1968 Chevrolet Impala

Description

Full-sized muscle can be impressive, and when you add a few custom touches, cars such as this beastly 1968 Chevrolet Impala take on mythical proportions. Big and black with a few tricks up its sleeve, this is a heavyweight that moves like it's carrying a lot less weight and has the look that will make everyone envious of all that black sheetmetal.

Sure, if it's black it had better be straight, but if you're going to attract a bunch of extra attention with shaved door handles and a rumbling exhaust note, it's doubly important. This ultra-smooth Imp cuts a dashing profile with its neo-fastback bodywork and proves that you don't need a mid-sized car to be intimidating on the street. And yes, the black paint really is gorgeous, allowing the body to speak for itself thanks to some pretty talented GM designers. Remote door poppers give you access to the interior, removing the biggest interruptions as your eye flows across the line at the tops of the fenders, and with a miles-deep shine there's plenty to admire here. And the great thing about black paint is how it makes chrome and stainless trim sparkle, so things like the heavy chrome bumpers and delicate wheel arch moldings really stand out. A subtle de-badging helps with the slick look, but nobody's going to mistake this for anything else after the see the triple taillights on each side, an Impala trademark from the very beginning.

The custom black and tan interior is the epitome of cool and a paragon of good taste. The factory seats were reupholstered in modern materials that look great and have period patterns so they work rather well in the big Imp. Matching door panels were created to tie it all together and a small-diameter Grant steering wheel was wrapped in matching black leather. Digital gauges were installed behind the original instrument panel, which creates a very interesting effect that's both original and high-tech at the same time, which pretty much sums up this whole car. Air conditioning uses modern components and R134a refrigerant for reliability and ease of service, making this Impala a fantastic road trip car. Well, things like the giant trunk certainly help, and there's even a decent-sounding AM/FM/cassette stereo setup.

To get this much sheetmetal moving, you need a big chunk of engine, and not many are bigger than the 454 cubic inch V8 that lives there now. Painted and detailed to look pretty stock, the upgraded big block carries an Edelbrock intake and a Holley carburetor for snappy throttle response and oceans of torque. But the rest is fairly stock, including the painted steel valve covers and cast iron exhaust manifolds, which are actually good for torque and great for noise and heat reduction. A modern dual-reservoir master cylinder is mandatory because there are disc brakes at all four corners now, and a 700R4 4-speed automatic overdrive transmission makes even the big block fairly economical to drive. Twin Flowmaster mufflers give it that traditional big block sound that you've always craved in your own car, and with new shocks at all for corners, it rides and handles quite well for such a big car. Staggered Coys wheels fill the wheel wells and wear 225/40/18 front and 255/35/20 rear performance radials.

You don't see many resto-mod Impalas, but this one truly delivers on the promise of luxury and performance, with both turned up to 11 thanks to some tasteful upgrades. Call today!