Coming in only around three inches shorter than a new Chevy Suburban, this 1972 Chevrolet Impala Custom Coupe is an imposing car, even today in a world gone mad with giant, bloated SUVs that people “need” because they may haul six people once a year or pull a boat three times a summer. This big hardtop is listed here on eBay in Ocoee, Florida and the current bid price is $6,700, and the reserve isn’t met. They also have it listed here on Hemmings with an asking price of $27,972.
Almost a foot longer than the fourth-generation Impalas, the fifth-gen models were almost 19 feet long and Chevy touted the bumpers as taking away some of your parking lot jitters, saying that they extend further out from the car’s body. I can’t imagine a world where bouncing off of each other’s bumpers in a parking lot is a good thing. Now it’s a $3,500 body shop invoice.
The fifth-generation Impala was made from 1970 for the 1971 model year until the end of 1976. ” Impala. More car, pound for pound. Inch for inch. Mile after mile.” says a 1972 Impala brochure. The ’72s were the first Impalas to have front-side marker lights that blink when a driver signal lane changes – totally a moot point today as nobody but me signals lane changes anyway (I’m mostly kidding, but…) The seller hits it out of the park with dozens of great photos of this car, please click on this link to see them all and judge its condition for yourself.
I see signs of rust on the edges and crevices but hopefully, there isn’t any big rust anywhere, just surface rust. They say it’s wearing its original Antique White paint and it’s hard to argue with the Custom Coupe hardtop bodystyle. The interior looks to be in outstanding condition. The seats look like new front and rear, the trunk looks nice and the underside does in fact look solid. This is the 108,583rd Impala made for the 1972 model year. That’s mind-boggling to me, just the sheer number of vehicles that are made by car companies every day.
The engine is Chevy’s 400-cu.in. OHV V8, which, I believe, is the base Turbo-Fire with a two-barrel carb and 170 horsepower, according to the VIN. It looks good under that long hood and the seller says that it “purrs with the same vigor and vitality as the day it rolled off the assembly line.” High praise indeed. Any thoughts about this Impala, or the seller’s asking price on Hemmings?
I know it’s not the correct year or the correct number of doors, but I still feel this needs an “Assman” license plate up front
9k max on a good day.
Price is ambitious, but where else would you find one of these in nice, original condition? I’d say it’s worth maybe $15,000. Just look it over very carefully. Trust no one.
But today’s bloated SUVs have back-up cameras whereas navigating these ocean liners required a level of “feel” and educating guessing that nobody under 40 possesses anymore.
Didn’t this generation of bodies have a reputation for water leaks? I wonder how many survived without smelling like mildew inside.
the two barrel 400’s were all four bolt mains. the four barrel equipped 400’s were two bol mains. go figure.
I recently picked up a 72 Caprice 4 door with the 400 engine. I don’t mind selling the car but not sure I want to let the engine go with it.
I believe that the 400 2 barrel were small blocks and the 400 4 barrel were big blocks, actually a 396 bored out to 402 cid but marketed as 400s.
Once owned a 72 Caprice 4 door. Great car! Cadillac luxury at a much lower price! And CHROME bumpers! 👍 They truly don’t make them like this anymore. Love my current 2007 Town Car, but it has damn plastic 😒 or whatever they call it ,bumpers. As mentioned, bloated SUVS, crossovers, and melted jelly beans now clutter the roads! 🤮 The price on this Impala seems a bit pricey, but definitely 👌 a good buy. Try to find anything new for close to it.
I just picked up a white 1972 4 door Caprice. Not sure what I’m going to do with that yet.
Crank windows….$27K? There are far more desirable rust free Cadillacs, Lincolns, Thunderbirds and Imperials/ New Yorkers from this period for far less. When nostalgia meets wishful thinking perhaps?
1972. Crank windows. Yup.
Talk about a head-ache and expensive to work on. All those cars usually end up with electrical problems.
Sure it is clean but it shows wear on the carpet and interior door panels and there’s damage on the grill also the frames pretty rough looking 27 is pretty optimistic 14 or 15 sounds about right
My father bought one of these in 1974 second hand. Blue w/ blue cloth interior and a white vinyl top. He paid $3200.00 for it. At that time it was the most he ever paid for a car. Among other options it had air conditioning and an Am/Fm radio. We thought is was just like a Cadillac. He liked it so well he bought a 1974 just like it in 1976. I still can’t believe he bought not only one but two 2 dr. cars. He sold the 1972 to buy my mom a 1985 Buick Century because he felt it would be easier for her to handle as she was just learning to drive.
The 1974 hung around till the early nineties until rust took it over for good.
As of today, a U.S. gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is $6.88 in the Greater Toronto Area. That usually weeds out pretty quickly, who needs to drive a bloated SUV!
Here in the Midwest, gas prices are considerably lower, BUT while many criticize gas consumption and other issues of these vintage beauties, they blindly follow the PRIMROSE path (like so many celebrities) believing they know it all, driving SUVS and crossovers which are far from easy on gas. Taylor Twit and friend 😉 are a Travis T.
It’s kind of refreshing to see a Hemmings listing on BF, even though the car featured isn’t really too special aside from the body style and optional engine. And even that 400 wasn’t a particularly potent engine. I can see the surface rust even in the photos and that’s a little concerning. Perhaps this might sell for half the asking price, but no more.
Wow …. Back in the day, early 80s, my sister bought a 72 Custom from the older neighbors. Was a slightly more pastel shade of yellow with the black vinyl roof. The car was thirsty and pretty lively with its 350/165hp 2V engine. One day in the winter, my sister took the car on a toboggan ride and it was towed home with the right front tire tucked under, like that Bond movie with the under water car (Spy who loved me). She was upset and ok, and I took the engine and trans as payment for money I spotted her for her car insurance. The rest was sold to a wrecking yard. That engine hung around my garage until one day, I got my young son interested in a rebuild. It now lives in my Corvette and soon to be transplanted into a 70 Nova. It’s not an LS, but it sure has provided a lot of story fodder for me ; )
I like this car and it would be fun to detail it and free it of its warts. A very nice project starter.
Scotty imagine if you will…..Mom’s 72 Impala, bought new, on the left looking into the garage. And then Dad’s 75 Suburban Scottsdale on the right, also bought new. Wth? Did you grow up in my 😂 😂 😂
Nice Impala…
Still one of my favorite cars. Ours was Dusk gray with black roof and cloth interior. Belonged to my brother. Air, FM, finned wheel covers and a 454. Man, what a good looking car. Was tagged out of the GM fleet. Would give up a tooth to have that one back.
The changes from 1971 to 1972 are subtle, but very effective – a lower, cleaner grille, individual headlight bezels, smaller marker lights, taillights in the bumper. Trivia time – 1972 is the only year that Bel Airs and Biscaynes had three-element taillights like the impala, albeit with a little less decoration. I guess Bel Air and Biscayne sales had fallen enough that Chevrolet was no longer willing to tool up for a two-light bumper.
Auction update: this auction ended at $8,100 and that didn’t meet the seller’s reserve so no sale.