Category: Impala

Good things come to those who wait? Jonny Smith and his 18-year Chevrolet Impala lowrider project – Daniel Strohl @Hemmings

Good things come to those who wait? Jonny Smith and his 18-year Chevrolet Impala lowrider project – Daniel Strohl @Hemmings

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Just so you don’t start to think that Hemmings editors are the only ones who get distracted from finishing their long-term car projects, let’s catch up with Jonny Smith, the British enthusiast of American cars and host of the Late Brake Show, and his 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS lowrider (yes, a lowrider in the UK), a project that has been ongoing for close to 20 years now thanks to a few instances of hard luck, a lot of time spent away from the garage, and all the other nuisances that keep a project from progressing. But now it appears Jonny’s got some help in finishing the project, so perhaps his lowrider will soon be three-wheeling it around England’s country lanes in style.

Impala Production Ends After 62 Years

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So after 62 years the celebrated Impala badge will no longer grace the highway, this is another sad example of the change in the mode of transport away from the traditional sedan.

“Just as the Impala evolved over the years, the market has shifted dramatically and demand for sedans has declined and we adjusted to meet customer needs,” Steve Majoros, vice president of Chevrolet marketing, told The Detroit News.

The Impala first debuted in 1958 and ran until 1985 before being reintroduced briefly in the 1990’s then fully returning in 2000.

There is an excellent feature on the Impala over at the GM Heritage Center Website called  “Chevrolet Impala – Something For Everyone” you can find the article here

 

Video: Behind the Scenes at a Spectacular 1966 Chevy Commercial – @MacsMotorCityGarage

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For the 1966 model year, Chevrolet produced a feature-length film extravaganza for its dealers called Impact ’66, complete with Hollywood-style production values and hosted by Lorne Greene, star of the NBC television western Bonanza. (Chevrolet was a presenting sponsor of the popular 1959-73 horse opera.)  While the movie runs a bit too long for internet viewing, we have featured a few select excerpts now and then, and here’s another choice item: a behind-the-scenes look at the filming of a rather unique commercial for the 1966 Chevy big-car line.

Read on

Differences between a 1965 and 1966 Impala — Reblog from Classic Nation

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I currently own a ’65 and a ’66 Impala, and I’m always surprised how many people seem to mis-identify them. This seems to happen even more frequently when there is a side profile of my ’65 posted online. Many people who know that the ’65 has the three individual tail lights but who can’t see…

via Differences between a 1965 and 1966 Impala — Classic Nation

1961 Chevrolet Impala: Dan Gurney’s American Export – Petrolicious

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Its career was brief and many many years ago, but it’s story is still being told thanks to Ed Foster.

The words “Chevy Impala” don’t tend to have motorsport connotations for most people, but that didn’t stop Dan Gurney from ordering one from the factory in police specification with an aim to take it racing in England. He’d been watching Jaguars dominate the British saloon car series and thought he could put the big Chevy above them on the podiums, so after rebuilding the motor to his liking Mr. Gurney sent his Impala across the Atlantic and proceeded to whoop the competition… for almost one full race. The Impala was leading in its debut before a wheel failure, and upon its return to the grid in the next race was banned from the series. It’s a lesser-known project from a man who earned a laundry list of racing success, but thanks to its current owner Ed Foster, its brief but inspiring underdog story is still being shared today.

Go behind the scenes at the photo shoot here

Buying Dan Gurney’s Chevy Impala – Ed Foster @GoodwoodRoad&Racing

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Great series of articles from Ed Foster on the story of Dan Gurney’s Impala and it’s return to the UK and the completion of Dan’s final two laps at Silverstone

As with many projects, this one started with a passing remark from someone. Matt Hearn, the Event Content Manager here at Goodwood, mentioned ‘Dan Gurney’s Impala’ and, having never heard of it, I Googled the car.

Read the rest of part one here

Good news and bad news. It should be a strapline for motor racing, shouldn’t it? Some of you will remember a piece I wrote about buying Dan Gurney’s 1961 Chevrolet Impala SS in March. Since then the car has undergone a left-hand-drive conversion, has been shipped over to the UK and I have now finally seen it…

Read part two here
The third and final part of the story: the Chevrolet Impala SS nears the end of its journey to the Goodwood Revival, but it hasn’t been without its problems…
Read part three here

Today’s sales incentives are a joke compared to 1962’s free pony with a new Chevy – Kyle Smith @Hagerty

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In the long history of car sales, dealers have attempted all manner of gimmicks to get new buyers into the showroom and out the door with a new set of wheels. Lottery contests, rebates, all types of giveaways, and more. We thought we had seen it all until an we saw this ad from 1962: a free Shetland Pony to the first 25 buyers of a new Chevrolet.

Read the article here