Featured in this article is the 1964 Chevrolet Impala Hardtop.
A Sporty Looking Full Size Car
The Chevy Impalas are some of the more classic Chevy’s of the 1960’s. Not that General Motors didn’t have several popular cars during that decade such as the Pontiac GTO but the Chevrolet Impala had it’s own large following of car buyers.
The 1964 Chevrolet Impala was among the third generation of Impalas which represented the 1961 through 1964 models. The Chevrolet Impala first came on the market during the 1958 model year. This was the 1958 Chevrolet Bel Air Impala. Just one year later in 1959 the Impala series would become entirely separate from the Chevy Bel Air.The Impala had good success during it’s 1958 introduction and helped Chevrolet immensely during what was a recession year.
The 1958 Chevrolet Impala design was a departure from Chevy’s mostly conservative designs of prior years. The longer rear deck gave the appearance of a longer automobile. When you look at the 1958 Impala and compare it to earlier 50’s Chevy’s you’ll see a car that looks longer, lower and even wider. This design trait would stay with Chevy for years to come. To some it might appear to be a large muscle car.
The Chevy Designs of 1958
The first 1958 Impala sported a new chassis as well as the introduction of dual headlights. Interestingly enough, when the Chevy Impala’s came out the auto design world was caught up with chrome and fins. Probably the best example of maximum fin usage on an American car was with the 1959 Cadillac. When 1960 came around Chevrolet decided to tone things down a bit with the fins. The 1959 and 1960 Impalas represented the second generation. Take a look at 1961 through 1964 Chevy Impalas and you’ll easily see the more conservative design that was put in place. Any resemblance of fins was phased out.
In 1964 the Chevrolet Impala, like the one shown here, featured squared styling along with top performance and was the second highest priced Chevy on their list of offered models. This was one of Chevrolet’s full sized offerings yet with a sporty appeal. The big block V-8’s offered with the SS models helped add the muscle.
Difference Between 1964 Chevy Impala and Super Sport Impala
The Super Sport Impala was essentially a high performance version of the Impala with custom trim such as bucket seats, exterior trim like the SS emblem, a V8 engine and custom side trim. The body in all other respects were the same between the two models. More available options, more exterior chrome trim and generally a nicer interior came with the Impala Super Sport. The SS badge was to become Chevrolet’s signature of performance on many models although over the years the SS designation wasn’t necessarily Chevrolet’s top performance vehicle.
1964 Chevy Impala Specifications
Both a six cylinder V-6 and eight cylinder V-8 engine were available for the 1964 Chevy Impala. The six was a Turbo Thrift 230 cid delivering 140 horsepower. The eight’s that were available were either a 283, 327 or 409 cid delivering anything between 195 and 425 horsepower. The Super Sport Impalas almost always came with the V-8’s. It was very uncommon to see the standard six cylinder engine on those models. If you wanted the Super Sport model you wanted the V-8.
The 1964 Chevy Impalas total length was 210.4 inches and it’s wheelbase 119.0 inches. Vehicle weight averaged between 3,500 to 3,800 lbs.
Production of 1964 Impala’s totaled 889,000 units. Out of that number, 185,523 of those were the Super Sport Impalas.
Buyers had an option of three transmissions with 1964 Impala. These were Turboglide, Powerglide or Overdrive Synchro-Mesh.
New car price for the 1964 Chevrolet Impala was around $3,000 depending on options. Chevrolet believed that the Impala’s reasonable price allowed the average car buyer to own something prestigious.
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The 1964 Chevy Impala Collector’s Car
The early Chevy Impalas, 1958 to 1964, turned out to be perhaps the most popular collector’s cars since the Bel Airs of 1955 to 1957. That 1957 Chevy will perhaps always remain a top classic car.
Finely restored 1964 Chevrolet Impalas have seen collector bids in a range from the high teens to the $30,000 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. If it’s not running and in bad general condition you might find yourself with a great start to a Chevy restoration project. Restoration projects for the third generation Impalas are helped by the fact that parts are relatively easy to find.
(Article and photos copyright 2013 AutoMuseumOnline)