Popular with collectors is the Chevy “Bubble Tops” from 1959 to 1962, the 2-door hardtops with more glass than roof (loads of visibility!). Also cool are the “Flat Tops” which are the 4-door hardtops from 1959-60, but they may have too many doors for some tastes. The seller’s 1959 Impala is the latter, and it looks like an original, running car that’s ready to be restored or customized if you choose not to remain as stock. The seller is thinning the herd, and this is one of many vehicles that may be sold off this year.
Chevrolet used three designs for its full-size cars in 1957, 1958, and 1959. The success of the dynamic styling of the 1957 “Forward Look” Chrysler products led to a redesign for 1959, leaving the 1958 to be a one-year-only design. These cars are noteworthy for their “batwing” tailfins and “cat’s eye” taillights, with the latter changing again in 1960. The Impala debuted in 1958 as a dressed-up Bel Air but became a series of its own in 1959 and carried the Chevy sales touch for many years to come.
We’re told this Impala originated in California and is rust-free (if you don’t count some of the surface variety). The seller believes most of the white paint is original and reasonably presentable, but far from perfect. The chrome bits and pieces have held up nicely over the past 65 years. The right front fender is not original, suggesting its predecessor may have been involved in a minor skirmish. The weatherstripping has mostly given up the ghost.
While the headliner and dash are good; the front bench seat will need recovering over new padding. The back seat looks okay, but the door panels will need to be renewed, as well. The car has what we’re told is a very rare option, the Speedminder, which comes with a knob on the dash. We’re told this feature can add a lot of value to a restorable automobile like this.
The numbers-matching 283 cubic inch V8 and 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission are said to be up to snuff at 74,000 miles. The car has been tuned up and received several new parts, including the fuel tank, brakes, tires, and so forth. Two of the things that I would jettison are the chrome rear fender skirts which detract from the car’s appearance (IMO). You’ll find this Impala in Fenton, Missouri, and it’s available here on eBay where $12,100 has yet to crack the seller’s reserve. A video of the car is also offered. If you can’t have a Bubble Top, would you settle for a Flat Top?
GM flat tops are certainly more rare today. It’s amazing how long and low they look in person.
Given today’s prices for 2dr. hardtops & cvts., I’d settle for a nice 4dr. flat-top any day! These are the cars of my youth. Two owners on my block owned `59s well into the 1960s. I always loved the lack of blind spots on this design!
Ditto on the skirts. The flat top makes the 4 door look good especially with all four windows down in “Friday night cruise mode”.
What does the Speedminder do?
It alerts the Driver that he has reached a certain speed, set with the dial
Helped keep you from speeding. Buick built there’s into the speedometer.
As previously stated in other posts, IMO the 58 Chevys were the best. 59 bat wings were a step in the wrong direction. The flat top for me was a flat top flop.
I had a professor that had a white 4 door flat top with a 6 cylinder engine. When we would go drinking I would always call out a salute to Benko’s 6 cyl Impala. He was a member of the Michigan house and a practicing attorney and a professor and his Impala would be in front of a downtown bar often. He was a spectacular professor and I bet a good drinker also.
Bought my ’59 in 1970 for $75 … it was the pharmacist’s wife’s car and she rode the clutch so bad it wouldn’t move until you got the revs up… 283, 2bbl, three-on-the tree … $20 got me a new clutch, plate, and bearing … had “legs,” would do 85 in second … drove it from New Orleans to Chicago, where it was stolen … had a lot of memories with that car …
Toss the “skirts.
Keep the skirts! Just paint ’em.
😉 And DON’T WRECK em!
You’re quite the comedian Rick. NOT!
On a funny note my older brother had one with the 283 and powerglide 2 speed. A lot of walked home from school along the same road. What my brother did for kicks was turn off the key, floor it so it filled up the exhaust with fumes, and then when he got next to us walkers he turned the key back on and healthy boom took place, scared everyone around. Oh the fun times.
did that a few times on I-10 … working in Louisiana oil fields in the 80s we’d often take a truck and wagon to Houston for tools of the trade … when I’d pass a car I’d turn the truck off, give the gas pedal a couple pumps, then turn it back on … the loud bang and the flame out the exhaust surprised many people … was it bad ? – yes … but it helped in the boring drive back …
Is this white or a very pale green? There’s definitely white paint between the moldings that’s different than the paint on the car.
The lightest color close to a greenish hue they offered was Code 925 “Classic Cream”. The next lightest was Code 938 “Satin Beige”.
The lightest true Green Was Code 903 “Aspen Green.
This is per page 92 of the Dealers Shoroom Book with paint and fabric samples.
I leave it to you Sir what you conclude.
parent’s bought a new 1960 Impala 4 door ht white blue interior 283 powergilde it’s the car they had when I first got my license great memories looked great with all windows cranked down yes cranked down went around to each door and hand cranked then down lol great times
The first car or maybe the second car that I ever owned was a 60 impala 4 door hardtop. Black with a white side stripe from the rear door towards the back bumper, the spear chrome. I thought it was a sharp looking car. My brother that was 5 years older than me bought it when I was around 11 maybe 12. It had a 348 and a turboglide in it. The tranny was junk so he put a 3 speed in it. He eventually sold the the motor out of it sometime around 1976. The guy wanted the motor put into a 65 or 66 chevy 1/2 ton. Dave sold him the motor and was paid to do the swap. I ended up doing the work and was given the 60 and the 283 that came out of the pickup. I put the motor in the car and never got it completely hooked up. Somebody came by and saw the car and had to have it and my two older brothers gave them a price and the dude bought it. 175 bucks was the price, my brothers kept the money and said I could have the 62 SS convertible that I had been lusting after. Thats another story where I got screwed.
Well that sucks. I hope you eventually got a car that made your brother envious
The Chevrolet dealer in Mt. Clemens had three 1959 Chev converts in stock. All three were 6 cylinder and manual transmissions. They did have very low window stickers. I was only 18 this year so not ready to buy a car just yet. Three years later I bought my first new car, 1962 Chev. II conv. with automatic. Got it for $400.00 under window sticker, $2,500.00.
Quess I’ll pass….looked at the feedback and the ad for the 1960….oh well.
Flat tops rule! If you are ever involved in an offset front end collision with a 2008 Chevy Malibu in a 1959 six window Chevy Impala sedan, you WILL die. Surely having the flat top would have saved your life