In 1961, the Impala's portfolio was expanded with the addition of the Super Sport package, which added attractive badges and SS hubcaps. The Impala's design was cleaned up again for 1962, resulting in what many collectors consider the most refined body shape of the era. It was redesigned for 1963 to 1964 with a squarer, more formal shape.
Styling took a shapelier turn in 1965 with the reintroduction of curvy fenders and a slight kick-up toward the rear. Buyers reached for their wallets: In 1965 alone, more than a million Impalas (including Impala Super Sports) were sold, a sales record then and now for a single model.
The Coke-bottle curves changed only slightly for 1966, but with stiff competition from Ford and a Chevrolet line that had grown to include Corvair, Chevy II and Chevelle, sales of full-size Chevys retreated. In the early 1970s, rising gasoline prices hit cars like the Impala particularly hard.
Still, the Impala line soldiered on until 1985. The name returned in 1994 to 1996 for the high-performance Impala SS, another collector favorite. The name was revived again in 2000; that car, redesigned in 2006, continues as a front-drive mainstay for Chevrolet.
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