The owner of this 1971 Chevrolet Impala Custom Coupe says it’s the big block engine that makes this car so desirable, and while finding a 402 under the hood is a cause worth celebrating, just the overall condition plus the level of care this one’s gotten over the years is a fine selling point as well.  The Chevy has been under the seller’s wing for the last 27 years, but it hasn’t been seeing much pavement as of late, so he’s decided the time has come to find the hardtop a new home.  This 1971 Impala Custom Coupe here on eBay has been in Texas its entire life and is presently located in Fort Worth, with the current bid of $10,300 still short of the reserve.

The 402 was rather short-lived in the Chevrolet engine lineup, and it’s a bit confusing how the brand chose to market this powerplant.  Chevy’s 400 in the ’71 Impala was a small block, but the 402 was a slightly bored-out 396, so it’s a big block.  However, the label “Turbo-Jet 400 V8” got assigned to this one, while the small block was called the “Turbo-Fire 400 V8”, with the same 400 emblems attached to the body no matter which of the two was in the bay.  I can only imagine how many wrong part orders this must have caused back in the day!  The drivetrain on this car has less than 90,000 miles and was recently checked over by a mechanic, with a few new parts mentioned including a fuel pump, plugs, wires, plus a brand new Quadrajet carburetor.  With a factory HP rating of 300, there’s plenty of power to get and keep things moving here.

This one isn’t claimed to be a show car, but it’s instead billed as solid and reliable transportation that’s a head-turner.  A few blemishes are mentioned in the paint, but the body is stated as rust-free, so rather than going to the effort of addressing anything outside I’d probably be thankful this Impala looks as good as it does and just enjoy driving it.  Of course, the next caretaker may feel differently, and if a fresh paint job is in the future I doubt it would take very much prep before the exterior is ready for a respray.

Most of the interior is said to have been redone 26 years ago, and the way it still looks today seems like a good testament to how well this car has been cared for over the last two-and-a-half decades.  More recently, a flawless dash was installed, and the A/C compressor has also been rebuilt, so the air inside is blowing cold.  We also get to view a couple of shots from the underside, with the platform seeming as free from rust as the body, so this 1971 Chevrolet Impala Custom Coupe appears solid from top to bottom.  This one strikes me as a fun driver that I’d fancy getting behind the wheel of, how about you?