Chevrolet Impala – new and old
Sometimes you have to look back to go forward – now watch the antelope leap!
Advertising feature
By Shahzad Sheikh
Read our long term report on the car
Read the launch drive report here
Have you got a special Impala memory? Considering how many of these that Chevrolet has sold between 1958 and this moment right now, a fair portion of the world’s car-faring population probably does. And here’s mine.
I was 10 and we’d just moved from London to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. My father’s old friend came over to visit. I’d never met him before and didn’t know much about him. However, as far as I was concerned, he was instantly cool.
Not just because, as we would come to learn, he was a bit strange and had countless tales to relate about how he had encountered, befriended and then battled the Djinn in the desert. Nor did he earn his badge of awesome because he loved going on road trips, had pretty much driven all over the Kingdom and had stories about nearly every place we ever went with him.
No. He was a true Rockstar because he drove the most humongous car I had ever seen in my life till that point. It was as if the Battlestar Galactica had just landed (in fact this fifth generation Impala was the largest body ever offered by the Bowtie).
The 1973 Chevrolet Impala in bright green seemed to take up twice the space of normal cars, and when it moved, it just seemed to float effortlessly, gliding serenely through time and space. Inside it was monumentally vast, plush and packed with powered gizmos.
This fifth generation Impala left an indelible impression on me, and if I was to have a classic version it would probably be this one.
Or actually it might be a fourth-generation 1968 Custom Coupe, with its ‘Coke-bottle’ muscular profile, probably in black, inspired a little by the 67 black saloon they use in the Supernatural TV series – because of which values of those examples have actually risen of late. Not that it should be hard to find one, the 1965-70 Impala set an all-time record of one million units in the US, which remains intact till today.
Alternatively there would be a temptation to go all fin-tastic with the second-gen Impala (1959-60) with tailfins that pointed outward rather than upward (as on the previous edition) with a bat-wing tail motif. It was lower and wider thanks to new design boss Bill Mitchell.
Impalas were all about luxury and gadgets that were way ahead of their time, including a six-way power-adjustable seat, and a ‘speedminder’ which could be set to sound a buzzer upon exceeding a certain speed (yep a speed warning!). A 1959 convertible coupe would be such a cool way to ooze down the high road!
You could go utterly classic with the first-gen Impala of 1958, although that was essentially a modified and more upmarket version of the Chevy Bel Air. Still that meant a spectacular Harley Earl design dripping in chrome with dual headlamps and the distinctive triple taillamps.
The idea, according to Chevrolet’s the chief engineer, Ed Cole, was to make the Impala a ‘prestige car within the reach of the average American citizen’. It worked, because it helped Chevrolet regain the number one production spot, despite the fact thatin 59 a sharp global economic depression saw the worst year for US car sales since World War II, falling by 31%.
Still epically majestic, although smaller, the last proper Impala, would be worth a look too (sixth gen from 1977-1985), although this was essentially rebadged Caprice Classic, the latter of which are still possible to find and pick up here in the region. Great cars though, endorsed by the fact that Motor Trend made the 77 Impala/Caprice its Car of the Year.
But the 1963 model (from the third gen , 61-64), amongst collectors is one of the most popular. And that’s the car we feature here alongside our brand new 2014 Impala. Even though this was a more conservative shape to the previous car with a boxier design, it was also tidier, crisper emphasising a long and low stance. Its ‘Jet Smooth’ styling with the pointed front and rear ends, plus the aluminium stripped rear and sunken instrument panel all added to its appeal.
The 63 Impala in this shoot was organised for us by car customisation specialist Bear Garcia of Hooligan Customz (formerly of West Coast Customs) and is owned by businessman and restaurateur (check out Wok It in Karama), Abdullah Ahmad, and is a restored and heavily modified lowrider-style example with full hydraulic suspension that allows it bounce in a truly astonishing and mind-boggling manner.
But we’re not here to see it jump and dance, we’re here to photography it against the all-new 2014 Impala, a car that is finally worthy enough to bear the heralded Impala nameplate. The last couple of iterations (2000-05 & 06-14) were smaller, far less dramatic cars aimed purely at the fleet and rental markets.
Based on the Cadillac XTS, the Impala is described as ‘a reestablishment of a popular, enduring and iconic nameplate with a new outlook on style, comfort, efficiency, and safety’, it’s also the first American saloon in 20 years to earn Consumer Reports’ top score of 95 out of 100.
Key to it being a return to form and justifiably wear the leaping antelope badge is the style. ‘Our design team was challenged to create a new classic,’ said John Cafaro, director of GM North America passenger car exterior design. ‘This is very much a contemporary car, with design elements, craftsmanship and attention to detail that complement its advanced technology and performance.’
Buy an Impala and make sure you get it in a lighter or brighter colour, because that’s the best way to show off the sculpted lines on this car. From the front it has a Camaro-style feel around the nose and grille, and the bonnet features scoops and contours you just don’t get on an ‘ordinary’ saloon.
The long nose and large glasshouse harks back to the older Impalas, as does the coke-bottle like flair over the rear wheel arch giving it a distinct muscularity and presence. The wheels, particularly in 19 or 20-inch guises, really add to the overall presence and they don’t seem to adversely affect the ride quality either.
Inside the Impala is inspired by the old edict of making the car luxurious, and the slick modern style, plush comfort and quality finish is complemented by surprise and delight features like the neat double stitching and the LED mood lighting embedded within the ‘chrome’ strips on the dashboard and doors.
There’s a real upmarket feel to the cabin, the clever MyLink system will ensure full compatibility with your devices – you can even use Siri through the car’s voice control system – and there’s a secret compartment behind the… well actually I can’t tell you – it’s a secret!
The new Impala is packed full of safety and comfort features and boasts the segment’s most powerful naturally engine – it’s 3.6-litre V6 putting out 305bhp and 262lb ft of torque. Read my launch drive review of the new Impala here.
The Antelope is properly back then and can rightfully take its place alongside its illustrious forebears in particularly the range from 1958 to 1985. Watch out for our long-term test of the new Impala coming soon!
For more info on the Chevrolet Impala click here
Let us know what you think of the new Chevrolet Impala below.
just came here to see the classic ones