1965 Chevy Impala SS Sat in a Barn for Over 40 Years, It Hides a Surprise in the Trunk

The Fast Lane Classic Cars team is now working to bring it back to life. The first to get his hands on it is Chris, the Detail Manager. As he expected, there are leaves covering the carpet, while the door panels and upholstery are a mess.

All of this time, the Sport Coupe Impala had a single owner, David Williams, who had acquired it from a local Chevrolet dealer, Weber Chevrolet Company, in St. Louis, Missouri, almost six decades ago. He still has all the paperwork that the car came with, including the original order form.

The fourth-generation Impala was a hit in 1965 from the moment Chevrolet started selling it. It set an all-time industry annual sales record of more than one million units in the US alone. 243,114 of them were the SS version, like the one that we have right here.

David Williams' Impala SS has a very nice and rare spec under that thick layer of dirt. It is a blue-on-blue Chevy, powered by a 327-cubic-inch (5.4-liter) Turbo Fire V8, which churned out 300 horsepower (304 metric horsepower), managed by a three-speed transmission, with the gear shifter mounted on the steering column.

The V8 made the car accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 kph) in 8.6 seconds, hit 100 mph (160 kph) in 24.2 seconds, and run the quarter mile in 16.6 seconds on its way to a top speed of 122 mph (196 kph).

It may not sound like a sports car by today's standards, but it was back then. And those figures were all the owner needed. That was until the early 1980s when he parked it and never drove it again. Now he wants it running and driving and looking like it did in its heyday.

The car sports power steering, a 4 Seasons Air Conditioning system, a pushbutton radio, tinted glass, and five ashtrays on board. Hey, it was the mid-1965, and people smoked. And smoked. And smoked. The Chevy rides on 14-inch wheels with whitewall tires.

Once the team pops up the hood, they notice that many components in there still have the original tags and stickers. The Black Hawk battery, which is a brand the detailing experts have never heard of (probably too young!), was last changed in 1976, so they don't expect it to have any life left in it.

The car is missing the air compressor, so they will have to come up with a solution for that issue. However, the underside is in great condition, it is just dirty from sitting in a barn for 40 years.

Bird poop on the tailgate is going to make things more complicated. Once they open that tailgate, they are surprised to find an axe in the trunk, making them imagine some horror movie scenarios.

The owner's wife, Laura, shows up at the shop while the team is working on the car. "Tell me this isn't my Valentine's Day present," she jokes. But she might change her mind when she sees the job done.

Chris starts polishing, peeling, lubricating, vacuuming, washing, and rinsing. It seems like a never-ending job. The paint doesn't look too good, and it seems on its way to rust, but those spots will come off, leaving just a patina look behind.

Chris is very happy about the way the seats turned out. They look as good as new, and he thinks that the dirt that covered them all these years somehow preserved them. There is no crack, no wear and tear in the beautiful vibrant blue leather.

The only flaw is a hole in the side of the passenger's seat, but that is fixable. The biggest challenge was to make a paint stain disappear from one of the seats as it had a paint can sitting on it for ages.

Chris used solvent, dish soap, and laundry detergent, plus a steam cleaner that removed the dirt from every crease to get them looking like they do right now.

Four days after it was pushed into the shop, the 1965 Chevy Impala SS was pushed out. The engine is not running yet, but the car is a sight to behold, just like it was when it rolled off the production line in Flint, Michigan, almost 60 years ago.

In broad daylight, they are surprised by how dark the blue paint of the Chevy Impala SS actually is. Under the layer of dust that covered it when it arrived on a trailer days before, they couldn't tell. The car doesn't have floor mats anymore, it is just metal left in there. The mats were really dirty, torn, and rotten, so they had to be removed.

The Chevy Impala is going to the service, so it will be running and driving soon. It also needs to have its door sills replaced. There are dents and scratches on the body, but they will vanish in no time. After that, the car is going to be listed for sale.

The 1965 Impala SS is one of the most desired of them all, while this model is a rare gem. Just consider that 1965 sales record and the spec of this car! So it should go for a nice price. Hopefully, this time, it won't be parked in a barn and forgotten for the next 40 years!