Introduced in 1958 as a range-topping version of the Bel Air, the Impala became a big hit. With more than 180,000 units sold that year, about 15% of total Chevrolet production, it helped the company become America's best-selling brand.
Come 2022, and the 1958 Impala is a desirable classic. Granted, it's not the rarest Impala ever made, but it's a design icon and a first-year model, the one that started it all.
Of course, the convertible is a bit more difficult to find, while the really desirable cars come with the 348-cubic-inch (5.7-liter) W-series Turbo Thrust V8 under the hood. The mill was the most powerful available at the time, generating 280 horsepower in three two-barrel carburetor form.
However, it's the transmission that establishes how rare a 1958 Impala is. Chevrolet offered the full-size with three different gearboxes that year, starting with a three-speed manual. The automatics available for the Impala included the two-speed Powerglide and the three-speed Turboglide. But Chevrolet added a fourth transmission that few people know about.
To better understand what happened, we need to go back to 1957. That's when the Chevrolet Corvette gained a much-needed four-speed manual gearbox. It was an important step for GM because while four-speed manuals were common on European sports cars, most U.S.-made performance vehicles came with column-shifted three-speed boxes.
The four-speed manual found its way in almost every GM product over the next couple of years, but full-size cars like the Impala had to wait until 1959 to get it as a factory-installed option. However, this transmission became a dealer-installed option in mid-1958, so a few Impalas were upgraded at the dealership.
This beautiful 1958 convertible is one of those rare cars. Unfortunately, there are no records as to how many were fitted with a four-speed, but it's safe to say not many were ordered like that since the gearbox arrived very late in the model year.
But even if it weren't for the rare transmission, just look at how stunning this car is with all that chrome and the flawless red paint job while sitting in the sun. And it also sports a continental kit, one of my favorite optional/aftermarket features for 1950s cars. This Impala was spotted at a local cars & coffee event and chances are you won't see another one like it anytime soon.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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