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The Chevrolet Impala is an Automobile developed and built by the Chevrolet car division of General Motors . Ed Cole , Chevrolet's chief engineer in the late 1950s, defined the Impala as a "prestige car within the reach of the average American citizen." At its peak sales volume in 1965, the Impala was the best selling full-size car in the United States. IMPALA SHOWCAR The Impala name was first used for the Corvette -based dreamcar for the 1956 General Motors Motorama. Many Chevrolet models originated as Corvette-based experiments; examples include the Corvair and Nomad. The Impala originated as a sports coupe, and was the least Corvette-like of the few because of its purported role. Painted emerald green metalic, with a white interior, the Impala featured hardtop styling. 1958–1972 The Impala was introduced in 1958 as a new up-level, sporty trim package created for Bel Air coupes and convertibles. Unique to the model were its six taillights, a classic styling cue that became its trademark. It was named for A Southern African Antelope . The Impala became a separate model in 1959 in both two and four-door versions and became the best selling car in the Chevrolet product line. For 1960, it became the best-selling automobile in the United States and held that position for the next decade. From 1958 until 1996, Impala sales were in excess of 13 million units, more than any other full-size car in the history of the automobile. In 1965, the Impala set an all-time industry annual sales record of more than 1 million units, which has never been bettered. In 1965, Chevrolet introduced the Impala Caprice . Beginning with the four-door hardtop sedan body, Impala Caprice's received unique upholstery, wood grained accents on the dash board and specialty pulls on the insides of the doors. A one year model, the Impala Caprice was reintroduced as the Chevrolet Caprice in 1966, taking the top position in the Chevrolet lineup. The Impala however, remained Chevrolet's top-selling model until late 1970s. During the 1969 model year, for example, Impala production topped Caprice production by 611,000 units. The 1971 redesign introduced the largest Impala. The Impala's Chassis would not be this extensively changed again until the introduction of the 2000 Impala. The Impala would remain Chevrolet's best-selling model until 1977. Impala SS , 2004 .]] The Impala is often credited with starting the Muscle Car era. In the 1960s, Gasoline was cheap and consumer demand for power exceeded the need for efficiency. Buyers were clamoring for as much room, performance, amenities and quality as they could get for their dollars. In 1961, the first true muscle car was introduced with the Impala SS (Super Sport). The SS badge was to become Chevrolet's signature of performance on many models, though it has often been an appearance package only. The Impala's SS package in 1961 was truly a performance package, beginning with the high-performance 348 in³ (5.7 L) engines (available with 305, 340, and 350 hp (230, 255 and 260 kW)) or the new 409 in³ (6.7 L), which was available with up to 425 hp. The package also inclued upgraded tires on Station Wagon wheels, springs, shocks and special sintered metallic brake linings. Starting in 1962, the Impala SS could be had with any engine available in the Impala, right down to the 235 in³ 135 hp inline-6. From this point until 1969, the SS was an appearance package only, though the heavy-duty parts and big engines could still be ordered. The Impala SS could be identified by SS emblems on the rear fenders and trunk lid. The Impala SS became its own series (separate model rather than an option package) for 1964. In 1968, the Impala SS once more became an option package rather than having its own model. In 1969, the Impala SS again became a performance option, coming only with a 427 in³V8 of 390 or 425 hp. This was the final year for the Impala SS until 1994. 1973–1985 The 1970s showed a change in the American view of the automobile. The impact of the 1973 Energy Crisis on the industry was dramatic. Gasoline prices doubled between 1973 and 1979. Industry car sales plummeted 20 percent between 1973 and 1974, and for the first time in recent history, annual passenger car travel in the U.S. actually went down. The Impala's sales dropped to 176,376 units in 1975, the weakest sales year since its introduction in 1959. This change in the automobile market resulted in Chevrolet redesigning the Impala once again in 1977 to meet changing demands. The new Impalas were shorter in length, taller in stature and narrower. The Impala embodied the new image of the full-size American car — smaller, lighter, more efficient. Even with its trimmer dimensions, the new Impala featured increased headroom, legroom and trunk space. Production of the downsized model increased substantially versus 1976, and the full-size Chevrolet regained the number one US sales position. Engines: 1994–1996 In 1991, the GM B platform was extensively redesigned, though it retained the same shortened Frame design of the 1977 Impala . The 1994 Impala SS was put into production after a nearly identical concept car of the same name received lavish praise of media and auto enthusiasts alike in 1992. In fact, the show car had been so well received that it was put into production almost exactly as the designer of the car had intended, the only noticeable change being the "bowtie" logo on the grille was chrome in the production cars vs. red in the concept. The car was a high-performance version of the Caprice, and is often regarded as one of the best all-around cars that General Motors ever produced. From a mechanical standpoint, it used the Caprice 9C1 police package as its base and as such got most of the equipment formerly available only to law enforcement and government agencies. This included a sport-tuned suspension with reinforced shocks and struts, a high-capacity upgraded cooling system, larger and more powerful four wheel disc brakes, transmission cooler, dual exhaust, a higher-output electrical system, and other minor mechanical alterations. Not all of the police equipment was carried over however, and the Impala SS did not get the external oil-to-air engine oil cooler, nor were all the body mounts secured (the standard Caprice and Impala SS were assembled at the factory with the front 3 body mounts missing one of the rubber cushions, while the 9C1 was assembled with all rubber cushions in place), although both are popular aftermarket additions to the Impala SS by their owners. The Impala SS was uniquely fitted with a 3.08 limited-slip rear differential and suspension that was an inch lower. A retuned LT1 5.7 L Small-block V8 engine was standard on the Impala SS, making 260 hp and 330 ft·lbf (447 N·m) of torque. The main difference between the LT1 in the Impala and the LT1 that was in the Corvette and Camaro was that the Impala engine was fitted with cast- Iron cylinder heads instead of Aluminum ones, and a camshaft that was designed more for low-end torque than high-end horsepower. Cosmetically, the Impala SS received body-colored trim, which helped reduce the sometimes "bloated" look of the standard Caprice, a unique single-bar grill with no hood ornament, a rear deck spoiler, and for 1994, a rear quarter panel window insert that bore the Impala logo. It was fitted with 17" brushed aluminum rims which wore some surprisingly wide 255 mm Z-rated Tires . Inside, the car came with a central console with cup holders (1994 and 1995 models) and a storage compartment, leather seats embroidered with the Impala SS logo, and a standard leather-wrapped steering wheel. For the 1994 year, it was available only in black with a grey interior and sold a total of 6,303 units. In 1995, Dark Cherry Metallic and Dark Grey Green were added as exterior color options, and the body paneling on the rear Quarter Panel was altered to reflect the cosmetic effect formally achieved by a window insert. A total of 21,434 cars were sold for the 1995 year. 1996 was the last year of production, and sold 41,941 units. It saw some minor interior alterations, with the digital speedometer being replaced by an analog one, along with a tachometer. The shifter was moved from the column to the center console, and mechanically, the car now used the OBD-II computer system. The entire B/D-Body line, consisting of not only the Caprice and Impala, but the Caprice wagon, Buick Roadmaster and Cadillac Fleetwood , was cancelled by General Motors, as they wanted more of their assembly lines to be able to produce SUVs, which were more profitable for GM. Another fact was that the Caprice was the only B-body with a market share since fleet sales to law enforcement outnumbered sales of other B-bodies. A majority of law enforcement agencies preferred the Caprice over the Ford Crown Victoria . Engines:
2000-2005 The Impala name was resurrected for the 2000 model year as a mid-size 4-door sedan to replace the Lumina . It was built in Oshawa, Ontario , Canada . Unlike the earlier Impalas, this one was Front-wheel Drive and was only available with a V6. This car was based on the GM W Platform . A new Impala SS with a Supercharged V6 was brought out for the 2004 model year. Despite a lower price, the Impala competes with the Honda Accord , Toyota Camry and other mid-size sedans. This generation of the Impala (as well as the Next Generation ) became a huge sales success, outselling its competitor, the Ford Taurus . 290,259 were sold in 2004, making the Impala the third best-selling car in the United States that year. Police Package Also released with this version was the Police Package and Undercover Police Package, named ''9C1'' and ''9C3'', respectively. Available only to law enforcement, it has had more success then its predecessor, the Lumina 9C1. Engines:
2006 The ) will produce 303 hp. The car is 200.4 in (509 cm) long, 58.7 in (149.1 cm) high, and 72.9 in (185.2 cm) wide. Like the Buick LaCrosse , this model uses the updated GM W platform. The 2006 Impala is more reminescent of the Honda Accord 's design. Engines:
2009 Despite the closing of GM's Oshawa plant in 2008, Chevrolet will reportedly cease production of this W platform-based Impala, and switch to the new GM Zeta Platform . SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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