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 powered by a period-correct 409
V8, features a quick-shifting 4-speed manual, an elegant Satin
Silver interior, and that gorgeous Palomar Red tuxedo wrapped
around laser-straight Imp livery. And because the full restoration
was finished just this year, it looks like a shiny new toy that was
just unwrapped. This stunning hardtop delivers maximum doses of
Chevy performance and luxury, and is quite frankly one of the
cleanest and meanest Imp's we've ever had the good fortune to
feature.
Bright Red is typically what most folks 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 comprehensive restoration that was just
completed in 2022, the sweeping bodywork was straightened,
smoothed, and sanded to perfection before several coats of that
classic maroon shade were reapplied. And thankfully, the gorgeous
car doesn't appear to have ever had any rust, never had any
collision damage, and when it was restored it was almost entirely
put back together using original and OEM-style parts. It's the
right choice for a '64 Impala, which is an icon that offers a
unique combination of performance and comfort - a kind of
grown-up's muscle car. Ultra-straight sheetmetal is especially
critical on the Imp, 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 just skin deep. The top
driver-quality paint has a brilliant shine, is miles deep, and
incredibly smooth to the touch, with nary an imperfection to speak
of short of maybe some very light scratches left over from a car
wash - but we're really nitpicking here, and a solid buff-and-wax
would likely remedy any of those anyway. 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, the chrome grille and bright bumpers
are in excellent condition, and the dual antennas out back are an
old-school staple of the Imp. Triple taillights still signified
something special, while that Impala logo on the flanks has always
inspired and intimidated other motorists, and this car captures all
of that brilliantly. The chrome and brightwork has also been
faithfully restored with NOS pieces, 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. Satin Silver bucket seats wear fresh
and correct seat covers, there are plush reproduction black carpets
on the floors, two-tone SS door panels at the flanks, and a
beautiful, original-style thin-rimmed steering wheel lives atop a
tilt column at the helm of the cockpit. The factory gauges are
still in place and are in great shape, including the unusually rare
factory tachometer mounted just beyond the steering column in its
own pod, and the tall chrome shifter for the 4-speed manual
transmission falls easily to hand inside the ornate and beautifully
adorned factory center console. Machine-turned aluminum pieces
spice up that factory center console and the dashboard alike,
matching the brightness of the chrome accents found on the door
panels and around the bucket seat frames. 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 red blood
running through their veins. The cabin seals up nicely, with thick
carpets on 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 cavernous trunk
is finished with a correct mat set that shows off the solid
sheetmetal underneath, along with a factory spare tire and jack
neatly stashed away on the back shelf.
So, the car's obviously gorgeous, but the true appeal of this Imp
is under the hood, where you'll find a date-code correct 409 cubic
inch V8 with an original factory 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 on the block, those unique W-shaped chrome valve
covers, and a chrome dual-inlet air cleaner, it looks very hi-po in
every sense of the word. It's running superbly thanks to the dialed
in dual Carter 4 barrel carburetors 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. Power steering means maneuvering this
big coupe is a cinch, while the sought-after 4-speed manual
transmission cycles through gears quickly and spins a heavy-duty
posi-traction rear-end filled with 3.73 gears. Stock steelies come
adorned with correct SS hubcaps and are all wrapped in 195/75/14
front white-wall radials that 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!
