It’s no good just hanging around the same gingko-tree-lined avenue on Sundays to find CC fodder in Tokyo. There are classics hiding everywhere, if you look hard enough. This unregistered Impala ragtop thought it could escape my notice by laying dormant in a secluded garage, but its gleaming grille and red paintwork did not make for very good camouflage.
It almost managed to stay hidden, though. Said garage was not in a part of town that usually garners many finds, nor was I out looking for anything that day. Luckily I happened to catch a fleeting glimpse of it, lurking within an open apartment block driveway.
I don’t think it’s worth anyone’s while to go into the 1960 Chevrolet Impala’s history or technical details here – CC has had plenty of occasions to remind us about that in previous posts on the matter. However, though we’ve had a variety of Chevies from this particular model year, it seems the convertible had not yet graced these pages. So there, we now have a more complete set. Just need an El Camino and a Sedan Delivery to have a full house.
Our ’60 Impala is, as one might expect for the convertible, was equipped with the top-of-the-line 348ci (5.7 litre) big block V8, which was available in no less than five horsepower versions, from 250 to 355hp (gross, of course). That’s all one can gather from the exterior – the lighting was such that there was absolutely no way to photograph anything inside.
Bit of an odd stance. Might this mean that this Impala has had a few discreet mods to its suspension? If so, was the 348 swapped for something more modern and SBC-shaped?
The 1960 model year has to be one of the more fascinating in the history of Detroit, styling-wise. It’s a perfect inflection point between the remaining excesses of the 1958-59s and the gradual toning down that characterized the 1961-63s. And not just for Chevrolet in particular, but for GM in general, as well as Ford (and AMC, to an extent; Studebaker had done their toning down effort in 1959, while Chrysler delayed theirs till 1962). You had batwing-crazy this and Quicksilver that on the one hand, and the sensible Falcon and Corvair on the other. Kind of bipolar.
Actually, the ‘60s Chevy itself is a bit bipolar as well. The simplified front end looks towards the ‘60s, whereas the ornate horizontal fins at the back seem to wave goodbye to the ‘50s.
Here’s hoping this rolling metaphor gets back on the road sometime soon. Impalas are meant to roam free, after all. I’m sure we’d all love to be able to see it in more detail, and with a little less dust.
Related posts:
CC For Sale: 1960 Chevrolet Bel Air – Truly “Like New” With Only 12,400 Miles, by Stephen Pellegrino
Curbside Classic: 1960 Chevrolet Nomad – Out on Parole, by Jason Shafer
Curbside Classic: 1960 Chevrolet Impala – Gullwing, Take Two, by Tom Klockau
Car Show Classic: 1960 Chevrolet Bel Air – There’s a Drive-In Movie Theater In Its Trunk!, by Don West
Cohort Pic(k) of the Day: 1960 Chevrolet Bel Air Sports Coupe – Still Sporting Its Original Six, by PN
Vintage Snapshots: 1960 Chevrolet Parkwood Wagon, Traveling Across The US, by Rich Baron
Vintage Snapshot: 1960 Chevrolet Wagon; Riding On Rails, by Rich Baron
COAL: 1960 Chevrolet Bel Air – A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, by Heath
I think that the Chev isn’t going to be found Underneath The Gingkos anytime soon, as I suspect it’s the very least powerful model – the rarely-seen option RPO 103, No Engine At All.
Someone who frequented the swimming pool I used to go to had a ’60 El Camino, same colors as this one. Wood stakes in the bed but otherwise stock (or were the wood stakes a factory option or accessory? I see them in lots of photos of old El Caminos). I never figured out who drove it, although I knew about half of the regulars there.
I’ve long thought the ’60s-look grille and taillights clashed a bit with the leftover ’50s-isms like the fishbowl windshield and huge sideways tail fins, and also that chrome jet plane on the flanks that was actually added for 1960.
It remind me of the one featured in the Canadian movie “Goin’ Down the Road” about 2 guys from the Maritime provinces moving to Toronto in the hope of finding better opportunities.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goin%27_Down_the_Road
https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_524715-Chevrolet-Impala-Convertible-1960.html
I like your comment about the bipolar styling of cars back then. It was a natural outgrowth from the frenetic pace of styling change in the new US models in the late fifties. It had to look new every twelve months, but where was the next look? Where do we go from here? Which was the way forward?
I think the simplified front clashing with the still-fancy rear is why I prefer the ’59. Strange (for Tokyo) to see such an outwardly beautiful car all covered in dust.
Absolutely they were “stuck” with the body of the ’59 and were looking forward stylistically and played the only game practical and that was the front end. I do agree that the ’59 is the purest form of the theme and my favorite, but I really do like the ’60 quite a bit as well.
I’ve always thought the ’62 Oldsmobile stole the front end of the ’60 Impala.