1960 Chevrolet Impala
 At $2,954, the Impala convertible was Chevrolet's most expensive 1960 car. |
Looking back from today's vantage point, the '59 Chevrolets don't look nearly as outrageous as they did at the time. In the eyes of today's collectors and enthusiasts, those scoffed-at tailfins are a major part of the car's appeal -- the bigger the better. Stylists and marketers back then, on the other hand, realized that the fin-and-chrome fashion had about run its course. They needed to shift direction a little, creating a more conservative face-lift.
Those sweeping horizontal fins didn't disappear, of course. Not yet. For 1960 they were simply toned down a bit, giving Chevrolets a more tasteful and temperate back end -- an angular, tapered shape that integrated neatly into the quarter panels. The effect was helped by installation of three modestly sized round taillights on each side of the top-of-the-line Impala.
Up front, those ferocious snorting-nostril air intakes above the headlights were deleted completely. By the standards of the Fifties, at least, the '60 redesign ranked as downright restrained, promoted for "Space -- Spirit -- Splendor."
More abundantly chromed than Bel Airs or Biscaynes, Impalas found buyers more easily, with better than 490,000 built. Impalas displayed such doodads as nonfunctional air-intake scoops, plus a white band running along the rear fender. Four body styles vied for customers: hardtop Sport Sedan (with a panoramic back window within slim rear pillars), Sport Coupe, convertible, and four-door sedan. Impala hosted Chevy's only full-size convertible, leading the line at $2,847 ($2,954 with V-8).
Drivetrain choices diminished a bit, but no one could say they were deprived -- with seven V-8 engine ratings to choose from, in 283- or 348-cubic-inch size. Top choice was the 348-cubic-inch Super Turbo-Thrust Special, breathing through triple two-barrel carburetors and using 11.25:1 compression and dual exhausts to eke out 335 horsepower. More modest variants of the 348 yielded 250 to 320 horses. The carbureted Turbo-Fire 283-cubic-inch V-8 could have either 170 or 230 horsepower, but fuel injection no longer was an option under full-size Chevrolet hoods.
 The 1960 Chevrolet Impala Sport Sedan hardtop had a panoramic rear window. |
| Model | Weight range (lbs.) | Price range (new) | Number built |
| Impala | 3,530-3,635 | $2,590-$2,954 | 490,000 (approx.) |
For more picture-packed articles about Chevys and other great cars, see:
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- Consumer Guide Used Car Search: In the market for a used Chevy or virtually any other pre-owned vehicle? Check out these reports, which include safety recalls and trouble spots.
- All Chevrolet Impalas: For even more information about the Chevy Impala, see these up-to-the-minute ratings, prices, specs, and more.
- How Chevrolet Works: Get the inside story of one of America’s greatest automotive marques in this lavishly illustrated history of Chevrolet, beginning with its founding in 1911.
