With its Bolero Red paint showing a hint of shine, this 1967 Chevrolet Impala SS in Emmett, Idaho may require much less work to safely hit the road than many BarnFinds feature cars. Until the starter crapped out recently this car ran and moved around under its own power. What might be an original 327 mates up to a PowerGlide two-speed automatic, and the metal looks mostly solid with rust-through in small areas. The listing here on eBay has attracted at least six bidders and a going price above $3500 without meeting the seller’s Reserve.
While the 327 cid (5.3L) small-block V8 may look underwhelming in the full-sized Impala’s commodious engine bay, buyers of the day would recall the bevy of 327-inch mills that powered the flagship Corvette exclusively from 1962 to 1965. The phrase “327” suggested performance in the years before 400+ cubic inch motors became commonplace. My friend Michael used to call his Dad’s powerful weed-eater a “327 on a stick.”
While Chevy’s mid-sized Chevelle competed in NASCAR for 1967, this full-sized body graced the banked ovals as recently as 1965. Many full-sized cars of the late ’60s could be found in an aerodynamic fastback version. I’d wager some elbow grease and the right products would nicely refresh that red paint if your budget doesn’t allow for a complete respray.
A full array of gauges keeps the driver apprised of vital information. Spring for carpet and upholstery and much of this poppin’ red interior might come around with some gentle cleaning. Only in recent times did getting in and out of the back seat of a coupe seemingly become uncomfortably awkward. Before the 1990s you were hard-pressed to find a four-door SUV or pickup truck unless they were fleet-built for a railroad company. Perhaps the nature of today’s smaller cars has made “climbing in the back” an unfathomable chore, but in the days of this Impala, you could bend the front seat-back forward, slip in the back, and have plenty of room to cruise or even travel long distances without subjecting your body to untold suffering. With some luck, a backyard mechanic might have this Chevy safe and legal to drive in short order. Can you see yourself cruising in this double-red SS?
I could be wrong, but I thought all ss’s were floor shifted…with consoles…
Not necessarily…don’t forget that even ’67 SS396 Chevelles came with bench seat and column shift. Check out the cowl tag’s 1st line saying ST(yle) 67-16887
67=’67 model year
1= Chev
68=V8 Impala SS
87=2door sport coupe
Trim 870-D means red Strato-Bench seat, if it were red bucket seats it would’ve been 873-B. So that’s why it received the column shift. E 2MR are option codes
E= tinted glass
(2=2nd group)
M=PG trans
R=rear seat speaker
So it’s a legit ’67 SS, IMHO a very underrated year which is somehow hard to locate parts for. But anyone considering this should check out the rust around its glass and think about how comprehensive such repairs are…
This looks just like my neighbors car from when I was a kid.
He was an old Japanese man at the time and his was a duplicate of this.
This might be his car that migrated to Idaho from California after he died.
I’m curious, were cars like this ever referred to as ‘fastbacks’? I don’t recall that being the case.
The definition of the cliche “she looks good from far,but far from good “.
Hard to find a panel that doesn’t need work,and the interior is shot.67 Impalas are very hard to find though ,so best of luck to the buyer.
Where is SS hood?
Lance Reddick; The hood I think you are referring to, would be that of a SS427 with the center dome and 3 pot trim? That was exclusive to the SS427, not found on other 67 Impala S.S.’s. different cars really even though on same basis.
I had one with a 396 4sp & it was a true SS w/ bucket seats,wheels & all!
I bought a ’67 SS used in ’73 for $300 with 80k miles. It had a 327 with a factory Holley carb. Changed the tranny fluid and chained down the engine on the driver’s side. My brother and I put over 10k miles on it in a year and sold for $325. If memory serves me right it had bucket seats and a console that ended with a waterfall divider at the top of the back seat. Great car for a couple of teenagers going to college.
The brothers would agree with me. These make the best looking 4 door cars.
Am I right in saying this is a pic of a “pillarless” 4door? I’ve only ever seen one other. It was here in Australia. A customer of mine owned a white one back in 1974. I fell in love with it and loved them ever since.
The reason 2 door cars were easy to get in and out of the back seat was because 60% of the population wasn’t obese.
So, 40% were? I don’t recall that.
In the early ’70’s, me just out of the army, my brother just sixteen, and my old man found ourselves all at the same time vehicle-less. The old man went down to the lot on the corner, where he bought cars before, and bought a ’67 Impala off the back lot for $400 , just to get by. It was white, maybe painted with a brush,…the whole car. Plus it looked like someone ran around it with a ball peen hammer. We drove the piss outa the car. Never failed to start, never let any of us stranded ever. And that 283 w/2barrell ran well for as big a wagon as it was. But as all of us got back in order with cars, we kept that car for another four years as a back up. Indon’t think we even changed the oil on that SOB, but she just kept on running, quick as a bunny, too. My father sold it eventually for a couple of hundred to some kid who was glad to have it. The old man just got tired of insuring the thing, so it went.
In the late ’70s I answered a classified as for a ’67 Impala SS coupe. I had had several ’67 Caprice coupes and just liked the ’67 body style. The SS was pretty clapped out so I offered a ridiculous price ($150.00 if I remember correctly). The owner took the offer as I realized I really didn’t want it so I decided to part it out. Right there in the apartment parking lot. I got a friend’s tow truck, pulled the 327 and powerglide, buckets, console, tilt column and useable SS emblems. I called a towing company I dealt with, gave them the title and remains, all in the same afternoon. I think I detected a tear in the owner’s eye as it left the lot.
How many bench seat SS’s were made?
RPO A53 Strato-Back seat was $115.90 in ’67. Note that it’s not just a bench seat but a bench with an integrated folding arm rest and seat backs very similar to the regular SS buckets. I found a source claiming 24.289 fullsize Chevs were ordered with the Strato bench for ’67, but no break-down into series. Remember the Strato bench was also available with the Caprice, that’s where I first heard of it.
I would say it’s an unusual option for a ’67 SS but not really a unicorn either. It’s not more rare than that I found repop SS-specific upholstery for it in my Classic Industries catalog so there has to be a market. Again, rare doesn’t necessarily equal $ as I’m pretty certain most car guys paying for an SS would EXPECT separate seats and console. Now I would be very interested to learn whether any ’67 SS was ordered with a floor-shifted 4spd AND the Strato-bench…?
I had a 67 as with a 283 2 speed power glide .
It’s got the desirable back-scratcher bench with the super rare neck massage option
I had a 67 ss 4 speed on the floor and bucket seats. paid 950.00 in fall of 71. BUT my 4 speed had a clutch pedal, which is not shown in picture???