We can’t exactly let Impala Day go by without asking which one of America’s once- favorite is your favorite. I’m not exactly answering the question, but there was a black ’58 Impala coupe like this parked around the corner of our house for a year, in about 1962-1963, that put a spell on me. And although it was already an “old” car by then, I was endlessly fascinated by it. I was really taken by GM’s concept cars of this era, which were generally quite a bit cleaner than the production cars, especially the ’58s. But the Impala seemed to me then the closest expression of a Futurama car in 1958. There was one thing I just couldn’t wrap my head around though:
Why did they give it “bucket seats” in the back, but not in the front? Life was full of these unanswered important questions at that age. But I’m still waiting for a good answer on that one.
My favorite? See the previous CC…
Black over red 67 Impala SS 427 fastback. Big and sexy. Like me.
Favorite year of Impala: 1969 All the way… Here’s why: I grew up with two families that had ’69 Impala 4 door in the 70’s and early 80’s. First of all:
1) My parent had Garnet Red ’69 Impala four door sedan, Garnet Red with black cloth interior, AM radio, 327 v-8, powerglide… Nothing special or rare… Just a nice smooth family cruiser in the good ole days. They sold it shortly after christmas ’83. Got it in summer ’71.
2) My great uncle had a burnished brown ’69 Impala four door sport sedan with champagne (painted) on top with 327 v-8, powerglide, AM radio with fender skirt. As a part of divorce settlement, He had to give this car to his #2 wife in ’84 (bought new).
Now I own an Olympic Gold/black ’69 Impala convertible with 327 v-8, automatic, suspected possibly AM/FM radio probably with 8 track tape (both gone now) before I accquired this car 14 years ago and still has it.
Now you see CLEARLY Why ’69 Impala kind-of-thing is in my blood 🙂
My favorite year has to be 1970. A ‘70 astro Blue on black sport coupe with the L48 300 350, like I owned for the last 30 years.. 1969 SS 427 sport coupe is my 2nd favorite ?
1965 Impala SS
There’s a beautiful convertible the same colour in Within Temptation’s Angels video
I would gladly take almost any Impala model from its inception through the bent window coupes. However, without a doubt the ’65 would be the pick of the litter for me. And this yellow SS would just be the best of the best.
Me Too! The 65 even with some of its faults always had the best lines of all.
Wow, that’s just about perfect, calibrick! Very close to my favorite, a white ’65 Impala 2dr coupe that emerged out of a flurry of snow onto our farm in late ’64-one of the young truckers who would take our cattle to market had just purchased it, and stopped by to see Dad for a few minutes about scheduling a haul. I think it “just” had a 283, three-speed manual, blue cloth interior, but the way it appeared to emerge out nowhere, only to then return to the mist, only added to the magic. First of the ’65’s I had seen in solid form. I was rather surprised to see it in town a few days later, having concluded by then that something that beautiful could only have been a hallucination.
’65 Impala convertible. White with red interior. My first crush and still among my top 5 collectible favorites.
http://marlin-car.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/1965-chevy-impala-convertible-9ok2zap3.jpg
Since there was no 55 Impala, I’ll take the 58. They are just over the top enough.
Well, my favorite is the one I own: a Meadow Green ’64 Impala 4-door hardtop with a 327 and working factory A/C. Much of that is sentimental attachment since it’s like the car I grew up with, but the ’64 Impala is a sharp-looking, nice-driving car. That was Chevy’s magic formula that sold so many Impalas in the 60s.
I think your article on the 1970 Impala is pretty accurate; it probably was the most refined, best all-around Impala until the 1977 model (which, although handsome outside, was rather plain inside and overshadowed by the Caprice).
I’ll go with 1959, with 1961 as my second favorite, and 1966 is my #3 because the styling is OK and I like the taillights (which are NOT round dots).
I like the same three years you do, based on styling alone. I always loved the happy modern looking 66’s – the Impala looked as good as a Caprice in a sporty way. My aunt had a Turquoise convertible 66 Impala. It replaced their 65 Malibu convertible which The girls got to drive to high school.
Hard to say Paul but I always liked the 61 bubble top.
The ’65, in either Impala or SS trim. One of the guys I went to high school with had a brand new ’65 2dr coupe, maroon (Honduras?), with a 283 4-speed. That’s not a typo, you actually could get that engine/trans combo that year. Sweet car, but I’ll take the 300 horse 327.
I have two choices, at extreme ends of the gaudiness spectrum. I can’t decide between the 77 I learned to drive in (wagon, please) or the 59 (huge fins, but they’re horizontal! Wagon again please. A friend had a Matchbox one of these that I coveted.)
The last of the RWD SS.
I can’t really say that there is one that I don’t like. I can find something appealling in just about every year of Impala.
58=348/3V
61=1st year ImpalaSS=409
62=AluminumSheetMetal=427
65=Last year of the 409/1st for the 396
67=ImpalaSS=427
70=1st year for the 454
75=Last year for the 454
76=Last year for the 400SBC
77=Any coupe
81=Last year for the coupe(87 was last year for the Caprice coupe)
82=Last year for the wagon(double points for the 2 seater,triple points for the 1A2 CopWagon)
85=Last year until the 94 ImpalaSS
Anything with 9C6,9C3,9C1,1A2 Cop/Taxi packages
Damn this is tiring! My FWD list is just as long!
After seeing this black ’58 Impala… I knew where it is… It’s on capitol hill in Seattle area 🙂
Definitely the 1965 Sport Coupe in White with Blue interior… To my eye it is the prettiest big GM of the era and one of the nicest looking cars period of the mid 1960s. I’d probably take mine like most Americans did back then: Whitewalls, wheel covers, the good ol 283 with Powerglide, power steering and that multifunction display of yesteryear: a radio. Over a million folks seemed to agree that year, so the 65 was real American institution.
Any Impala available with either 300 net or gross HP with bonus points going to any Impala with 6 taillights like god intended.
My dad bought a new Impala every two years starting with our 1959 cat eyed beauty, right up to the mid 70’s. My personal favorite was the dark green 1965 two door. I thought it was the most beautiful thing on the planet when I saw it and a piece of me still thinks that 65 Impalas were the prettiest cars that ever came out of Detroit.
Certainly not the 58. I liked the 59 and I guess the 60. Fast forward to 77 and the Impala wagon I had was a great car that was more truck than car. I really wish I had kept working on the car. Just got tired of half fast mechanics.
Ohhh wow, tough decision.
I’ll give the ’00-05 some love since it doesn’t seem to get much. At least they were trying to give a mass-market domestic car some style, the Lumina having been the Official Car Of GM Giving Up.
Have to make it The New Chevrolet. A 1977 Impala two-door coupe, with the folded-glass backlight.
A supervisor had one of those when they were new; and I gotta admit, it was one of the few regular full-size sedans I’d consider owning.
My favorite Impala? My 2012 LTZ, of course!
I suppose the top prize would have to go – no surprise here – to my 1964 avatar. Once again, I bought in June, 1970. It was a California car all the way. I basically restored that car over the next three years and sold it just before I left the air force. Probably the biggest material mistake I ever made. I knew I would regret it then, but not having the resources to keep it with my uncertain future back home and in school (read: uncertain income), I had to let it go.
Socond: Dad’s 1966 red sports sedan. What a cruiser, especially with all windows down and vents cranked out. I washed and waxed that car for dad every Sunday, and let me and my buddy cruise all over in it almost anytime.
Third: Dad’s 1960 sports sedan. I learned to drive in that car.
I went back to look at the ’65 Chevy brochure and once again was seduced by the Corvair. Sorry Impala, the Vair wins out.
I’m with ya. Further down, I stayed within the rules and listed my favorite Impalas. However, given a choice, I’ll take any model Corvair (especially with a four speed) any day.
First would have to be a ’69 Impala Custom Coupe. Burnished Brown w. gold cloth interior. 350, please, but I’d need to change my handle to PRNDL2L1. 🙂
The transmission (and the addition of A/C) would be the only two differences from my old man’s “closest to new” car. He bought his in the summer of ’70 as a dealer demo. The only car he ever bought w. the factory sticker still in the window.
Second would be a ’63 Impala HT coupe, Ermine White w. red cloth seats. 327 & PRNDL, natch! 🙂 this is the car the ’69 replaced.
One more thing… Would have to spec or resto-mod some power front discs. Dad’s were 4x manual drum.
…and some nice radials! 🙂
My favorites are the ’61 to ’66 models. Give me an SS with a big block and a 4-speed or a convertible with a well-tuned small block and I’m happy. Still, I don’t mind the newer ones. I’ve driven a few as rentals over the years, and after reading Paul’s article on the 2014 model I’m looking forward to getting one as a rental some time. My dad had a ’73 Impala Custom coupe, and though it rusted out rather quickly it had a solid drivetrain, and it was the first car I ever drove when he started teaching me to drive at 13 years of age.
I saw a nice ’62 vert two days ago. But the nicest one I’ve photographed is the one at the top of the page.
Any coupe from ’65 to ’68 is fine with me. That’s my nostalgia wheelhouse.
That is a nice black 58 Impala, to me very strongly reminiscent of my college days. Someone who had a substantial old house across the street from the campus had one exactly like that one…and a white one, identical except for being lowered. This was in 1958, when these were new cars. The cars were always parked on the street. Either the old house didn’t have a garage, or the garage was too short for the Impalas, a common problem with older houses in the mid-1950’s.
I like the year-of-manufacture 1958 King County Washington plates on the car shown too. For a non-Chevy guy like me, I suppose my favorite Impala would be any 1958, 1959, or 1960 2-door hardtop with a red interior and a V8 and 4-speed.
59 for me. It screams Space Age! It looked more like those flying cars of the future than anything else did…
1961, hands down. Bubble top, first year of the SS, 409 = win in my book! 🙂
Also love the 58, 60, 65, and 67s as well
+1 on the bubble top.
Alternately, a 62 HT coupe. One of the 1979-80 issues of Car Craft had a red one w. a 409 4-speed on the cover. I clipped that feature out & had it on my BR wall a few years.
’65, not just because it was the first car I legally drove. The ’66 improved the styling a bit, but the ’65 was an original, with the proper six round taillights, even on the wagon. Also, ’65 was the last year before California exhaust emission controls (air pump, etc). The change from “X” to perimeter frame made a better car, as the same basic structure carried on to Paul’s favorite ’70.
I have no use for the ’58 jukebox, but the bat-wing ’59 is my second favorite.
Sentimental favourite would have to be the ’65, since that was my very first car. If I was going to buy one today it would be a ’62 SS hardtop with a 300 horse 327. I’d have to dump the Powerglide for a TH 350 though.
’62 SS hardtop? Get out of my head!! 🙂
Which one do I want? To be honest! I need to go along w. the gent who said earlier… “ALL of the ones w. six tail lights…”
My mom’s best friend owned a ’68 Impala hardtop sedan, in turquoise. I loved that car. I so looked forward to riding in it. I have always had a big thing for the 68 (and similar 67) Impala. I just go weak in the knees when I see one. I almost bought one once, a ’68 coupe in that wonky gold. They wanted $5000 for it and while I was appropriating the funds, the owner got T-boned driving it. 🙁
For me? Either the ’65 or the ’66. Those were gorgeously designed cars. Cheating, but I’d say a ’65 4-door hardtop with the Caprice upgrade, at least the 327 engine, full power accessories. But I could go for an Impala SS coupe, too. My oldest brother had one, and I got to drive it a bit. Loved it. I could go for similar ’66 models, too, with the 396 and Turbo HydraMatic. But not the roof design they put on the ’66 Caprice 2-door, or the later Impala Custom coupes–it always looked bizarre to me.
I’ll have to go with the cars dad drove:
My favorite was his ’58 – blue exterior with the interior identical to the picture at the beginning of the article. By the way, the lack of bucket seats was due to the American car industry not having them at the time. The ’58 Thunderbird was the first four passenger American car to have it, I think the 56 Corvette beat it out, however. The Impala’s rear seat wasn’t a bucket. It was a bench, and that divider arm rest was actually a seat cushion that popped up to become an arm rest. That was a one year only feature is my memory is correct, as it was a minor pain in the ass to pull up.
I’ll take a ’58 over a tri-five any day.
Second choice would have been dad’s ’65 SS hardtop. Silver blue with matching interior.
Third choice was dad’s ’62 SS hardtop. White with red interior, 327 Powerglide, which meant the stupid combination of steering column shifter with bucket seats.
And fourth was dad’s ’60. A convertible this time, ordered to keep his son happy, and mom made sure it was the only one. Black with red interior, white top, white insert on the fender. Thanks to mom’s complaining, the top only came down twice in the year we had it.
However . . . . . if for any reason I’d end up with the equivalent of any of these four, numbers two thru four would immediately be sold and the money put into a Corvair. I’d have to flip a coin on number one.
If I couldn’t own one, then at least driving a Corvair is on my bucket list.
I’d like it to match Paul’s Monza or maybe one of the Gen IIs.
1963 Impala 4 door, 4 speed, 409, black with blackwall tires and dog dish caps would be my ideal Imp.
I “kinda” owned that, once… ’64 Bisquick, 4 dr. post, 230 and you guessed it — PRNDL.
The observant will note that “kinda” is a rather loose comparison. 🙂
If I had a choice to do the 409 thing (or if I was of age then . . . I was a toddler) . .
I’d have done a Bisquick . . . 2 door post.
I waffle between the ’65, ’67, and ’68. I’d be happy with any bodystyle except the ’68 Custom Coupe. Ideally my ’65 would have the 409 while the others would have the 427. Realistically, I’d jump on any ’65-’70 as long as it’s cheap, complete, and original.
I’d probably also go for a non-beige/gold/brown/yellow ’72 or ’73 model, especially the Custom Coupe.
“Cheap, complete and original”
Is that one of those “pick any two” questions?
But I will say this… If anyone could score this trifecta, it’d be the Junqueboi! 🙂
I’d say my favorite would be a ’77-’85 sedan with the 305 or the I6.
I prefer my Chevrolets fairly basic.
And are we in agreement here? NO donks.
+1 yo.
Agreement can be a difficult thing to secure here, in a friendly sort of way, but I’m thinking you’re safe with that one.
If I had to have an impala and keep it all original it would be a 65 409 in whit or red please. But Ive been thinking about a pro touring 81 impala with a warmed over lsx and a six speed . I think I would.do it the darkest deepest black I could find with a brandy wine pine stripe. Not real low but low enough to give it the right look and Id probably just have sime 17″ wheels made so they resembled the stock steel wheels with a dog dish hanging in the center. I been thinking about building an 81 for a long long while And If the money ever materializes it will be the first car I build.
So many choices, but 62 and 65 are my current faves….
Make mine a 283 / 4 speed please.
I’ll take the 59 for certain, with the 58 and 65 tying for runner up.
For me, number 1 with a bullet is Norm Beechey’s 1962 Impala 409 tin 4-bbl, that he road-raced over here and was the car that ended the domination of touring car racing by the Jaguar Mark II. It won 70% of its starts however did not snag the national championship due to reliability problems – taking a road car racing was not a straightforward proposition.
The car was a 4-door because 2-doors were only allowed in the small-car classes, so Norm ordered a hardtop with electric windows for better re-sale after he was finished racing it!
There is an interesting article covering some of the challenges – but also Norm buying the car back in more recent years and restoring it, he still gives it a good workout from time to time.
http://www.uniquecarsmag.com.au/news-and-reviews/article/articleid/41617.aspx
Honorable mentions for hopefully many years to come would be a 1959, just a stunning car in say black with a white roof and red interior, or a 1965 in metallic blue – coupe, hardtop or sedan I don’t mind. I’d keep a ’59 fairly original, just an update to the brakes, but for a ’65 a reversible ‘mild pro-touring’ restomod would be my preferred option.
Thanks for providing the link to the Norm Beechey article. Great story! I remember Gurney driving a ’61 bubble-top in England but was unaware of the 409’s racing activity in Australia.
+1! Thanks for that…what a story.
Love the photo of the ’58. Has a vintage patina like a faded color photo, but the Prius sort of gives it away.
I grew up with a ’68 Grecian Green Impala sedan from 1969 – 1976 when it became a Ford LTD. I have a lot of nostalgia for that Impala. Interesting note in our neighborhood, ’70 and older Impalas were in about every 5th driveway. They all became Fords. The 71-76 GM full size were somewhat rare, but the ’77 -’79 B bodies turned the neighborhood back to GM big time.
An older couple across the street had a Grecian Green (incredibly common color) ’68 Impala Custom coupe with a black vinyl roof and factory air. It looked very dressed up compared to our car which had seen some paint fade, had incorrect dog dish caps and under dash air from Montgomery Ward.
My favorite was in a vintage ad I’ve seen. A ’65 SS in white with a black vinyl top and the correct SS type wheel covers. The banker’s hot rod.
Impala was omnipresent as I was growing up and going to high school and college (but never in my household because my Dad was a Ford man during these years). So many family and friends had them in every color and model (a list would include at least 30 cars that I remember distinctly) that it’s difficult to pick out a favorite – I pretty much liked them all through 68.
I remember reading an article in Motor Trend about the new 1961 SS and really loving the trim details and the 409. The 64 and 65 are favorites not only because they were good looking cars but also because three very close friends owned them (a 64 SS coupe, 65 convertible and 65 4door hardtop – all in white). The 65 still looks great today. Another good friend bought a new 67 SS coupe, red with black vinyl top and interior. A great looker but I recall that the quality was not nearly as good as a couple years earlier.
Impala was a lot like the early Mustangs: the car had a very stylish basic trim package and from there you could equip them any way you wanted, from a six to a high performance V8 and with dozens of options in between (my uncle’s factory ordered 66 Impala sedan with six and three-on-the tree had one option, a radio. My friend’s 65 convertible had every power accessory available that year.) No wonder they sold so well.
I’ll take a ’58 convertible. My mother drove one in silver blue with matching upholstery, and it was a great car. It seems like the top just stayed down from April to October. My second choice would be a ’61.
1961 was the best looking of the era.
1967 fastback for me, one of the most beautiful american cars ever, ’65s are gorgeous too
My all-time favorite is the 1965. For some reason the clean styling just appeals to me, round taillamps and all.
Runners up include:
– 1959 (my Dad had a Sport Coupe, purchased new)
– 1970 (last year for high compression engines, pre-’71 cheapening, decent quality)
– 1972 (Dad drove a Sport Sedan, but I’d take the convertible in its last year as an Impala)
As others have stated, these were the Camry/Accord of my childhood years. A generic car, so to speak.
The ’58 looks better and better to me but the car was a total POS.
Build issues, several hundred pounds heavier than a Tri-Five yet with the same front suspension (and I believe track width), the body wasn’t solid enough to overcome the willowy X-Frame…’58’s were the Butt of the Joke for years until the memories of them as used cars faded into history. Probably didn’t hurt that one was featured in “American Graffiti”…
The ’65 was probably the purest expression of what we recognize as an Impala…my favorite is the more-exaggerated ’67, although as great cars to drive and enjoy, the ’69-’70 win my vote. Plus Chevrolet built the Impala SS thru early ’69. I’ve only seen one in the wild…to find one today would be a real treat.
Saw this last night and have been thinking. To look at? The 63 sports coupe hardtop. To drive? harder question for me. Anything after 1960 with a Powerglide is disqualified. Hate the driving position of the 61-64. Don’t care for the 59-60 all that much either. Don’t understand all the love for the 65, never have.
I like the 66 quite a lot, but don’t think the THM was offered yet. Maybe with a stick? 67 is nice as well, and I believe that a proper automatic was available, at least with the optional engines.
THM was available in ’66 as long as you ordered the 396/427. Otherwise it was ‘glide.
Not many people like the ’68, but I do. It’s not as clean a design as its predecessors, but I prefer it to the somewhat bulky looking ’69.
I have a couple of ideas regarding Paul’s question. First, If they put buckets in the front as well as the back, the car would have been necessarily tagged as a 4 passenger. I do not recall Uncle Dean’s 58 Impala convertible having that clunky armrest in the back seat. My memory says bench seats front and rear but I could be wrong. The other thing is that any self-respecting young man of that era would have preferred to buy a car that would enable him to have the girl friend close at hand. Have to think that was the target market for these cars.
My grandparents had a ’68 Impala with a 327 that my brother dubbed the “Blue Barchetta” after a song by Rush. Loved that car.
Wow, it looks like the 1965 version may be the winner. How nice!
’59.
I’m glad a few posters above agree that the most unloved of the Impalas is truly the greatest of them all.
The atrocious film “Carbon Copy” featured a ’59 convertible. Hallmark did an ornament of the ’59 El Camino (with a Christmas tree in the bed!) Anyone else know any pop culture references to the ’59 Chevys that I can check out? The car has been an obsession of mine since childhood, even though my original ride in one as an infant toook me away to Canada for the next 17 years. Needless to say, my time in the Great White North lasted a lot longer than the Chevy. I’ve been in Toyotas ever since.
In the first episode of ‘Wonder Years’, Winnie Cooper’s brother has a ’59 El Camino, and Kevin mentions how cool it was.
1st choice: The ’65. Perfect from every angle. I like the “hanging” taillights. 2nd: ’59 and ’60. Vista hardtop four door for me. Third: the ’62.
For every day drive-ability: 4bbl 283 and stick or a 327 (’62 and the ’65).
I’d take a 283 Fuelie 1958 Impala with 3 on the tree and overdrive or COP floor mounted 4 speed.
A ’69 Impala SS427, in Custom Coupe body, with THM400. Blue, black, red, even light yellow.
Saw a dark green one at a local car show this summer, and hadnt seen one in ages. I only remember seeing pics when it was new.
Or, a 1970 Custom Coupe with 454 and THM400, too. A virtual SS.
Growing up in a Chevy family we were awash in Impalas. When I was three we bought a 1960 Parkwood wagon (I think equivalent to the Bel-Air trim level) and while I liked the space age instrument panel I always liked it better in an Impala (in fact looking at my collected photos from car shows over the years I don’t think I’ve passed by a ’59 or ’60 Impala without photographing the dash and steering wheel with that distinctive emblem and horn ring).
My uncle had a bronze colored ’61, but it didn’t do much for me, and neither did my other uncle’s ’62. My aunt purchased a metallic blue ’63 and that was one of my favorites. The ’64s were too slab sided for me, despite the clean white ragtop owned by one of our neighbors who built them at the old Chevrolet plant in St. Louis. Uncle Frank traded his ’61 for a two door ’65 in metallic green and that one I really liked. Our family upgraded from the wagon to a white, four door hardtop ’66 that was really sharp. Only a 283 two-barrel Powerglide, but I couldn’t wait to drive it. Unfortunately I never got the chance as the valves burned out prematurely, very likely as our friendly neighborhood mechanic insisted on advancing the timing to the point where you could hear the pre-igntion from inside the car. I am not joking. One of my older cousins got a job as an airline pilot and bought a purple ’67 two door SS, with bucket seats and a floor shifted turbohydramatic. Had a 327 four barrel and really ran. The last one in our family was purchased by my aunt. A blue 1968 two door with the formal roofline and black vinyl top. The first one that did not have the skin-burning vinyl interior. By then they had morphed from a sporty appearing full size to a pseudo Caprice. My dad bought it from her ten years later as we had four young drivers at the time and I could have purchased it a couple of years after but I was in my Karmann-Ghia period and not interested.
The Impalas were truly American cars, encompassing both the good and bad of that genre.
We owned several 67′ Caprices over the years. Favorite was a dark blue 396 TH 400. Man could that thing smoke the tires. Recently saw a rather unique original survivor. Medium blue with a 396 4 speed Hurst with front bench seat. Original owner still had it. Ordered that way.
’64 Impala SS. Clean, simple lines. 409 would be a plus. 327/4 speed would do in a pinch.
http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=MN0608-70514