1963 Chevrolet Impala SS

- 409ci V8 (2x4bbl)
- 4 Speed Manual Transmission
- 52k Miles
- Red Over Red Interior

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1963 Chevrolet Impala SS on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of the car due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 165 photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around video, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

“Superlative Super Sport - 1963 Chevrolet Impala SS” – Hemmings Classic Car, November 2015

“Simply saying that business was booming for Chevrolet by the close of 1962 would be an understatement. The automaker was number one in U.S. vehicle sales, and its parent--General Motors--had claimed over 50 percent of the market. The next closest competitor was Ford at approximately 27 percent, and a distant third was Chrysler at about 10 percent. The Beach Boys even released a song about Chevrolet's famed high-performance engine option entitled '409' with the memorable lyric.”

“She's real fine, my 409,

Giddyap,giddyap, giddyap, 409”

The full Hemmings review can be found online at: https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/superlative-super-sport-1963-chevrolet-impala-ss

Offered here is that car: a 1963 Chevrolet Impala SS (option code Z03) hardtop in red over red, with the highly desirable “dual-quad 409” and 4-speed manual. The car has been professionally restored and is an excellent example of largely stock early-Sixties muscle. The odometer shows 52,693 miles.

The Impala's exterior non-metallic red paint has been professionally refreshed to a very high standard. Application is even and the high gloss is consistent across the entire body. There is only minor light patina from use (notably near the door handles), but no dings, dents, or other damage. Chrome bumpers, grille trim, window surrounds, body-side trim, door handles, and taillight trim (surrounding the anodized-aluminum rear panel) all display excellent surface finishes with minimal patina. (To best assess the quality of the paint and trim finishes, please be sure to view the close-up photographs of the car in the accompanying gallery.) Twin, period-correct angled antennas are mounted on the rear deck. Correct, extensive factory badging includes the Chevrolet-crest hood ornament, “Chevrolet” embossing on the grille trim, “409” and crossed-flags front-fender emblems, leaping-impala “SS” rear-fender emblems, “Impala” embossed on the side trim, and another Chevrolet crest emblem on the trunk lid with “Chevrolet” embossed on the trim below. Cabin glass and all lighting lenses (including on the six taillights denoting the top-of-the-line Impala model) are clear and uncracked. “SS”-branded, stock, chrome, full-wheel covers and BFGoodrich® Silvertown thin-whitewall tires are mounted.

The red-themed interior is a visual delight. Horizontal-pattern, chrome-button-trimmed, red vinyl door panels (and rear-cabin side panels) in outstanding condition also include circular “SS” emblems. Seat upholstery on the front buckets and rear bench (with radio speaker indent and “Impala” emblem) is identical, with the pattern switched to vertical. Red looped-pile carpeting, also in excellent condition, covers the cabin floors, with rubber mats for protection. The white headliner is free of imperfections and sagging. A red, 2-spoke steering wheel with “Impala Super Sport” center emblem frames the instrumentation on the red, padded dashboard. Most noteworthy is the factory-installed, optional 5,800-rpm-redline tachometer directly in the driver's line of sight. The dashboard features handsome turned-metal trim, push-lever heat and ventilation controls, pull-lever operating controls, and the car's original AM push-button radio (with an updated Pioneer® audio head unit added below the dash.) Coolant-temperature and oil-pressure gauges are also mounted below the dash as they might well have been back in the day. The chrome-and-turned-metal-trimmed console (with prominent “SS” emblem) hosts the 4-speed manual transmission shifter with the shift pattern embossed on the chrome trim, and on the cue-ball-style shift knob. The car's trunk is clean and free of damage. (Please view the close-up photography in the gallery to assess the Impala's excellent interior condition.)

Under the hood, the legendary 409-cubic-inch V8, wearing correct Chevy-orange engine-block paint, commands a very clean and properly ordered engine bay. An impressive, twin-intake, chrome air-cleaner cover bearing “409” and crossed-flags emblems sits atop the two 4-barrel carburetors, and bowtie-branded, chrome valve covers add even more flair. Of the engine's power, Hemmings noted: “Dual Carter AFBs on an aluminum intake pushed the L80 409 engine's power rating to 425hp at 6,000 RPM.” Even the car's original, glass, windshield-washer-fluid bottle remains mounted. Viewed from below, the chassis is straight, undamaged, very clean, and virtually free of rust. The clean lower side of the 409 and the 4-speed transmission, the properly routed, full-length dual-exhaust system, and the suspension components are all visual focal points.

Factory-mounted identification and information tags remain mounted. The sale includes the car's original 1963 owner's manual.

While the more than 165 high-definition photographs and the short walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors website showcase this '63 Impala SS in detail from every angle, including from below, we expect and encourage in-person inspections at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom. Please call to arrange an appointment in advance as our showroom is not open to the public. And feel free to get in touch anytime by phone or email if you have questions.

The Beach Boys' memorable last stanza was:

“When I take her to the track she really shines

(giddy up, giddy up 409)
She always turns in the fastest times

(giddy up, giddy up 409)
My four speed, dual quad, Posi-Traction 409”

The next owner is sure to be humming that tune every time they get behind the wheel of this beautiful red piece of Chevrolet-performance history.