1955 was a watershed year for styling and sales for American automakers, and it happened again ten years later. 1965 was a great year for Detroit styling, especially across the GM line, and sales were strong as well. At the Bow Tie, Impala sales would reach another sales peak, thanks to the restyled full-size Chevy with its long, flowing, beautifully proportioned lines. The ’65 has always been one of my favorites, especially the two-door hardtop Sport Coupe. Here’s a nice-looking restored example that is located in of all places, Plymouth, Massachusetts. It’s for sale here on eBay and as of this writing, 16 bids had pushed the price up to $22,700, but not enough to meet the seller’s reserve.
On the plus side, there are over 90 photos posted of this Impala, but the words describing the car’s history and other details are sparse. It looks like a nice restoration and is said to come with a 3-ring binder full of receipts. I hovered over a few of the photos and the receipts date back to 2015 and 2017. The listed color (gray) is a head scratcher because it’s definitely not gray, it looks more like Artesian Turquoise. That was a great color for a ’65 Chevy and the paint looks terrific with a deep shine. The chrome, trim, badging, glass, and lenses all look to be in tip top shape (and you gotta love that cool 396 Turbo Jet crossed flags emblem on the front fenders). It has four new whitewall tires (but the whitewall width seems wider than those shown in Chevy’s sales literature) and the optional wire wheel covers (which I would personally replace).
Chevy advertised their Impala as “the new standard of low-cost luxury” and it shows in this handsome interior. The restyled two-tone instrument panel is smart looking with a nice balance of color, bright works, and simulated wood. Impala interiors were available in seven colors and the fawn color selected for this Sport Coupe compliments the turquoise exterior perfectly. The seats and their tasteful fabric inserts, door panels, carpeting, and everything about this Chevy’s cabin looks well done and showroom new. It also has factory A/C (which was found in only about 20 per cent of ’65 Chevys) that blows “ice cold,’ along with a power front seat, power steering, and power brakes.
Full-size Chevys in ’65 came standard with a Turbo-Thrift 230-cubic inch 6-cylinder or a Turbo-Fire 283-cubic inch V8. This particular Sport Coupe was ordered with the optional Turbo-Jet 396-cubic inch V8 that generated 325 horsepower when new. The engine bay is clean and tidy and it’s paired with an automatic transmission. 44,289 miles are listed on the odometer and the seller talks about it being a “low mile” car, but doesn’t mention documentation to substantiate that it’s the original mileage. This is one clean, nicely-restored Impala Sport Coupe. It’s a fine example and one that lives up to Chevy’s advertising promise of “customers looking for luxury or performance – or both – can find it in the ’65 Chevrolet!”
Someone really loved this car..understandably.
Wonder if the pressure of owning a classy Chevy in a Plymouth town weighed in on this sale? Lol.
as a 65/66 Impala fan, this has got to be the one of the best ive ever seen.. 396 with AC too !
Its stunning, deserves to be a museum piece or something.
Is anyone from GM corperate seeing this ?,
i hope this goes to the right person, its out of my league.
Id lower it a wee bit and put rallies on it; and even that might be too much.
Another amazing barn find Barn Finds !
The cars yall have been posting lately are awesome, eye candy, hostory making, rare..
THANK YOU
1965 was the absolute best design and underneath built car of the 60s Chevrolets. The moving away from the collision bending prone X frame started in 1958 was a good move. It appears to be an outstanding, beautiful example of Chevrolet’s best 60s offering.
Compliments to the restoration
I had a 1965 Impala SS with a 283. I loved that car.
I had a 1965 Impala with a 250/6, 3 on the tree and I loved THAT car. Can you imagine how much more I would love THIS car?
Sadly, and with no disrespect to my old ’65, a whole lot!
Agree with Terry. The restoration is spot on. Showroom condition for a car almost 60 yrs. old. Well done.
Fully agree … I LOVE the tail lights on the 65.
I believe this was the biggest selling model in history for a single model year, beating even the ’65 mustang! But the frames on these up to 197? were prone to rusting & worse, cracking, i believe especially towards the rear(steel too thin?/not fully boxed?/water collected in the wheel arches & did not drain?) – could be why so few are left.
Disregarding collisions, not sure if the earlier x-frame was less prone to rusting.
I think it was the 64 Impala that was the biggest selling model in history.
Lupe, i quote
“In 1965 the Impala sold 1,074,925 units, still to this date the highest annual sales volume ever achieved by a single model in the US (Ford Model T figures were production not sales). In fact no other model has managed to sell over 1 million units in a year, and the Impala did it twice, passing the million benchmark again in 1966.”
Folks bought a new 65 Impala..white with black interior ..no a/c
.396 auto trans
Dad traded it for a 64 Plymouth Fury..383 push button w a/c.
The Impala was quick, but the Fury was a far better car IMHO. Handled and drove much better, and would go well when asked….this Impala here is super nice. BTW, there WAS a 65 409 Impala in our town also…was kind of a lavender or light purple color.
68 Custom is nicer!!!
My parents bought one of these in ’65, a light blue 4 door HT with a 283, PG and factory AC. The AC was a luxury at the time.
It was traded in ’68 for an Olds Delmont 88.
Gotta love that ’68 Delmont, too!
Is it a 2 or 3 spd autoloader?
Powrglide or Turbo400
Hopefully the latter, what a lovely machine. Cruise all day w the big block torque and 2.73 hwy gear ⚙️
Appears to be a 3 speed based on the shifter pic. The L1 is hidden behind the grommet.
Nice car but what’s going on with the top of the gas tank?
Gorgeous, I love it. I wouldn’t change a thing, just preserve and enjoy it. My first car was a 66 Impala, 283 2bbl w/ powerglide, AM radio and power steering, 4 wheel drum non-power brakes, so simple to work on. It was gold with a black brocade interior.
Low Rider
Ya, ruin another Impala ,,
this one deserves better.
Never! Why would anyone want to ruin a thing of beauty like this car?
Mine was a ’66 Bel-Air 4dr with the same options but did have A/C. Turquoise, like this one, with matching interior. I agree with your sentiments about maintaining originality, but those drum brakes I had….uggggh.
My mom & dad had a 4 door hardtop with same drive train. It was a great car when doing rolling starts. The power glide 2 speed sucked really bad when it came to putting the 396 to the rear tires.
Anyone else notice the coil-overs out back? This would be a fantastic cruiser!
The interest in these cars has sky rocketed, I am sure someone will step up to the pump for this car.
Fantastic car converted to power front disk brakes. Too bad a dealer has it. He’ll be wanting top dollar for this bad boy!
I don’t think this is a dealer. The seller has only sold 8 items on EBay and by the name and all the spray bottles and carts in the garage, my guess is that he owns an auto detailing business.
Beautiful impala, except the wheels and tires, Labamba look gotta go. That car wood look killer with the proper wheel and tire set up.
Really a beautiful car with element styling.
Has a split braking system. Wonder if it’s been converted to front discs too?
If it had disc brakes, you would see the non-matched reservoir for the brake fluid on master cylinder, this one at least has power assistance for the drums.
It has front discs. Check the pics.
My first car was a 1965 Impala Super Sport. Black on black, bucket seats, Muncie 4 speed stick, 327 with a Quadrujet 4 barrel carb, and NO AC. It was one hot car to drive in the Texas summers. Bought the car in 1977 in Brock, Texas as it had been parked behind a local family’s convenience store after their son died due to an accident a couple of years earlier. I put a battery in it, started it up, and drove it from its resting place. Paid $300 and thought I had the best car in my hometown.
I had a 66 Impala HT in black with
Factory AC a a two speed Powerglide with a 283 195 HP. Great cruiser dad handed down to me when he gor a 76 Cutlass Supreme with a 359 4bbl
If it had disc brakes, you would see the non-matched reservoir for the brake fluid on master cylinder, this one at least has power assistance for the drums.
My Dad had a 65 Impala SS 396. I had just got my permit to drive shortly after and fell in love with Chevys because if that car. I snuck It out one Wednesday and ran it at Irwindale Raceway. It ran in the 15’s at 91mph. What a thrill. Oh by the way I also installed cut outs on the exhaust. Never told dad until I returned from from Vietnam war. Dad just laughed.
The 1965 restyle really outdid the previous four models, racy and elegant. I’d leave this alone, the tires and optional wire wheel covers make it. An elderly couple around here had a white ’65 Sport Sedan with those wheel covers, it was stunning. I’d cover those blinding white seats with clear plastic, they’re too easy to ruin. Enjoy this for the luxury cruiser it’s supposed to be, leave the modern “improvements” for less spectacular cars.
Got to lose those wheels and put disc brakes on the front. Other than that nice
It has front discs. See the pics on eBay.
You mean lose the wheel COVERS. Most cars back then, including 1st gen camaros ran regular steel wheels covered by wheel covers & usually thin whitewalls!
The whitewalls on this Impala are TOO WIDE. I would swap them onto an older car – with thinner whitewalls, or turn them around to show blackwalls & get a set of factory hubcaps which look better with blackwalls than do wheel covers.
I bought my Brand New 65 SS with 409, 4speed, Positraction in Reno Nevada. My wife totaled it while I was in Vietnam. I would like to get it back. I Loved That Car. It was Artensian Green or Teal.-Dan
A 409? That would have to be one of the rarest! Only a few went out the door with that engine.
Yes, I had it on order. Chev called me and asked me to change to the 396. They told me it would be the last 65 ever sold with the 409. I also ordered it without air conditioning because I was drag racing it. If it really was the last 65 SS with the 409, it would be worth something today.
65 Impala is imo the prettiest year of all Chevys. My cousin’s husband had a beige 65 Impala SS with 283 and three on the tree in high school back in the 70s. Only one I’ve ever seen in that iteration. SS spinner hub caps. Kool car.
In 1985 I bought a ’65 Impala coupe for $500 bucks from an old coot who lived in a cabin on the shore of Lake Topaz, California. Although the paint was faded, the car was 100% factory stock with zero rust or dents. And here’s the clincher: it came with the 396 big block AND cold A/C! When you stomped on the gas, oh the sucking sound from under the hood! So, I enjoyed it for awhile, then found a guy in the desert near Carson City who painted it shiny white for a hundred bucks. I then sold it to a Mexican fellow for $800. I thought I was a pretty slick operator. Today it would be worth…oh, never mind.
When this story started, I was picturing another Christine experience.
It’s good that it worked out a bit better for you.
Oh, man! I definitely would have paid . . . for it! (LOL)