Featured here is a great looking 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS Convertible. The first Chevy Impala debuted in 1958 as the Bel Air Impala. The Chevrolet Impala has a long and storied history. This 1964 model was among the third generation Impala’s which covered the 1961 through 1964 model years.
The First Impala’s
The Impala started out as the top option level on Chevrolet’s Bel Air line. Chevrolet’s 1958 models featured one year only styling. It was said that the 58 Chevy;s had “curves where before there were lines.” The Impala option on the 58 Bel Air added special trim, deluxe interiors, and the highest price of any Chevrolet passenger car.
Chevrolet had performance in mind from the very beginning with Impala. An example was the first Impala could be optioned with up to a 348 V8 delivering 315 HP.. Public accepThe public’s positive response lead to 1958 production of 125,480 Bel Air Impala coupes and 55,989 convertibles.
The Impala model became Chevrolet’s best selling vehicle by the 1965 model year. Initially, the Impala’s direct competitors were the Ford Galaxie 500 and the Plymouth Fury. Even with stiff competition, Chevy’s premiere sedan easily outlasted the two rival nameplates and continued to be Chevy’s most popular full-size vehicle well into the 1980s.The Chevy Impala was the top of the line Chevrolet. The styling was squared, wider and lower than the previous 50’s models. The car had the distinct appearance of looking longer than previous designs.
The Chevy Impala Super Sport
The Impala SS became its own series for 1964, no longer just an option package. The Chevy Impala Super Sport was a high performance version of the Impala along with special trim. This included bucket seats, custom side trim and a big block Chevy V-8 engine. Available only as a convertible or Sport Coupe, the Chevy SS was offered with the same engines as 1963 Chevy’s, including the top of the line 409. The SS badge found on the car would represent Chevrolet’s high performance models for many years although there were higher performance Chevy’s produced that did not specifically have the SS label.
Additional Auto Museum Online articles of interest are found on the links below..
1963 Chevy Impala SS Convertible
Reference material for this article included..Chevrolet: The Complete History by the editors of Consumer Guide…100 Years of Chevrolet by Ralph Kramer and Jerry Burton…The Complete History of the Chevrolet Impala by Tony Markovich…General Motors Archives.
1964 Chevrolet Impala SS Convertible Specifications
The 1964 Chevy Impala had a Straight Six and several V-8’s available. The V-6 was a Turbo Thrift 230 putting out 140 HP. The V-8’s included a 283, 327 and a 409. Horsepower for these V-8’s ranged from 195 to 425 HP. Plenty of power was available for the 64 Chevy’s. The Impala Super Sport’s almost always were paired with one of the V-8’s.
Brakes are four wheel drums.
Total Chevy 1964 production was 2,125,000 vehicles. From that number 690,000 were Impala’s.
Dimensions included a wheelbase of 119.0 inches, width of 79.6 inches, overall length of 209.9 inches.
Prices were about $3,000. Average weight was about 3,450 lbs.
1964 Chevy Impala Collector Popularity and Values
The Chevy Impala’s popularity in the beginning has carried over to collectors, especially those models produced from 1958 through the decade of the 1960’s.
The Chevrolet Impala started out as top of the line Bel Air. The Impala had such success as a luxurious family sedan that Chevrolet management had to make it it’s own distinct model. The end result was that the Impala became the number one selling full size automobile in America.
Finely restored 1964 Chevrolet Impalas have seen collector bids in a range from the high teens to the $30,000-$40,000 plus range. Excellently restored Super Sport models will get the better bids. For those 1964 Chevy Impalas that aren’t in running condition you’ll probably be able to get something well below $10,000.
1964 Chevy Impala SS Convertibles with recent restoration and in excellent showroom condition with very high originality will likely have asking prices in the $50,000 to $85,000 range.
(Article and photos copyright Auto Museum Online)