Sometimes one glance is enough — this Chevrolet was never built for quiet Sunday strolls. A 1966 Chevrolet Impala SS Convertible is heading to Mecum’s Harrisburg sale. A big open American from the era when Impala had stopped being just a richer Bel Air and turned into a stand-alone style icon. Repainted in vivid blue, with a white vinyl folding top hiding a black cabin and a pair of bucket seats up front.
And now the interesting part. Under the hood sits a 427-cubic-inch Big Block displacing 7.0 liters, mated to a four-speed Muncie M20 manual. For a sixties Chevrolet drop-top that’s a rare combination — striking looks and real mechanical involvement in the same body.
The equipment list isn’t modest either. Power top, center console, power steering, power-assisted front disc brakes, Vintage Air climate control, auxiliary gauges. Cragar SS wheels and BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires with raised white letters finish the look — the kind of detail collectors are happy to pay extra for.
By 1966 the Impala had already traveled a long road. The first generation arrived in the late 1950s as Chevrolet’s flagship. By 1961 the SS badge had entered the story for the first time. And in 1965 came the real turning point: Impala got an entirely new platform with a perimeter frame instead of the old X-Frame. Sales went vertical — over a million cars in a single year.
A year later the design got a light refresh. A new grille, a redesigned dashboard, rectangular tail lights in place of the old triple round units. For collectors the Impala SS Convertible isn’t just about power. It’s a big open Chevrolet with the right seating, plenty of chrome, a long body and an engine that turns a relaxed cruise into an event.
The auction takes place on Friday, July 24. Sometimes the value of a classic isn’t in being unrepeated down to the last bolt. It’s in the fact that the car still looks ready for a summer evening with the top down — as if those sixty years never happened.
