We’ve all seen those ads where a car is described as “one owner, little old lady.” Well, this 1968 Impala is just such a car, and all I can say is that lady has to have had gasoline flowing in her veins to order this one. It’s not like she just walked into a dealership and bought this one because it happened to be there. She specifically ordered this car, and I wonder whether she wants to adopt me as her new grandson. Bidding on the Impala is sitting at $1,725, but the reserve hasn’t been met. The Impala is located in Carlisle, Iowa, and is listed for sale here on eBay.
I always look at beautiful cars like this and wonder why they finished up parked for decades. Maybe the lady in question got to the point where she didn’t feel comfortable enough to drive anymore. There is certainly some work to do on the Impala, but it does appear to be a solid point from which to start. The frame has a pretty good coating of surface corrosion, but it does appear to be solid. There is plenty of rust visible around the body, but it can all be repaired. The floors will also need replacing, as will the soft-top. It also looks like there might be a few trim pieces missing, but the car is largely complete.
This lady knew what she liked, and it appears that power was pretty high on the list. That’s a 396ci V8, which is backed by an automatic transmission. She obviously liked to cruise with ease, because when she ordered the car, she specified power steering, power brakes, and air conditioning. There is no word on the condition of the engine, but given the amount of leaf litter under the hood, I think that you will need to hope for the best. Having said that, it actually looks quite dry in there, so luck could well be running the way of the new owner, and it might turn freely.
Given the state of the soft-top, the interior is a very pleasant surprise. It really does look like a good clean and some very minor restoration work could see this interior sparkle. There is some surface corrosion visible on the shifter, but the rest of the fittings and trim look to be really good. When she ordered the car, this lady also wanted a few creature comforts beyond air conditioning. So, the radio was specified with a rear speaker, while power windows, power driver’s seat, and a trunk light were also chosen by her.
This Impala SS Convertible is a car that shows a lot of promise. Getting it back to its best is going to take some work, but I’ve definitely seen cars in worse condition revived. It isn’t a job that you’ll knock over in a few weekends, but if it were to be restored properly, it would not only be a car with a pretty reasonable monetary value, but it would be a great car in which to enjoy some top-down cruising.
Give this to the Pontiac GP guy and let him do his magic.
This one would definitely have to be a labor of love to restore.
Not a SS, but was still cool….back in the day.
Where do you see non SS? Look at the inside front door panels.
It’s an SS. The SS427 had a unique hood and front fender louvers, but the “regular” SS had few differences from an ordinary Impala.
Not only is it an A/C convertible, but it has the super rare comfortron climate control! Granny did some box checkin’ that day! Not a huge fan of the 68’s, but would love to own this one!
Same console, staple shifter, remote mirror and power window switches as my mom’s 1972 Monte Carlo. Seat frames may also be the same. What a sad, loaded convertible this one is. With AC no less!
Comfortron A/C and heat at that!
Wow it was a cool car when in good condition, but it isnt fun with so much rot. Im shure the frame also need welding. Shut have bin saved 20 years ago, so maybe.
That 68 4 door from yesterday is so much better condition. Better that car, than a hopeless barn queen
Imo.
Good luck to the next owner. That he will need.
Dosnt hope he goes dead in all that body repair
Is this a SS or???
I hope someone can take care of it. For some reason I have a sift spot for convertibles. I don’t understand how a car that has been in “storage” for roughly 30 odd years be in such despair.
Bumpers look good. I like the yellow floor jack.
Looks lowered already sitting on the trailer!
Why was it parked. Not stored very well.
I can’t get 3500 bid on my 68 396 A/C Impala with much less rust
Always a fan of the 67-68 Impala and Caprice and the car we are looking at is one very rare “Barn Find” loaded with great options often unseen on a car like this. That Automatic Air Condition system was almost never ordered and to find a convertible with this option? Wow. A complete system sold on Ebay for 500. Rusty? Sure but a good bath and interior cleaning would do wonders to boost the bidding price. Some people just don’t get it. Wash the car lazy seller/flipper. Soap, water and a hose. It’s not that hard. Good job on this one.
I had a 68 Impala Convertible with that same body, interior, and top color, same engine and trans… Mine was in great shape and ran fine. It had an electrical gremlin in the lights and turn signals that was driving me insane, and I was moving, getting married, and had storage issues, so I let it go for a loss, which is coincidentally almost the same as the current bid of $3550.
I truly hope to hell this isn’t my old car. I felt horrible selling that car, and of all the cars I’ve owned, the one I regret the most getting rid of. If this turned out to be my old car, and it ended up like this, I’d feel even worse!!
@TinCanSailor how long ago was that? Did yours also have all of the added options that we’ve been commenting on? When you say the same body, are you saying that yours was already developing rust in the areas so obviously visible on this Barn Find?
When I think of a one owner little old lady car, I don’t envision a rusted out neglected car like this one. But restored, this will be one very valuable classy car. I sure hope someone spends the money to get her looking new again.
3550.00 and the reserve is not met………..there seems to be a certain amount of desperation here. Has everybody lost their mind?
Yeah, what happened here?
Do not even think about it!!!!!!!!!!
This is so sad. I and my extended family have owned cars and motorcycles from the 1930’s – early 1970’s for extended periods and right up to today and somehow all of them (At least 30 or more cars and more than a dozen motorcycles) look(ed) as good or better than day two. And no “patina” ever.
I’ve owned and currently own GM, MOPAR and Ford cars and it seems like of the three, when it comes to the number of buyers buying rotted hulks like this poor thing with fists full of cash and eyes closed, the MOPAR buyers are the most common, Chevrolet second and Ford third (But any pre ‘71 V8 Mustang can induce buyer’s delirium).
I hope that a Chevrolet big block fan throws a ton of cash at this once very cool car but having restored more than a few rotted hulks like this (For others), it ain’t gonna be me.
Im thinking that the little old lady is the only one who drove it. If the hood was shut, the 396 could be ready to rock. EVEN though most of the big blocks ive ever got were beat to a pulp
The only thing I can say is what a shame.
wow the air cleaner is on it.
A fairly rare SS Impala that deserves to be saved. Too many “luxury” options for my taste. Convertibles were never my thing either…….
Why not air up the tires. It will not take too much time .easy to load .don’t spend the time to get it look better. I’ve had better results was cleaning and make it movable.
As an impala fan and had a few ,this one id actually restore or at best find a donor and transfer all the good stuff over after a rotisserie restoration. This is definitely worth saving one way or another .
Kill it!
Probably just needs a tune-up and a bath…..:)
I think the only thing to do would be to find another junk ragtop from a DRY climate and clone it using the rare pieces this one has. As bad is this thing is from what I can see, I can only think of the huge amount of hidden damage this one has .
What a POS. This junk makes me sick. $50,000 will get you a $25,000 car when you are done.
bodyman you got.. it find a body and make it your parts car do the math you have to put 25 to 30 k in it to make it a driver…. those cars were known for bad frames.
Have a 68 SS Impala hard top. Red with white interior.350ci.with automatic.My folks purchased new when I was 10 years old. When the oil crisis hit in the late 1970s the car was parked, been sitting here ever since. The car is solid barn find example. All components are there, numbers match with very little rust. A great car to restore, we’ll probably have more than it’s worth. Family heirloom. And the red and white really pops. Why not.
Lots of goodies, but Project with a capital P.
Sold for $5500. and I say that’s a good deal for an original #s matching car that is straight and complete. I’m surprised at some of the comments posted. This car is a nice project to restore as a driver, and it can be done with some work and skill for a reasonable amount if the new owner picks away at it. The craft of auto restoration on old muscle cars has gotten way over-blown, especially when you consider the amount of repop products and resources available nowadays.