Matching-Numbers? 1965 Chevrolet Impala 396/4-Speed

This is the car I most wanted when I was 13, a 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS 396 with a four-speed. It’s on eBay in Elk Mound, Wisconsin, with bids currently just over $23,000, with the reserve not met and only a couple of days left. There are 100,000 miles on the clock.

A quick aside. I lived in India when I was 13, and in Bombay (now Mumbai) I saw a ’63 Impala SS on the docks. What a rush! Contemporary American cars in India were very rare then because of high import duties. Only a movie star or a crooked politician could possibly have afforded to bring one in.

This ’65 is in solid running condition, with strong doors, fenders and quarter panels. The trunk pan was replaced at some point. We are also told, “The engine was freshened recently and a new clutch installed at that time. The exhaust is great, and the non-power drum brakes work but [are] a little hard to press.”

The Mist blue paint is the original color, but that’s a repaint you’re looking at. A few areas on the hood and driver’s side pillar need attention. The new tires have less than 200 miles on them. “Everything works, including the factory radio. But the tach functions sporadically and the console clock doesn’t [work at all].” Also in the demerit column is a four-inch hole in the headliner. The ‘65 Impala has a 12-bolt rear end and comes with a new carpet set for the floors, console, and doors/kick panels.

Maybe this is a real SS, not a badge-engineered special, but maybe it isn’t. The Super Sport package was just an appearance thing (available with six-cylinder engines), though it has real legs for collectors. A true SS has an average increase of 20 to 35 percent. But, a big but, when the car is a matching-numbers big-block 396 or 409 Impala SS, there’s a 35 to 50 percent value-add, leading to cars going for $60,000 to $75,000. What’s interesting here is that the owner doesn’t even mention whether the car’s numbers match. Should we assume they do—or don’t?

Convertibles are worth more, of course, but Hagerty says a correct 325-horsepower L35 396 in good condition is worth $30,200, but you have to add 10 percent for a factory four-speed transmission (getting it to $33,220). Of course, restoration projects are worth a lot less.

If we can forget about decoding the VIN number for a bit, and the bids don’t go too high, this could turn out to be a lot of car for the money. From the photos, it’s a very tidy 1965 Impala. The chrome sparkles, the trim is all in place, the interior looks correct, and the engine is detailed. Impala experts may differ about the level of correctness. It would certainly be fun to own and drive, polishing it in the driveway on Sunday afternoons.