A few nameplates in automotive history are so long-running that you could be a kid when the first example arrives, and ready to retire when the last one rides into the sunset. So it is with the Impala. Introduced for model year 1957, the Impala charmed its way into garages through 1985, was resurrected in 1994 for a couple of years, and then again in 1999. In 2020, American car makers ceded the sedan market to foreign makers, and the nameplate was finally axed. But here on craigslist is a 1968 Chevrolet Impala Custom Coupe whose family was more loyal to this car than Chevrolet was to the Impala brand. Listed for sale at $28,500, the car can be driven home from Youngstown, Ohio – only twenty minutes from its birthplace in the Lordstown factory. Thanks go to Rocco B for this excellent tip.

This Impala was always in a climate-controlled garage but as if that wasn’t enough pampering, it underwent a frame-on restoration in 2008. The Grotto Blue paint shines with a deep luster and our seller assures us no rain has touched its flanks since the restoration. In the parts department, only the wheels and the dual exhaust are not original. The numbers-matching 327 cu. in. V8 has covered 92,000 miles, with a column-shift three-speed automatic helping to usher it down the road. Buyers could order larger V8s, but the 327 was a very useful engine with 250 hp.

As we would expect from a restored car experiencing careful use, the interior is excellent. I forgot how much I appreciate the brocade-look material, particularly resplendent on these rear seats. The only opportunity for improvement is in the trunk, which could benefit from about an hour’s worth of elbow grease. Then, I dunno, go for a drive?

Here she is on a moody day, showing off that dual exhaust. This view emphasizes the “Coke bottle” styling that pervaded the industry after Raymond Loewy’s 1962 Studebaker Avanti arrived, with its narrow waist and bulging fenders. New for 1968 were those six horseshoe-shaped tail lights, and up front, sleeker sheet metal. The Custom Coupe was launched in 1968, offering a more sedate roofline in a two-door versus the Sport Coupe fast-back style. Chevrolet struck a chord with its Impala, selling over 700,000 copies of all body styles in ’68. We can complain about this one’s automatic, and we can complain that it’s not an SS or it doesn’t have a 427, but any way you slice it, this is a nice car. I hope it finds a worthwhile home.