The 1959 Impala was the first model sold as a separate series. Chevrolet kicked off the Impala effort in 1958 with Bel Air’s help but then promoted the new nameplate to a standalone nameplate only a year later.
1959 witnessed the introduction of a significant redesign, borrowing design cues from other GM cars. It was now available as a four-door hardtop and sedan and two-door coupe and convertible.
One of the 473,000 Impalas produced in 1959 is now looking for a new home, apparently after it had already received a second chance not long ago.
The photos don’t tell the full story, as despite looking like a full project, this 1959 Impala has already received a bunch of fixes. Including under the hood, that is, as the car now runs and drives.
As a big Impala fan, restomods aren’t necessarily my favorite cup of tea. I would rather prefer the Impala as original as it gets, so the 350 (5.7-liter) under the hood could make people like me walk away. On the other hand, if you don’t mind a well-done restomod, this Impala could be worth a look.
The 1959 model year was available with the same lazy six-cylinder developing 135 horsepower and with the base 283 (4.7-liter) Turbo-Fire producing 185 horsepower. A four-barrel version of the same engine increased the output to 230 horsepower. The icing on the cake was the 348 (5.7-liter) unit rated at 335 in the top Super Turbo-Thrust configuration.
The new engine under the hood of this Impala isn’t the only bad news, as the car also comes with the typical metal issues you’d normally expect on a car this old. However, it’s far from becoming a rust bucket, so bringing it back to the road shouldn’t be too difficult.