Have you noticed how the term "time capsule" is now used on pretty much every barn-kept classic that's not yet a rust bucket? It's a bit annoying, isn't it? Much like "barn find" is applied to every piece of junk that's not worth restoring. Well, here's a 1967 Chevrolet SS 427 that's probably the very definition of a "time capsule."
Did you get a good look at the images in the photo gallery above? This old Chevy looks fantastic, right? It's like one of those classics that went through a rotisserie restoration and it's on its way to scoring six figures on the auction block, isn't it? It may be shocking to read, but this SS 427 is an unrestored survivor. No touch-ups, no engine rebuild, no reupholstered seats. It's just like it left the assembly line back in 1967.
If you feel like shouting "how is this even possible?", go ahead and do it. It's exactly what I did when I saw the car. And you probably know the answer, because it's not the only classic car that's been babied for decades. But here's where it gets different: the original owner reportedly kept the Chevy in their garage in a big Ziploc bag most of the time. All the way until 2013. Yup, that's a whopping 46 years in what was pretty much a bubble that kept it safe from everything but air. Or at least that is what the current owner, Keith Adelsberg, claims.
Keith purchased the car in 2021 and shares that the odometer shows only 17,000 miles (27,359 km). I don't have a registry to look at (does it even exist?), but I have a feeling this SS 427 might just be the lowest-mileage example out there. And of course, it's probably the only unrestored unit that looks so impressively clean.
But that's not the only thing that makes this Chevy a big deal. While it may look like a 1967 Impala, it's not. This two-door hardtop has no "Impala" badges in sight, which makes it a super rare sleeper with a nasty V8 under the hood.
You see, Impala SS sales were dropping fast in the mid-1960s, so Chevrolet wanted to spice things up with option code Z24, which included the 427-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) L36 V8 rated at 385 horsepower and a heavy-duty suspension. But the bundle also came with a unique appearance trim that replaced all "Impala SS" badges with "SS 427" emblems, while adding unique crossed-flag logos on the front fenders.
To top it all off, the SS 427 rolled off the assembly line with a special hood fitted with a raised center section and a fake, three-piece chrome-plated intake. The story goes that the hood was designed so that Chevrolet would drop the Corvete's 427 Tri-Power V8 in the Impala. That never happened, but the hood found its way on the SS 427.
This special two-door remained in production until 1969 and outlived the Impala SS by one model year. It also got the 425-horsepower version of the 427 V8 before it went out of production. The 1967 version, good for "only" 385 horses, was sold in just 2,124 units. For reference, Chevrolet moved 76,055 Impala SS models that year.
This incredible survivor is finished in Tahoe Turquoise and fitted with a white interior, but it also sports a rare option inside the cabin. That's because the original owner requested a special-order bench seat instead of the standard buckets and console layout. The seat and the color combo likely make this SS 427 a one-of-one gem too. But does it even matter given that this Chevy is 56 years old and looks brand-new without any intervention whatsoever?
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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