Introduced as a top-of-the-line full-size in 1958, the Chevrolet Impala needed only a few years to morph into a high-performance rig. It happened in 1961 when Chevrolet began offering the SS (Super Sport) package.
Granted, the SS was mostly an appearance bundle that could be ordered with any drivetrain combination, but this measure also enabled customs to pair the badge with Chevrolet's most powerful V8 mills. The SS 409 is perhaps one of the most iconic iterations of the Impala.
Fitted with the beefed-up 409-cubic-inch (6.7-liter) Turbo Thrust engine, the SS 409 came with up to 425 horsepower in 1964. That's as much as a Hemi-powered Mopar, which did not become available until 1966. It was also more powerful than any other Chevrolet available at the time, including the Corvette, which didn't get the 425-horsepower, 427-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) V8 until 1965.
While not as rare as the 1961 SS 409, of which only 142 were built, the 1964 SS 409 is also a hard-to-find classic. This makes it that much more shocking that a certain owner kept one of these cars in pristine condition for almost 60 years.
The gorgeous and perfect drop-top you're looking at here is not the result of a frame-off restoration. It's a low-mileage survivor that has been babied since day one. The owner bought it new when he was only 17 years old and drove it for only 36,000 miles (57,936 km) until 2022. How cool is that?
And before you say that this Impala spent its life as a garage queen, you should know that most of the 36,000 miles on the odometer are "hard miles," according to the owner. Yes, it did spend a considerable amount of time in storage, but that 409 V8 got a lot of high-revving action when the car was on the road.
Not surprisingly, the car looks downright amazing inside and out. The red paint is almost flawless, while the silver interior is clean and shows minimal signs of wear. What's more, the numbers-matching V8 shines like new.
Yup, it's the kind of classic that you usually see in museums, but I'm sure glad this Impala SS is still stretching its wheels on public roads. Especially since it's a convertible, a layout that's significantly rarer than the hardtop.
Check it out in the video below and make sure you crank up the volume when the 409 fires up.
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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