1964 Chevrolet Impala SS 409

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!