One dilemma often encountered during a custom restoration is choosing the proper color for the exterior, which can be tough to decide with so many excellent options available today. A broader idea is to use a color-changing finish, commonly known as chameleon paint, which is the route taken by the seller of this 1968 Chevrolet Impala SS convertible. It’s a real head-turner, so if you’re interested in being the next owner, this stylish Chevy droptop is located in Bristol, Illinois, and can be found here on Hemmings. The asking price is $29,900, but there’s also the chance to make an offer.
We’d like to thank Driven By Faith Restorations for the great tip here! From what I understand, a chameleon finish is typically a tri-stage process, which begins with a base color. The second layer is a clear coat with color-shifting pearls mixed in, followed by an additional coating of clear. I haven’t sprayed many cars since the days of DuPont acrylic enamel, so I’m sure a successful chameleon finish is considerably harder to attain, and there may also be other ways to achieve this effect.
No details are given about what this one looked like before the custom finish, but the body seems straight with the panels lining up well overall, although the hood springs may need a bit of tweaking. The chameleon paint scheme was also applied to the Rally wheels, giving them a mesmerizing effect as well. What I found surprising here was the cost factor, as the seller states that the custom chameleon pearl paint job came with a price tag of $22,000. However, the quality appears excellent, plus it’s unlikely you’ll see another sixties Impala in your town with a presentation such as this!
The seller says his car is a true Super Sport, with the 812 on the cowl tag seeming to point in that direction, as that number indicates black bucket seats. Other useful information from the tag is the paint code, which tells us the Impala began as a Grecian Green example (code “H”), with a white convertible top (code “2”).
Although it’s in acceptable condition for a driver, the interior doesn’t seem to have received as much attention as the outside, and my day-one task here might be to replace that cracked steering wheel. A few aftermarket components have been added inside, such as the shifter, the trio of gauges, and the Pioneer Stereo. The seller also mentions that the canvas top is in like-new condition.
The 327 is stated as the original engine, which features Holley products on top, including a 4-barrel carburetor and a Contender intake manifold. The dress-up items here complement the exterior nicely when the hood is raised, and more good news is that the seller says his Chevy runs and drives great. If you’re into the multi-color appearance, this 1968 Chevrolet Impala SS convertible seems like a winner, and I’m curious to hear what our readers think about this one. Is $29.9k a reasonable price to pay here?
Change the wheels to Corvette Rally wheels and cruise
The first thing I thought of was Boy Georges Karma Chameleon going through my head. Second thought was how the heck do you touch this up? Its a really unique paint job. The interior definitely could use some attention. Especially at that price.
Well from what I’ve heard tell much like Boy George this one comes and goes
You can’t touch it up, and you can’t repaint just one panel. It looks great, but I don’t have the kind of luck it takes to keep a paint job like this looking its best.
A guy at our HS named Jimmy Farcello was an old school hot rod aficionado. Once saw him with a car painted in “Heliotrope” that knocked our socks off-same paint as this IIRC.
Obviously, an eye-catching paint job. Which came at an eye-watering price.
Bob summed it up in two great phrases.
Eye catching….
Eye watering…
Yep, that sums it up.
DuPont offered what they called Chrome Illusion which was sort of popular in the 90’s and early-2000’s. That style of finish didn’t age well. Not sure if it’s a selling point, I don’t think there are many people willing to pay a premium for it today. Though if you locked it away in a climate controlled garage it will likely come back into style 20 years from now.
Steve R
Reminded me of Jeff Gordon’s Cup car.
Like a sheen of oil across a puddle.
My thought exactly!
Personally, I don’t feel that sixties and seventies cars look good with nineties paint finishes. They just look odd. Gimme this Impala in chestnut brown, butternut yellow, or any of the other exterior choices of the time. Though, I admit, I prefer the paint color to match the cowl tag, so…
first thing i gotta say is lose those wheels and white letter tires !
it would look great with a new set of old school Crager SS and black wall fatties on the back and skinnys on the front ..
we dont know what color the top is , but it should be white with a white interior.
just my opinion..
First thing I’d do would be repaint it to its original color. This thing is hideous.
Highly unappealing flare of flamboyance. No thanks.
Nope!
How high does it bounce??
shame that a real ss convert was done to look like this
I usually go for things like this but not this one. Sixty-eight Impalas are a fine looking car more deserving of a large metal flake color with a mile deep clear on top.
This paint job is definitely a schlimmbesserung, a what you say, well that’s a German word that loosely interpreted means an ‘improvement’ that makes things worse. You’re welcome 😅
I had a pristine blue Impala just like this one 30 years ago that I sold to a kid at a custom shop for too little money by todays standards. The kid was wearing necklaces that were too big. Next time I saw it, it had a paint job like this on it. I wanted to strangle him.
Didn’t Ford have a similar paint called Mystic?
Why do people ruin cars like this by installing a crappy silver stereo in a black dash??? It does not even fit properly.
I have installed many 8 track players(yes 8 track) and cassette as well as CD players, equalizers and switch panels in dashes and under as well as center consoles. All looked perfect.
I still have maybe 40 stereo systems from the seventies including in dash, factory Cadillac stereos with CB.
You can buy a classic car with class but it won’t give you any.
No class or pride any more.
1st thing i would do would be to put in a proper cool Chevy horseshoe floor shifter.
A paint job only a mother could love
Head turner, you say?
Nope. Try stomach turner.
I wouldn’t take this atrocity for free.
🤢🤮
Why not save the $20 grand and hand paint a sign on the doors saying, “Please notice me”.
I’m not a big fan of painting a whole car with Chameleon Paint. I prefer to use it as an accent color. It is expensive $475 a gallon not to mention body work, Clear coat, color sanding and buffing. I can easily see that $20 for the paint job alone on this battleship is not out of line. Seeing the work left to do on this car to bring it up to match the paint job’s standard, I’d say this guy spent all his money on said paint job and is needing to recoup some of that revenue. Still for what you’re getting, the $30K ask is reasonable in my opinion.
My first car was this modal . Candy apple red paint , black interior with a white top. This car needs to loose the chameleion piant & the purple under the hood.
not werth $29000. As is it will cost $20000 to make this nice again. As it sits maybe $10000