Vehicle Description
The ultimate heavy Chevy of the 1960s has to be the 1964 Impala SS,
and of those, there's nothing more appealing than a sinister 409
hardtop like this. It's a real SS with its believed original
engine, a quick-shifting 4-speed manual, and that gorgeous Palomar
Red tuxedo, this stunning hardtop delivers maximum doses of Chevy
performance and luxury.
Bright Red is typically what most folk think envision when they
think about a hot '64 Imp, and the next best thing is the elegant
Code 948 Palomar Red that cloaks this legendary B-Body from General
Motors. During the body-off restoration, the sweeping bodywork was
straightened, smoothed, and sanded to perfection before several
coats of that classic shade were reapplied. And thankfully, the
3-owner car never had any rust, never had any collision damage, and
when it was restored it was almost entirely put back together using
all of its original parts. It's the right choice on something like
this car, which offers a unique combination of performance and
comfort, a kind of grown-up's muscle car. Ultra-straight sheetmetal
is especially critical on the Impala, what with those impossibly
long quarters and straight lines that demand care when putting
everything back together again. And as such a clean car before the
restoration, you know that the beauty is more than skin deep. It's
also good to see that this one is a real SS and comes by its ornate
trim honestly instead of being some kind of clone. Triple
taillights still signified something special, that Impala logo on
the flanks certainly inspired and intimidated other motorists, and
this car captures all of that brilliantly. The chrome has also been
faithfully restored, all the trim is straight and shiny, and, well,
there just can't be too many Impalas nicer than this one running
around.
If you're impressed by the body, then the interior will likewise
stand up to close scrutiny. Black bucket seats wear fresh and
correct seat covers, there are plush reproduction carpets and SS
door panels, and a beautiful dual-ring, thin-rim steering wheel
lives on the original steering column. The factory gauges were
fully restored, including the unusually rare factory tach mounted
atop the steering column in its own pod, and the tall chrome
shifter for the Muncie 4-speed manual transmission falls easily to
hand inside the ornate and beautifully adorned factory center
console. The original AM radio is still in place, although as you
might expect it's only a show piece, but the legendary soundtrack
of the 409 V8 should be enough entertainment for anyone on board -
so long as they have blood running through their veins. The cabin
seals up nicely, with Impala-scripted floor mats protecting the
floors below and a taut headliner lining the roof above, and the
backseat is so clean I doubt it's had a passenger since the
restoration was completed. In back, the trunk is finished with a
correct mat set that does nothing to hide the solid sheetmetal
underneath, and the air-ride set-up has been neatly stored away and
out of sight.
So, the car's obviously gorgeous, but the true appeal of this Imp
is under the hood, where you'll find what is believed to be the
original 409 cubic inch V8 with a factoring rating of 340
horsepower. The most respected engine in the Chevy performance
world in 1964, this engine transforms the Impala from merely a nice
car to a muscle machine that will eat Mustangs for lunch.
Beautifully finished with Chevy Orange paint, those unique W-shaped
chrome valve covers, and a chrome single-inlet air cleaner, it
looks very hi-po in every sense of the word. It's running superbly
and everything is fresh and clean everywhere you look, and frankly
it drives better today than it did when it was new. A reproduction
dual exhaust system gives it a wicked voice and the undercarriage
is extremely clean but not over-done, so you can actually drive it
without worries, yet still show it off with great pride. A full,
auto-leveling Accuair air-ride system with three memory settings is
the car's biggest upgrade, but when you see the wicked stances you
can set (I personally love it slammed to the ground), you'll know
it was an upgrade most welcomed. Gorgeous Billet Specialties chrome
alloys wrapped in staggered 235/35/20 front and 265/30/22 rear
performance radials add an exclamation point to this Imp, finishing
it off perfectly.
We sell a lot of early Impalas, but this might be the nicest of
them all, and you can't argue with 409 cubes of thunder under your
right foot. Call today!
