The 1958 Chevrolet Impala was born with lofty goals. It was meant to restore the American automaker’s reputation, because the Bel Air was unable to challenge Ford’s hegemony on its own. When the Impala made its debut as a Bel Air model, not even General Motors could have predicted what would happen next. Sales of the Impala skyrocketed in its initial year of release as it quickly became a hit.
Chevrolet rapidly promoted Impala to a stand-alone series, so in 1959, the new nameplate waved goodbye to the Bel Air and embraced a separate path to conquer the automotive world. And it did, as in 1965, the Impala became the first car in the United States to sell more than 1 million units in a single year.
Original Impalas have become desirable cars in the world of collectors, so 1958, 1959, and 1960 models in tip-top shape, with everything original and low miles, could sell for as much as $200k.
The owner of this 1959 Impala thinks they can turn a small fortune with their rust bucket as well, since they estimate the convertible’s worth at $30k. Despite being otherwise stunning when it came off the manufacturing line.
But the car is ugly, because it has probably been sleeping in the open sky for decades. The undersides are no longer present, and the Impala even struggles to remain whole. The terrifying appearance of the automobile is confirmed by the images, which speak for themselves, but the primary selling feature of this Impala still seems to be the abundance of spare parts accessible.
Saving the 1959 convertible is undoubtedly a massive project and isn’t aimed at the faint of heart, but I believe the car will still end up serving as a donor for other Impalas. It’s unclear if an engine is still available, but I wouldn’t expect good news on this front, considering the car’s overall shape.
The Impala sells without important details, so aside from the “real cars with tags and paperwork” pieces, we’re not getting any information about this convertible, as if the car’s ragged condition wasn’t enough.
For the most part, just a small number of 1959 Impalas remain, making them coveted projects. It’s difficult to determine how this Impala has lived its final decades, but it most likely was sleeping outside where the weather transformed it into the massive heap of rusted metal that can be seen in the pictures.