Offered for sale here on craigslist in Springfield, Missouri, is this impressive original 1963 Impala SS two door hardtop. This one is just the way many of us would like to find it, in very good original, non-restored condition.

The asking price is $9500, which isn’t exactly cheap, but if everything the seller says about it is true, the shopping list would be fairly short with this one, making it a much better bargain than it might appear at first. He says it’s rust-free, and has recently been pulled out of a shed where it has been stored since the 1970s. He claims there is no rust through on the exterior, only minor dents as shown in the photos. As we all know, patch panels aren’t cheap, and this car looks like it doesn’t need any. And I’ll keep the thousands of dollars and dozens of hours of labor that won’t be spent on poorly fitting reproduction body panels, than you very much.

Additionally, all or most of the Super Sport trim appears to be present. It’s available reproduction, but the quality of most of it is not entirely satisfactory, and it’s expensive.

The seller doesn’t say so, but this car appears to be wearing it’s original factory paint job. The body color is also not specified, but it looks to be one of several shades of silver that were available, possibly either “Sebring Silver Metallic”, or maybe another slightly brownish silver called “Fawn Metallic” that may have faded over the years. The cowl tag will tell.

The VIN does not reveal whether this car was originally fitted with SS trim or not. The cowl tag does contain limited information about that, but the seller doesn’t provide us with any information about that either. He also doesn’t say a whole lot extra about the interesting options this car has that are visible in the photos. It has a 327 engine, which he says is the 250 HP version, presumably with a four barrel carburetor, but this is not specified. A 300 HP rated version was also available this year, it had cylinder heads with larger valves.

Also visible is factory-installed air conditioning, a desirable and not overly common option in 1963. Other photos reveal anodized aluminum trim in good shape, and optional bumper guards both front and rear.

The drive train is said to be “not running”, with no additional information provided, other than the odometer reading of just over 99,000 miles.

The “machine-turned” design in the aluminum trim is present on the interior as well. The console shows this vehicle came with the two-speed automatic Powerglide transmission. The Powerglide of 1963 had an aluminum case, and was much improved over previous years.

The carpet is missing, but this is easy enough to replace, and provides the opportunity for a more thorough inspection of the condition of the floor pans.

The aftermarket support is very good for these cars, and carpet and seat covers are easy to find and replace. Depending on the caliber of restoration being done, the black interior side panels and other interior trim parts could be nice enough to simply clean up and re-use as they are.

The turned aluminum trim is also visible on the rear. The chrome bumpers look bright and relatively straight.

The hubcaps are 1962 Impala, and would have to go there. The proper replacements are easy to find, but many prospective future owners would prefer aftermarket wheels anyway. Possibly the most unusual option here, is the vinyl top. For me, it would be a tough decision whether to replace it or not. While vinyl tops were so common in the 70s, they obviously weren’t the norm in 1963, and to me, this car looks good, but well, a little odd with it. What do you think? This impressive Impala is well nice enough that I would likely fix some things and leave the rest of it in non-restored condition. Drive, use and enjoy. Consider the prices these bring when they’re restored. Do you think the ask is fair for this car with such a short shopping list?