Vehicle Description
The ultimate heavy Chevy of the 1960s has to be the 1964 Impala,
and of those, there's nothing more appealing than a sinister black
409 hardtop. It's a real SS with its matching-numbers engine plus a
long list of options, this stunning fresh restoration gives you
maximum doses of Chevy performance and luxury.
Nobody really wants a Goldwood Yellow Impala, not even a 409, so
during the restoration the sweeping bodywork was straightened,
smoothed, and sanded to perfection before several coats of classic
Tuxedo Black were applied. 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 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 been
restored, the trim is straight and shiny, and, well, there just
can't be 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 new seat
covers, there are reproduction carpets and door panels, and a
beautiful thin-rim steering wheel lives on a rare tilt steering
column. The factory gauges were fully restored, including the
unusual tach mounted atop the steering column in its own pod, and
the shifter for the PowerGlide automatic transmission falls easily
to hand. The original AM radio is gone, replaced by a later
AM/FM/cassette unit and this is an original factory air-conditioned
car and the system still uses original components to keep things
nice and chilly inside. In back, the trunk is finished with a
correct mat set that does nothing to hide the solid sheetmetal
underneath.
So the car's gorgeous, but the true appeal of this Imp is under the
hood, where you'll find the original, numbers-matching 409 cubic
inch V8 with 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 was
rebuilt fairly recently and everything is fresh and clean, and it
drives like a new car today. 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.
And we love the look of simple hubcaps and 215/75/14 whitewall
radials that really accentuate the sleeper vibe.
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!
