Not an Impala: Plain-Looking 1967 Chevrolet SS Is a Rare Sleeper With a Nasty V8

The latter was based on the Holden Commodore and it's commonly known as the only Chevy sold with an SS nameplate. But it wasn't. Chevrolet also did that between 1967 and 1969, when it offered a high-performance two-door hardtop called the SS 427. Yes, it was pretty much an Impala SS with the 427-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) L36 or L72 (depending on the model year) but without any "Impala" script on the body.

It may seem like a weird thing to do nowadays, but the split came at a time when Impala SS sales were dropping fast. Looking to spice things up for 1967, Chevy introduced option code Z24, which added several performance features, including a heavy-duty suspension, as well as the 427 L36 V8, rated at 385 horsepower.

The bundle also had a special appearance trim that replaced all "Impala SS" emblems with "SS 427" badges on the front grille and trunk lid and added unique crossed-flag logos on the front fenders. Finally, it also included a special hood with a fake, three-piece chrome-plated intake.

Only 2,124 hardtops were ordered with the RPO Z24 package in 1967, which makes the SS 427 quite rare. For reference, Chevrolet sold 76,055 Impala SS models that year. The plain-looking two-door you see here is one of those cars.

Finished in Tuxedo Black and still sporting all its original badges, this SS 427 is one of those amazing survivors you don't see very often. Showing less than 56,000 miles (90,123 km) on the odometer, this Chevy still relies on its numbers-matching 427 V8 and rides on period-correct redline tires. It looks just as gorgeous on the inside, where it also displays a handful of desirable options.

But don't let the corporate black-on-black combo fool you, this SS 427 makes a lot of noise and hits 60 mph (97 kph) in no time, thanks to its 385-horsepower mill. It runs just like it did when it left the factory, which makes it a proper sleeper, even by modern standards.

And before you hit play to watch it run and drive, here's an interesting trivia fact about the SS 427. Because it was offered until 1969, it outlived the Impala SS by one model year. That's because Chevrolet dropped the "Impala SS" badges altogether at the end of 1968 (until 1994), leaving the Z24 as the only high-performance option for 1969. And the final-year SS 427 was even meaner thanks to a range-topping 427 V8 rated at 425 horsepower.