. It is unknown how many were Impalas, as there are no model breakouts available.”
The vast majority were likely Impalas. IINM, the Biscayne didn’t come as a hardtop, and I suspect that few people buying 2-door Bel Airs sprung for the Sport Coupe over the pillared 2-door. The Bel Air hardtop was actually dropped just a few years later — I think ’63 was the last year. I’d be surpised if Bel Airs accounted for much more than 10% of hardtop production.
I agree with all of your comments, except ’62 was the last year of the Bel Air Sport Coupe. Unlike the Impala of that year, it still had the famed “bubble top” of the ’59-’61 models: thin pillars with lots of glass. By the 1963 model year, the Bel Air was available only as 2- and 4-door sedans and 4-door wagons.
Our family’s ’67 Bel Air 2-door was so stripped it’s hard to imagine why Chevy kept the Biscayne in the lineup.
These always remind me of the Bob Seger song ‘Night Moves’, especially during the summer:
Out past the cornfields where the woods got heavy
Out in the back seat of my ’60 Chevy
Yep… That song pops into my head every time I see a ’60 Chevy. I was 16 and in high school when that song came out. The song really made an impression and painted a familiar picture for the times, having just gotten my license, and finally able to take a girl out on a date in a car. That song, as well as a few others like Gerry Rafferty’s Baker Street (released in 78) will always remind me of my early days of driving while in high school. Good times.
First model Chevrolet with a V8 option in Australia only the 283 or you could have the regular six, there were two salmon coloured sedans on a neighbouring property where I lived for a while lined up amongst 50-60 other cars the woman had, they were not for sale. I got a good look at them when I bought a parts XB Falcon from her, put gas in it and drove it home, the Chevs or at least the best one was likely in the same condition failed inspection on something minor and parked.
We had a ’60 Bel Air two-door (no a/c, in Atlanta, GA) when I was very young. I remember being in the back seat with my next-youngest brother when we got rear-ended in traffic maybe around late 1968 or so. Brother #3 was in a baby carrier (not a car seat!) in the front passenger seat, and I’m sure Mom used the “right arm air bag” to protect him (it was a low-speed collision). That’s me in the photo, being carried by my Grandmother.
The car was tired by that point, and would not start after the impact. A used ’68 Country Squire LTD showed up soon after.
That’s a great picture Ed. I ran into one at my cousin’s house a few weeks ago from a family picnic circa ’67 or ’68, with all the old DPs in their “wife beater” t-shirts playing bocci, a full stream of around 15 various ’58-’66 American iron horses (usually lower trim levels) in the background. Of course there was no actual wife-beating ever since the men were mostly neutered and there was never any doubt that my grandmother and her sisters ran the household in every given situation.
We last had a reunion in 2004; the auto landscape changed considerably in that 90% of the vehicles were foreign-branded, the few exceptions usually pick-up trucks.
In 1960, I was a car crazy 16 year old with a rusty and leaky seven year old Chrysler convertible (but it was all mine) when my sister and her husband got a new 1960 Impala convertible, white with black top and red checkered interior (283 power-glide).
She drove it to the carpet warehouse in town where I worked and let me drive it home. The top was down and the weather was perfect. The drive lasted just a few minutes but I remember those minutes well.
As we pulled into the driveway my father came off the front porch, saw my smile in the midst of that bright red square surrounded by the splendid wide white body that was of all 1960 GM cars and said “don’t get used to it”.
There are some moments that never fade away. The shape and sense of 1960 Impalas always brings a smile to my face.
My dad bought an olive green ’60 Biscayne and a black ’65 Biscayne 2door – both new. The only option listed on both of them was an AM radio. I learned to drive a three-on-the-tree in the ’65, which eventually became mine as a teenager. 4 adults & three kids took a summer vacation to Washington D.C. (from the midwest) in the ’65 2 door with no A/C.
We had a 4 door, brand new, 65 Biscayne. Was automatic, no radio, six cylinder. Was always so mundane looking; neighbors classy 65 Impala sport coupe usually sat right next to it. ( street parking neighborhood)
When you use the term “gull wing” some of us automatically
think DeLorean style doors. Now that would be a killer
Impala! 🙂
Yeah, that’d be cool all right – but my second thought went to how you’d engineer that…..
To me, the GM 59 – 60 lineup screams ’50s excess, though I kind-of like the Buicks for their relatively clean fins, especially compared to the ’59 Caddy.
And yes, all those bodies aged rapidly after the ‘all new’ 61s hit the showroom. (But wasn’t that the point?)
My favorite GMs of this era are the de-finned ’61s. I feel they are the best combination, retaining some flamboyant ’50s style curves and angles, blended with a more sensible and cleaner overall look. I especially like the ’61 bubble-top Chevy Impala coupe, and the pointed-fender ’61 Buicks. After ’61, those cars still looked good, but they just kept getting plainer.
The first car in my family I remember having AC, was a left-over ’67 Chevy Malibu Concours wagon my Dad bought new in late summer of ’68. That one also had the ‘woody’ side trim, power tailgate window, and another, perhaps even more rare Chevy option for ’67, an AM-FM radio! That was a great car until terminal rust started eating it up by the late ’70s.
Happy Motoring, Mark
Happy Motoring, Mark
All of GM’s 1959’s have a bit of chrome on the edges of the fins. Cadillac does add the taillights, which are mounted high enough that they are high mounted. As for style, I think Pontiac’s fins are smallest and Olds next. Buick’s front and rear styling is more consistent than the rest, but I don’t really like either Buick or Chevrolet’s wing like fins. Cadillac’s fins are the most outrageous for size, but I think the best looking for fins. Long term I think Cadillac would have done better without the excessive fins.
I think the 1960 Chevrolets were an improvement, but the 1961s were ever so much better.
Every time I see or hear a mention of a ’60 Chevy I think of Bob Seeger’s song “Night Moves”. These were a lot nicer than the ’59s. I wonder what the sales figures were for these compared to the ’59s.
If I recall correctly, full-size Chevrolet sales held up well in 1960, despite the advent of the all-new Corvair.
Sales of the full-size 1960 Ford, meanwhile, dropped considerably from the 1959 level, because a fair number of customers instead bought a Falcon.
I also really like the ’60 full-size Fords, again for their combining ’50s curves and those graceful but modest horizontal fins, with the ‘forward-look’ ’60s body.
Happy Motoring, Mark
My Father’s first new car was a ’59 Impala two door hardtop, black with a bright red vinyl interior. Not many options, two barrel 283, Powerglide, am radio, white walls and heater. This sounds like a stripper now, but this was a common level of equipment back in the day. What made a car a stripper was low equipment in a low line car like a Biscayne, no chrome, cheap wheel caps, plain upholstery, rubber floor mats, six, and three on the tree.
I thought this car was very sporty, with the sleek profile and the Impala leaping over the crossed flag emblem! My Dad complained about the low seating position from the very beginning of ownership and the curved rear window actually allowed the top of the rear seat to char and blister! He installed a Venetian blind rear shade which was kind of neat looking. It’s funny how he changed cars so frequently in those days. The ’59 was traded in on a new 1964 Pontiac Tempest wagon with the same equipment level. I never heard any complaints about the wagon’s seating position. My Dad would let me drive this car around empty parking lots when I was in the fifth grade, I thought that the car was so powerful. Just like in Alan Jackson’s song “Drive” Such good memories.
Who says the gull wing fin is dead?
Yes.
http://christopher-king.blogspot.com/2014/04/kingcast-presents-another-heavy-chevy.html
I’ve always had a soft spot for the 60’s.
The first one I paid attention to was a midnight-blue 2-door sedan. It belonged to the older brother of one of my elementary school classmates. I don’t know what it had under the hood, but I’m pretty sure it had a 4-speed.
The second one was a 4-door hardtop that my dad somehow acquired. It had a 348 in it that had blown a piston. For some reason, he spent an ungodly amount of money in the 70’s to have a neighborhood garage stick a 283 in it. it ran well, but wasn’t very pretty (brown primer).
The third one was a ’60 sedan delivery. STILL one of my dream cars. This one had a bad case of body rot and needed a new front end (sheetmetal), and had a 6 cylinder 3-speed OD in it (it ran). I kept it for about 5-6 years and then sold it.
This ’59 ad reminds me how many models/variants there were when there was only the “full-size” car plus the Corvette. Also, if new to anyone, here’s a big collection of clays for the ’59: http://www.hotrod.com/articles/how-gms-radical-1959-chevrolet-came-to-be/
If memory serves, the 1960 Chevy Impala is the featured car in the movie “Jeepers Creepers”…
I’ve always liked the 1959-60 Bel Air and Impala. I’ve never seen a 4 door sedan or wagon, but I’ve seen some 2 door hardtops.
Not a great lover of these (the front and the back just seem unrelated to me), but this is a great old thread of discussion. I love the line in the post about the 1960’s having more modest side trim that the 59s…that’s quite a statement about the era when the 60’s have a giant chrome supersonic aircraft, its’ 6 inch wide white-painted vapor trail, and checkered flags on each side!
CC Effect, sort of: I saw a red ‘60 Impala hardtop on a trailer last weekend. If cosmetic condition was anything to go by, it was a driver, just being hauled to or from a show. Count me as someone who has always preferred the ‘59’s.
My dad bought a new 1960 Chevy, but not a Impala 2 dr hardtop: his was a Biscayne 4 dr sedan, 6, three on the tree and dog dish hubcaps surrounded by 2 ply black “rim protectors”. NO power anything, just a huge boat with no handling, brakes or good rear visibility thanks to those hideous fins. It was two-toned tho: white top over a turquoise body. That one feature did make it far more attractive than the 90+% WGB vehicles of today (WhiteGrayBlack)!!
While it was the first car I ever drove more than once, the lasting impression it gave me was not a good one due to its manual everything plus those HUGE fins. OTOH it was good for toning up teenage muscles!! 🙂 DFO
The first car I ever drove was a 1960 Impala convertible. I was ten years old. Hey, my dad was in the car!
It was my mom’s car, a red ’60 ragtop with black and white houndstooth interior. The chrome jet with white exhaust on the side always looked cool, even thought the car had a 283 and a powerglide, so the car wasn’t too fast. Drop the top, and it was a cool cruiser!
I had forgotten about the rear seat speaker set in the middle of the rear seat backrest. My parents never had one in their cars, but I thought they were very cool. My dad had an aftermarket radio that he moved from car to car. It did not have push buttons so he did not want you to ever change the station, so no top 40 hits for me.
Uncle Zoltan had one from new in reverse color scheme with the 283 and Powerglide. Kept it 4 years. Great car. Had problems with the Turboglide on his ’58 and the 348 it had was fuelish too. Worked for Fisher Body, got a new one usually every four years.
Not a fan of the ‘59-‘60 Chevies, but I liked the plainer ‘61-‘62 years. A full zoot ‘63 Impala could give the Buick or Olds a run for stying!