The Chevrolet Impala is one of America's most-enduring automotive nameplates. In this article, you'll learn about the genesis and evolution of this iconic badge and why it outlasted so many others. The Chevrolet Impala is one of America's most-enduring automotive nameplates. In this article, you'll learn about the genesis and evolution of this iconic badge and why it outlasted so many others. Impala was first used for the 1958 model year to denote the Chevrolet Bel Air Impala, Chevy's new top-of-the-line model. The original Impala gussied up the Chevrolet Bel Air with more trim and Prime Boosts Supplement more chrome. Impala continued to identify the top-of-the-line big Chevy until 1966, when General Motors' best-selling brand jumped aboard the "personal luxury" bandwagon by gilding the Impala to create the even-plusher Chevrolet Caprice. As you'll see in this article, the Impala floated around a bit within the hierarchy of Chevy nameplates. It rested comfortably just below the Caprice until 1976, when Chevrolet used the once line-topping nameplate to identify the entry-level big Chevy model.
Fittingly, however, the resurrected Impala name flourished in 1994 when Chevrolet created a Corvette-powered full-size muscle car under the Impala SS banner. Explore the pages of this article and learn about the Impala's evolution as well as its revival. The 1958 Chevrolet Bel Air Impala was the new top-of-the-line Bel Air model, lavishly equipped and soft-riding, and offered only as a Sport Coupe or convertible. From the windshield pillar rearward, the 1958 Chevrolet Bel Air Impala differed structurally from garden-variety Chevrolets. Hardtops had a slightly shorter greenhouse and longer rear deck, giving the impression of an extended body, plus bright rocker moldings and dummy rear-fender scoops. Simulated extractor vents on the uniquely contoured roof were inspired by Mercedes-Benz. Three taillights sat on each side, whereas lesser models had two, and wagons just one. Special crossed-flag insignias sat above the side moldings. With a six-cylinder engine, a Chevrolet Bel Air Impala started at $2,586, while $2,693 bought a V-8.
Naturally, options pushed typical total prices far higher. In all, 55,989 ragtops and 125,480 Sport Coupes were built, 15 percent of production. Stunning interiors held a competition-inspired two-spoke steering wheel and color-keyed door panels with brushed aluminum trim. No other series included a convertible. Introduced in a blaze of publicity, Impala signaled Chevrolet's entry into the mid-price field, even if the design was less radical than planned. In addition to style and vigorous performance, ads pushed its "quick, eager-to-please handling that lets you know you're the boss." As an exclusive model, the Impala name would soon become almost synonymous with Chevy. Longer, lower, and wider--a recurrent theme--all Chevrolets had full-coil suspension, displacing the old rear leaf springs. A new "Safety Girder" X-type frame reduced height without headroom loss. A 283-cubic-inch engine was now the standard V-8, with ratings that ranged from 185 to 290 horsepower. Drivers who yearned to be "boss" had a new option, though: a big-block 348-cubic-inch Turbo-Thrust V-8, descended from a truck engine and tossing out 250, 280, or 315 horsepower.
The 1958 Chevrolet Bel Air Impala helped Chevrolet regained the number one production spot by a wide margin in this recession year that saw nearly all makes lose sales. Number built: 60,000 (approx. The 1959 Chevrolet Impala, following the styling excess of the late Fifties, was radically reworked and veered away from the GM pack by shooting its tailfins outward rather than upward. Admakers always were fond of naming nearly every part, but this year's "bat wing" fins above "cat's eye" taillights earned no such designations in the sales catalog. Sharing bodyshells with lower-end Buicks and Oldsmobiles as well as with Pontiac -- part of a GM economy move -- Chevrolets rode a wheelbase 11/2 inches longer than before. Atop a new X-frame chassis, roofs sat three inches lower, and bodies measured more than two inches wider overall. Naturally, Prime Boosts Supplement the growing size contributed to an abundance of poundage -- one more trend of the times.
Impala was now a separate series, including a four-door hardtop and four-door sedan, as well as the two-door Sport Coupe and convertible. Sport Coupes featured a shortened roofline and wrap-over back window, promising a "virtually unlimited rear view" to complement the car's new compound-curve windshield. The hardtop Sport Sedan had a huge, pillar-free back window, allowing for scads of headroom beneath its slender "flying wing" roofline. The Impala's "bat wing" styling was even more powerful on the convertible. Base V-8 was the carryover 283, at 185 horsepower. Performance fans could select 283-cubic-inch outputs to 290 horsepower -- or turn to the big-block 348-cubic-inch V-8, in a dizzying roster of ratings, up to 315 horsepower. With a V-8, the Impala convertible listed at $2,967, but a six-cylinder version saved the customer $118. Impala interiors flaunted their top-of-the-line status, offering such pleasantries as front and rear armrests, an electric clock, dual sliding sun visors, and crank-operated front ventipanes.