Here’s a trivia question for you. What GM car outsold the popular Ford Mustang in 1965? The answer is the Chevrolet Impala, which had 803,400 deliveries vs. the Mustang’s 680,500 (this includes the “1964 ½” Mustangs built as 1965s in 1964). And as surprising as it may sound, quite a lot of those big Chevies came with six-cylinder power (56,600 units). The seller’s car combines the sweeping good looks of the Impala Sport Coupe with the practicality of a Biscayne taxicab with a six-banger and “3-on-the-tree” manual transmission. Located in Sacramento, California, this old Chevy is available here on craigslist for $18,000, patina and all. Another great heads-up from Pat L.!
It’s not easy trying to figure out how many six-cylinder motors went into a 1965 Chevy Impala Sport Coupe. The reasoning for doing so is a little puzzling as the logical choice was the 327 V8 in a car this size. Records indicate that a little more than 423,000 Sport Coupes were assembled in ’65, and since the Impala was the only one to be offered in this body style, they get all the marbles. But you’d have to think that more 4-door Impala sedans got the i-6 rather than the sport coupe model, which was also closely identified with the Super Sport, a hot car in 1965.
Under the hood should be the Chevy “Turbo-Thrift” straight-six that was on the checklist from 1962 to 2001. During 1963 to 1965, the displacement was 230 cubic inches, rising to 250 in 1966. The engine featured seven main bearings instead of the four-bearing design of its predecessor, the “Stovebolt” engine, and was considerably smaller and approximately 100 lbs. lighter.
We’re told this Chevy is all original and unrestored and looks the part. There is no evidence of rust, though the light green paint has its fair share of patina on upward-facing surfaces. The interior is acceptable except for the front bench seat cover, which is stained and tattered, so it will need replacing. We’re told this budget-minded Impala runs well with an odometer reading of 10,000 miles (100,000?). This would be a good car to clean up but not repaint, then take it to Cars & Coffee and wait for surprised faces when you pop open the hood!
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