The 1965 model year was a banner one for Chevrolet. They would see 1.2 million full-size cars produced for the first time, and the Impala comprised more than 800,000 units. While you saw these cars virtually everywhere back then, you rarely saw one painted in Evening Orchid, a purple-ish color that was unique to 1965. It’s estimated that less than one percent of all Chevies came in that hue. This Impala is a 3-owner car that was purchased for restoration, but the seller realizes this won’t happen anytime soon on his/her watch. Located in Kellyton, Alabama, this Bow-Tie project is available here on eBay where the bidding holds at $2,400.
When the seller found this car, it had been sitting for at least 10 years, having been owned for some time by a military family stationed at Fort Benning in Georgia. The auto doesn’t run, and the body and interior are both in need of an extreme makeover. The seller was hoping to restore the auto and maybe turn it into a restomod with an LS motor, but we hope the buyer will bring it back to its original condition. The 327 cubic inch V8 under the hood is the factory motor, as is the 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, two reasons for sticking with stock.
It’s hard to tell the factory color of Evening Orchid with all the patina the Chevy has accumulated. We’re told the body and frame are mostly solid, but it goes deeper than just surface rust. The floorboards and trunk have holes in them, so new metal will have to be welded in. The windshield is cracked, but the rest of the glass may be okay, and we’re told all the exterior trim is in place. The interior is going to need a complete kit, from upholstery and door panels to carpeting and headliner.
There is no indication as to what’s going on with the drivetrain, so the seller suggests that a rebuild will be a part of the restoration process. This version of the 327 put out 300 horses when new by way of a 4-barrel carburetor. The dashboard is original, and all the gauges are intact and presumably in working order. According to the seller, this Impala was built in Georgia and has stayed in the South since the day it left the factory. For further visual scrutiny of this Chevy, check out the video provided by the seller.
Evening Orchid was available in the Corvair as well and they are very much sought after. I personally like the color and it’s exclusively. Question is how much is the exterior color worth to you? Enough to buy a car that needs everything or a nice 65 Impala that needs paint? If your intentions were to restomod the car and not keep it original then buy the best car within your budget and paint it any color you like.
I love Evening Orchid, it was one of the most interesting colors ever offered. A neighbor had a new Grand Prix in 65, painted the same color, but Pontiac called it Iris Mist. I saw a 65 Nova SS once in Evening Orchid, and it was an amazing looking car. It’s a shame all the colors offered on cars today seem to be the same shade of black, gray, silver or white.
The seller says the car has a “300 plus horse 327 with double hump heads”, but doesn’t include any pictures pictures, or numbers. 65 Impala’s were available with the 327/250 and 327/300, and both used the double hump heads. Without pictures or numbers, it’s impossible to know which version this car has, but I think the 250 as more common.
gb the 300 HP 327 had double hump heads 1.94 1.50 in./ex valves the 250 HP 327 had a single point mark on the heads and 1.72 1.50 in./ex. valves I had a several 63 327’s with 250 327’s pretty sure the 65’s were of the same configuration
evening RUST is the color
I bought my first car when I was a senior in HS. It was a ‘65 Chevy Biscayne 2-door post, 327 4 barrel, factory 4-speed. It was red with the standard red cloth interior. It was a cool car!!
Check the frame good.
Cheers
GPC
Evening Orchid was not THAT unusual, at least in my area. Not as common as white, of course (NOTHING WAS), but in my area they were not ‘rare’, either. Evening Orchid was only available on the top trim levels, and part of that reason was that it had to paired with either a black or a white interior which didn’t exist in Bel-Airs, and the lower trim levels of Chevys, Chevelles, Novas and Corvairs.