Vehicle Description
1958 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe
It's only because of the unusually luxurious and selfish
proportions of the car that they do succeed-that any of it
succeeds. "There are all those back-and-forth angles in the
roofline and side trim," said feature car owner Bob Sekelsky,
himself a Pratt Institute-bred designer. "Every bit of the car is
sculptured and formed into an amazing design."
If you thought the previous Impala, Classic Auto Mall stock number
1646 was impressive, we can offer you another from the same
restorer and consigner in the form of this Sport Coupe. Luxurious
over embellishments, but in a sleeker form with a dealer installed
4-speed manual transmission, and aftermarket posi rear, and a
rebuilt engine. I get the feeling with this one we can go just a
bit faster, its lighter and nimbler, all while retaining the luxury
feel of the 1958 Chevrolet.
Exterior
The fins rise out of the low trunk and push forward, forcing their
way to the rear seat. They stretch the rear glass into a deep, low
curve, sink the back of the roof and shove the doors forward, well
into the windshield. The side spears carry the faux vents in front
of the rear wheels along with them, rather than blowing back from
the front. Even the vertical chrome hash marks lean forward, and
the sheetmetal overhangs the headlamps. It's as though a wind blew
over the car, stripping away the bulk and awkwardness of the other
1958 GM designs. The taillamps play their part: like pebbles on a
beach, the fins blow around them, leaving them in a little hollow,
and the cove follows from there. A very different taillamp
configuration-the 'vee' that went toward the center of the car was
more rakish; it has separate lamps and the regular line had two in
a bezel. Despite the designer's dislike of frippery, the dual
parking lamps are just that: only one set works, while the other is
decorative. All chrome is nearly perfect, and the Sierra Gold paint
is well done. Spinner caps are on front and the faux ones on the
rear had to go away due to the fender skirt. A shout to the design
of this skirt as it appears as a perfect made up proper lady's
eyebrow.
Interior
There was nothing controversial about the Impala interior, it was
simply one of the best GM ever rolled into a showroom, and it
carried plenty of Motorama styling cues. The most obvious is the
three-tone striped pattern on the cloth seat inserts. These present
with white cream and light gold alternating cloth striped inserts,
and tasteful beige vinyl bolsters, and are just perfect in
condition and design. Seen between the rear seats is a luxurious
arm rest in gold vinyl. Another unique detail are the formed,
anodized aluminum panels on the doors and interior quarters-that
was a real nightmare for Fisher Body because all the body panels
had to be an exact color match. You can imagine with four separate
pieces of aluminum, the anodizing could turn out in all different
values-if they didn't watch it, and they did. The dash has been
made even sleeker with white faced Dakota Digital dash gauges that
glow an atomic red during night driving. Cranks for windows are all
working perfectly, and an inverted boomerang drilled and emblazoned
in the center with Impala and Chevrolet flags, and a circular horn
ring, fronts the sleek dash. Perfect deep pile gold carpet floods
the floors and floats the just perfect seats. Above a pristine
headliner hovers over the seats.
Drivetrain
Opening the hood, a 348ci V8 with tri power carbs (3-2 barrel
carbs) dotting the top leaps from the engine bay to your eyes where
they put you into eye candy bliss... it's that nice. Attached to
the back of the pristine mill is a dealer installed 4 speed manual.
An aftermarket posi rear has been added. Everything in the drive
train has been rebuilt and restored.
Undercarriage
With a meticulous restoration as such you would expect nothing less
than a perfectly preserved black tub sitting within a black
structurally sound rust-free frame, and suspension. This suspension
includes independent coil springs in front and 4 link with coil
springs on the rear. Power disc brakes are now on front and power
drums for the rear. A total stainless-steel exhaust with turbo
mufflers runs from the orange painted block to the back of the
car.
Drive-Ability
Another test drive must do, I slipped inside as soon as this car
arrived, turned it right over, and went for a cruise. Alone all
quiet, and no distractions, I was in '58 design heaven, spinning
the wheel, accelerating nicely, and enjoying the power and
cornering, when suddenly I was awoken from my dream which was
reality by my cohort in crime, the crack decoder guy saying "MY
TURN! Beautiful driver of course.
Sixty years later, our eyes have nearly been blinded by decades of
increasing blandness and focus-group design. The Impala, once a
curiosity, now stands as a monument to the end of the Harley Earl
era at GM, and the beginning of the end of the Bel Air line that
powered the company through the mid-Fifties. This coupe is as close
to perfection with slight modifications to make it even
snazzier...just a tasteful example ready for the taking.
VIN Decode
F58J250031
F-1800 Series Impala/Belair
58-1958
J-Janesville, WI Assy Plant
250031-Sequential Unit Number
Trim Tag
STYLE 58 1847-1958 Impala 2 Dr V8 Sport Coupe
BODY J14541-Janesville Body #
TRIM 847-Beige, Copper, Gold Cloth & Vinyl
PAINT L970E-Sierra Gold
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 450 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
