In a perfect world, every petrolhead would have a soft spot for one particular Chevrolet Impala. And what’s not to love about this model, which dates back to the late 1950s?
From a design perspective, some older iterations are simply breathtaking. And it was the fifth-gen, as well as the era’s Caprice, which gave birth to the donk trend. Often used wrong, this term applies to both vehicles that were made from the 1971 to the 1976 model years, with or without the large alloys on their feet. And if such rides get your heart racing, then you should stick around to find out more about the pictured one.
A 1971 Chevy Impala Convertible, it was fully restored. It sports a red look with the right amount of chrome trim on the outside, has a peanut butter leather interior, and a custom steering wheel that mirrors the look of the large wheels. These measure 26 inches in diameter, and even though they are on the oversized side of things, they still fit under the arches even with the adjustable suspension, which has shaved 60 mm (2.4 in) from the overall ground clearance.
Shared online by Roadshow International, it has nano-ceramic window tint, including on the windshield, paint coating protection to keep the red metallic wrap looking fresh, and a subwoofer package complete with additional speakers and amps. The subwoofers occupy a good chunk of the trunk, and they were housed inside a custom box that was wrapped in the same leather that adorns the interior. Unfortunately, the company hasn’t released any technical details about this gorgeous project, stating that the 0 to 62 miles per hour acceleration does not matter, and neither does the top speed.
Moreover, they haven’t even released an image of the car with the hood open, so we have no idea what powers it. Chances are it is the factory engine with no upgrades whatsoever, and as most of you already know, this generation Impala came with various V8s and with a straight-six in the entry-level variant. The transmissions included a three-speed manual on all straight-six cars in 1971 and 1972, a three-speed automatic that was optional on the lesser engine and standard on V8s, and a two-speed automatic that was available on the six-cylinder and small-block V8 engines.
Nowadays, a nicely restored Chevrolet Impala from the fifth generation is usually a six-digit affair, and the best can cost around a quarter of a million dollars. We don’t know how much this one went for because Roadshow International says that it found itself a new home, but we think it was likely close to the latter sum. That could get you a nicely used copy of a full-blown supercar made a few years ago, so it is certainly not a ride for everyone. Would it be for you?