I look at beautiful classic cars like this 1966 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe and find it easy to understand why one person would choose to own it for half a century. This is a strikingly beautiful car that is a well-preserved survivor. Barn Finder local_sheriff spotted this amazing Impala for us, so thank you so much for that. After 50-years, the time has come for this pampered classic to find a new home, so it has listed for sale here on eBay. It is located in Laconia, New Hampshire, and while bidding has reached $15,600, it is no surprise to learn that the reserve hasn’t been met.

Every now and then a car will appear on the desks here at Barn Finds that is just dripping with the “wow” factor. This Madeira Maroon Impala would easily fall into that category because everywhere that you look you see a car that is amazingly well preserved. The 4th Generation Impala was introduced in 1965, and it came with cleaner, crisper styling than its predecessor. It was still a car with a huge amount of presence, and its styling has held up exceptionally well into the 21st century. It still looks tough and aggressive today, but its sweeping lines have helped it to remain a firm favorite amongst enthusiasts. This Chevy has been garage-kept for the past half-a-century, and this helps to account for its lack of rust problems and the beautiful shine to its paint. The panels appear to be arrow-straight, with no signs of any appreciable dings, marks, or rust. The chrome and trim present flawlessly, while the same would appear to be true of the glass. The Rally wheels aren’t original to this car, but they do impart a pretty tough stance to the Impala. The presentation of the car is so impressive that you have to assume that this is a vehicle that has been pampered for its entire life. As you will see, the beauty with this car isn’t just skin-deep but is present right through to the core.

Lifting the hood of the Impala reveals a very nicely presented engine bay that houses the venerable 327ci V8. The 275hp that this engine produces is sent to the rear wheels via the optional 4-speed manual transmission, and that combination helps to make this big car a very healthy performer. It should be easily capable of covering the ¼ mile in 16 seconds before winding out to 119mph. For a car that tips the scales at 3,803lbs, that’s not bad going. This is a numbers-matching car, but quite surprisingly, the owner provides no insight into how well this classic runs or drives. If we rely purely on the appearance and condition of the whole engine bay, then we would have to assume that the news is positive in this regard. The owner does state that the Impala has covered a genuine 37,300 miles, and that included in the sale is the Impala’s original Build Sheet.

The positive news continues when we open the doors and take a look inside the Impala because the interior presents just as well as every other aspect of the vehicle. The seats are upholstered in black leather, and this appears to be so close to perfect that it really doesn’t matter. The owner is a non-smoker, so that means that there are no signs of any of the stains or minor burns that can be a by-product of that activity when on the road. The dash is original and in perfect condition, while the rear seat, the carpet, and the headliner certainly don’t let the side down. There is a brace of aftermarket gauges mounted below the dash, and I have to say that I don’t mind them being there. I have no doubt that some people would remove them to preserve originality, but if these are the price that you need to pay to monitor the health and wellbeing of that original 327, well I believe that it is well worth retaining them. Otherwise, there is nothing for the next owner to do but to hit the road and enjoy this car to the maximum.

Choosing to part with a classic car after half-a-century of ownership must be an extraordinarily difficult decision to make, but there are times when the owners of these vehicles are left with little choice. Perhaps the car represents something of a long-term investment, and the sale now will help to fund a life in retirement. Perhaps the owner simply doesn’t have a family member who wishes to become the Impala’s next owner, or perhaps he has no family at all. We don’t know the circumstances, but what we do know is that long-term ownership is a reassuring sign for any prospective buyers. A person does not manage to retain a car for that period of time by thrashing it mercilessly. Treating a car in that way will almost certainly result in that classic becoming old well before its time. When I look at this Impala, what I see is a car that looks significantly younger than its 54-years, and that would tend to indicate that this has been a very pampered and prized possession. I suspect that the bidding may have some way to go before the reserve is met, but I also can’t help but think that the next owner is going to find themselves driving something pretty special. It does make me wonder whether they will have the same dedication and devotion and whether it will be another 50-years before the Impala finds itself on the market once again.