Photo: Sterling Motors
1965 was Impala's year, as Chevrolet's full-size sensation broke a major record, becoming the first car in the United States to sell over 1 million units in a year.
However, the GM brand was working on multiple fronts, and improving the Chevelle was a priority. The 1965 model year witnessed the debut of the Z-16 package, which sported a 375-horsepower engine and performance upgrades that few people ended up paying extra for. Chevrolet produced only 201 such Chevelles, and only one came with a convertible body style.
The GM brand eventually built over 378K Chevelles, including the models sent to Canada. Over 200,000 customers ordered a V8 engine, with the rest of the drivers sticking with the lazier six-cylinder engine.
A straight-six unit makes a Chevelle or an Impala significantly less desirable, and the 1965 model year in these pictures is a mix of intriguing and disappointing news.
I'll start with the bad part. The car comes with a 230 six-cylinder engine under the hood, so it's certainly not the V8-powered monster you were hoping for. Collectors are ready to pay big bucks for a Z-16, but few are still around today, and even fewer are for sale.
While the six-cylinder engine makes a Chevelle a fancy grocery-getter and could make many buyers walk away, there's a good reason to stick around. Paired with a 3-speed manual transmission and still in good shape, the engine is literally a new unit.
The odometer indicates (drum rolls, please) only 4,412 miles (7,100 km), and the people at Sterling Motors say they believe it's original but have no documentation to verify it. The car spent the last three decades in storage, so the lack of documents is unsurprising.
I won't start describing the car's condition because anyone can see it in the photos in the gallery, but it's worth mentioning that the car wears the original Cameo Beige paint with a Medium Turquoise interior. It rolled off the assembly lines with several options, including an AM radio, a padded instrument panel, and Soft-Ray tinted glass.
The low miles are certainly the car's main selling point, and I doubt this Chevelle will remain available for long. The sellers know that the six-cylinder engine under the hood could be a reason to ignore this Chevelle, so they claim the vehicle could also be used for an engine upgrade. The next owner will decide what to do with the car, but since I'm a huge fan of all-original cars, it'd be a shame to give up on the 230 Turbo-Thrift despite delivering only modest power.
This low-mile Chevelle can be yours for $39,900, but the garage in charge of finding a new owner says they'll also consider other reasonable offers.
The GM brand eventually built over 378K Chevelles, including the models sent to Canada. Over 200,000 customers ordered a V8 engine, with the rest of the drivers sticking with the lazier six-cylinder engine.
A straight-six unit makes a Chevelle or an Impala significantly less desirable, and the 1965 model year in these pictures is a mix of intriguing and disappointing news.
I'll start with the bad part. The car comes with a 230 six-cylinder engine under the hood, so it's certainly not the V8-powered monster you were hoping for. Collectors are ready to pay big bucks for a Z-16, but few are still around today, and even fewer are for sale.
While the six-cylinder engine makes a Chevelle a fancy grocery-getter and could make many buyers walk away, there's a good reason to stick around. Paired with a 3-speed manual transmission and still in good shape, the engine is literally a new unit.
The odometer indicates (drum rolls, please) only 4,412 miles (7,100 km), and the people at Sterling Motors say they believe it's original but have no documentation to verify it. The car spent the last three decades in storage, so the lack of documents is unsurprising.
I won't start describing the car's condition because anyone can see it in the photos in the gallery, but it's worth mentioning that the car wears the original Cameo Beige paint with a Medium Turquoise interior. It rolled off the assembly lines with several options, including an AM radio, a padded instrument panel, and Soft-Ray tinted glass.
The low miles are certainly the car's main selling point, and I doubt this Chevelle will remain available for long. The sellers know that the six-cylinder engine under the hood could be a reason to ignore this Chevelle, so they claim the vehicle could also be used for an engine upgrade. The next owner will decide what to do with the car, but since I'm a huge fan of all-original cars, it'd be a shame to give up on the 230 Turbo-Thrift despite delivering only modest power.
This low-mile Chevelle can be yours for $39,900, but the garage in charge of finding a new owner says they'll also consider other reasonable offers.
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