Chevrolet was on a roll in 1965. The new mid-size Chevelle was in its second year and selling well. And the full-size Chevies had been redesigned and set sales records, too. In fact, more than one million Impalas found homes, a milestone that would never be equaled. All of this included nearly 80,000 Impala convertibles like the seller’s beautiful example. With a more modern V8 under the hood, this Ermine White sharpie is ready to cruise in London, Kentucky, and is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $29,500.

Why were the 1965 big Chevies so successful? Besides a good economy, the styling of the cars surely struck a responsive chord with buyers and had to be a big part of why Impala sales ticked up by nearly 20%. The Biscayne was still the entry point, with the Bel Air a little fancier, followed by the Impala, and finally the new Caprice, which was a dressed-up Impala (to compete against the new Ford LTD). With such a solid record in ’65, they set up a hard act to follow, and the similar ’66 Impalas saw a double-digit decline in sales. But that was partly offset by the Caprice becoming a series of its own.

The fender script on this sweet Impala convertible indicates it had a 327 cubic inch V8 when it was new. But a 350 resides under the hood now, having replaced the 327 (after perhaps the odometer crossing the 100k-mile mark). The overall condition of this drop-top suggests that some form of a restoration has taken place. The body and paint are quite nice, and the blue vinyl interior shows no wear.

An automatic transmission is in play here, likely a 2-speed Powerglide if original. Besides power steering and brakes, we’re told the Chevy has a power bench seat, a somewhat rare option for an Impala. The black convertible top is also power-assisted. The ad reads as if the seller recently acquired the car for resale, or perhaps a dealer is involved. Having been purchased new in Tennessee (per the seller), this may have been a Southern car all its life. Is it priced right, even though the Impala isn’t fully numbers-matching? Thanks for the tip, “Pnuts”!