In the Garage: 1958 Chevrolet Impala
THE CAR AND ITS OWNER
1958 Chevrolet Impala sport coupe owned by Paul Dooling
WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING
Chevrolet has produced an Impala for most of the last 54 years and this is the car that started it all. Designed as an ultra-luxurious version of the top-of-the-line Bel Air, the 1958 Impala attracted so much interest that it became a separate model the following year. The car’s exterior and interior were all new. It lost the fins of 1957 and gained more rounded, sculpted lines. It featured four headlights, six taillights, brightly colored upholstery with aluminum trim, plenty of fake louvers and scoops, and the crossed flag insignia borrowed from the Corvette sports car.
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More than 181,000 coupes and convertibles were sold that first year, with prices starting at just under $2,600 for a six-cylinder version. As Dooling notes, 1958 was General Motors’ “year of ‘more chrome the better’ across all models” and the Impala was no exception. The numerous bright bits and pieces can be a major restoration expense when they need replating. Dooling’s choice of the sport coupe is no accident. He owned a similar Impala as his first new car after high school.
