Chevrolet Impala SS

Impala SS at a glance

The modern Impala, a front-drive sedan, has its own page: the tenth-generation Impala of 2014–2020.

Super Sport arrives: 1961–1964

Chevrolet announced the Super Sport option in a press release of 17 December 1960. For 1961 it was a real performance package, not just trim, and could be ordered on any Impala, including sedans and wagons. The engine list started with the 348 V8 at 227, 254 or 261 kW (305, 340 or 350 hp) and ended with the new 409, rated at 268 kW (360 hp). Only 142 Impala Super Sports of 1961 came from the factory with the 409.

For 1962 and 1963 the SS, regular production option Z03, turned into an appearance package for the Sport Coupe and the convertible, available with any engine. The 348 was dropped. The 327 V8 offered 186 or 224 kW (250 or 300 bhp), while the 409 came with 283 or 305 kW (380 or 409 bhp) and a manual gearbox only. In 1963 Chevrolet also built 50 Sport Coupes with the Z11 package: a 427 cu in version of the 409 rated at 321 kW (430 hp) and 780 Nm, made for drag racing and NASCAR rather than for the showroom SS.

In 1964 the Super Sport became a series of its own. The 409 returned as the top option with 317 kW (425 bhp) at 6,000 rpm and 576 Nm (425 lb-ft) at 4,200 rpm, fed by two Carter AFB carburettors.

396 and 427: the Super Sport in 1965–1969

Early in the 1965 model year the 409 gave way to the new 396 cu in big-block. The SS was also distinguished by a blacked-out strip under the taillights. Autoevolution puts 1965 Impala SS output at 243,114 cars, about 30 % of all Impalas that year; the SS of the mid-1960s was a volume model, not a rarity.

The 427 arrived for 1966. The L36 version had 287 kW (385 hp), the L72 had 317 kW (425 hp) and came with a manual gearbox only. For 1967 Chevrolet created the SS 427 package, RPO Z24, for any two-door Impala of 1967–1969. It combined the 427, the F41 sport suspension, redline tyres and SS 427 badges. In 1967 only the L36 was offered; the L72 returned for 1968 and 1969.

SS 427 production was small: slightly more than 2,000 cars in 1967, slightly fewer in 1968 and a little over 2,400 in 1969, when disc brakes and 15-inch wheels became standard. Chevrolet ended the SS series after 1969.

The return: 1994–1996 Impala SS

Twenty-five years later the badge came back on the B-body full-size sedan. Production began on 14 February 1994 at Arlington, Texas. The engine was a retuned LT1 5.7-litre V8 with 194 kW (260 hp) and 447 Nm (330 lb-ft); the prototype had been shown with 224 kW (300 hp). A 4L60E four-speed automatic, a limited-slip differential, four-wheel disc brakes and a 3.08:1 axle were standard. The suspension sat 25 mm (1 in) lower, on 17-inch wheels with 255/50ZR17 tyres.

The car was big: Hagerty gives 5,438 mm (214.1 in) in length, 1,969 mm (77.5 in) in width and about 1,900 kg (4,200 lb). When new it reached 60 mph in 7.5 seconds and covered the quarter mile in 15 seconds at 94 mph. By our calculation each kilowatt had to move about 9.8 kg.

The first year was short of wheels, which explains the small 1994 number; 1996 alone accounted for about 60 % of all three years, by our count. The yearly figures add up to 69,678; Hagerty gives 69,758 and a Wikipedia photo caption 69,768. Arlington built the last Impala SS on 13 December 1996; GM then needed the plant for SUVs. Buyers in the Middle East got the 1996 car under the Caprice SS badge.

Later SS models (2004–2009)

The name returned on the front-wheel-drive Impala. In 2004–2005 the SS had a supercharged 3.8-litre V6 with 179 kW (240 hp), and Chevrolet built 4,088 Indy SS limited editions in 2004. For 2006–2009 the SS used a 5.3-litre V8 with 226 kW (303 hp) and Active Fuel Management; Wikipedia calls it the first V8 in a front-wheel-drive Chevrolet. It ran 0–60 mph in 5.6 seconds. These cars are quick sedans, but with front-wheel drive they fall outside the muscle-car rule used on 1CARS.

Impala SS buying guide

1960s Super Sport. Chevrolet coded its V8 Impalas in the VIN: 164 for a regular V8 Impala, 166 or 168 for a V8 Impala SS in 1966–1968. For 1967–1969, check that an "SS 427" really has the 427 and the Z24 equipment, because the badges are easy to add. A 1961 409 SS is the rarest of all, with 142 built.

1994–1996 SS. Hagerty's buyer's guide lists these checks:

• Identity: the SPID label in the boot and the decal on the driver's side cowl should show code WX3 for an Impala; BU4 marks a Caprice. The VIN on the label must match the dashboard.
• Original colour: look under the dashboard near the pedals; the door sticker should list 17-inch wheels and 255/50R17 tyres.
• Rust: behind the rear wheels at the bottom of the quarter panels, and the frame rails, since the car is built on a separate frame.
• Optispark ignition: moisture from a leaking water pump or front seals can damage it; replacement is costly, so a recent service is a plus.
• Other known faults: EGR valves, fuel pumps and sending units, ageing interior plastics around the window switches, and unreliable odometers.
• Gearbox: Wikipedia says 4L60E failures after about 160,000 km (100,000 miles) were common, while Hagerty notes that many cars pass that mark.

Prices have risen: Hagerty's article put the best cars near US$40,000 and fair ones under US$10,000, without giving a date. In 2024 a 1996 car with 143 miles on the clock, bought new for US$26,196, was listed on Bring a Trailer, and autoevolution (2024) reports a record of US$60,500 for a 350-mile car sold by Mecum.

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