Description

Great cars often have great stories to tell, and this 1962 Chevrolet Impala hardtop will tell you one of long-term ownership, careful maintenance, and wonderful preservation. In single family ownership since it was new, it was passed down from grandfather to grandson, and includes things like the actual cancelled check used to buy it! If you appreciate authenticity, this is the Impala for your collection.

Seafoam Green is quite uncommon on '60s Impalas, but code 903 is indeed this car's original color. As a result, it stands out in a big way when parked with its more common red, white, and black siblings. The paint was refinished about 10 years ago using single-stage urethane, so it's both durable and has a very correct look that's almost impossible to duplicate using two-stage paints. The shine is brilliant, but the color looks right on the vintage Chevy's bodywork, and thanks to a lifetime of careful ownership by a guy who clearly cared about his hardware, it needed no major surgery to look this good. It was cleaned up, any signs of age were smoothed away, and everything was reassembled with care. The shiny chrome looks way too good to be 1962 stuff, but it's possible given how nicely this car was maintained, and all the stainless shines up beautifully.

Believe it or not, that's the original code 826 interior rendered in beautiful green cloth and vinyl. The striped fabrics and tufted vinyl sections work together to give the Impala a very high-end look, and with 90,930 original miles showing, it has only modest wear. The driver's seat fabric is a little stretched, but the rest of the upholstery is taut, bright, and nicely preserved, particularly the back seat which looks almost new. The two-tone steering wheel hasn't started cracking and crumbling like many old plastics tend to do, and the dash pad hasn't been bleached by long hours in the sun. Bright metal trim on the dash needs nothing more than a quick wipe with a damp cloth to look its best and you'll note that even though this is a top-of-the-line car, it's pretty light on options, so there's no radio or even a slot for one-kind of a unique part of this particular car's history. The carpets are excellent and it appears that the trunk still wears its original spatter paint with a full-sized spare up on its own shelf.

The original 383 cubic inch V8 was removed and rebuilt about 200 miles ago, and while it was out of the car, they took the time to detail it. New Chevy Orange paint, freshly blasted exhaust manifolds, and all the original equipment went back in. It starts easily and runs like you'd expect from a small block Chevy, and with a new single exhaust system, it sounds right. The undercarriage has been cleaned and parts of it show recent detailing, and for the most part it only verifies everything I've already told you: this is a super clean car with a lifetime of care behind it. The 2-speed PowerGlide shifts well and the original rear end hangs out back. 205/75/14 whitewall radials look right on the matching steel wheels, which wear stock wheel covers.

With the original bill of sale and that canceled check to accompany it, this Impala is ready to start the next chapter in its remarkable history. Call today!