Curbside Classic: 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS – Three Reasons Darth Vader Was A Winner (M.E.SS #2)

The 1994-96 Impala SS has long been a legit cult classic and probably the quintessential example of Chevrolet’s Modern Era Super Sport (M.E.SS) models. It’s popular with enthusiasts and even the general public, which is a little surprising when one stops to think about it. On paper, it should have been a big fat “Meh”. The styling modifications on the staid Caprice are superficial. The drivetrain is the exact same as in the Caprice. Oh, and there’s the minor detail of its being a four door sedan! So what accounts for the widespread love for this M.E.SS? I would say at least three things.

For starters, there was the marketing. Rarely has there been a better tagline for an ad than this. Did they get permission from George Lucas? That’s OK, Vader only needs permission from the Emperor. Or the General, in this case.

 

Then there’s styling. Chevy managed to find a fairly sleek car under the Caprice’s gingerbread trim.

They would probably not have been able to pull that off as recently as 1990, when the Caprice was a gloriously boxy holdover from the 1970s.

1991’s restyled body was as slick and aerodynamic as GM could possibly have made it while still keeping the same platform and chassis. A low nose, more raked windshield and fast backlight contributed.

The last needed piece to fall in place was ditching the formal skirted rear wheel openings for 1993. Now they had something to work with! Being born in the 70s, the Caprice had old-school American sedan proportions with a relatively long wheelbase and long rear overhang giving it a naturally long and low look.

 

With deletion of most of the brightwork, a new grille, a small rear spoiler, a Hofmeister kink’d D Pillar, and, most importantly, larger aluminum wheels, the Caprice’s inherent shape actually translated into a pretty sporty-looking Impala. The large size made it seem more intimidating and dark colors helped with the sinister vibe.

In the Caprice, the antediluvian rear-drive, body-on-frame, V8 chassis was a liability to its widespread appeal in the 90s. However, in the Impala SS, its appeal was enhanced by sharing the same configuration as genuine muscle cars of 25-30 years earlier. Everything is a matter of perspective, right? File this under making lemonade out of the lemons you’ve got on hand.

The third key to the Impala’s success was competence. The new model was made feasible largely because it required very little new engineering. Chevy had been refining the Caprice 9C1 Police Package (and related LTZ) for years. By the mid 90s, it was considered by many law enforcement experts to be the best cop car of any brand made to that point. Most of the 9C1’s components were simply moved into the Impala along with special de Carbon shocks and 255/50-17 (9C1: 235/70-15) lower-profile performance tires. The result was remarkably good handling and braking for such a large, old-fashioned car.

 

The center of any performance car that wants to be special is the engine. At first blush, the Impala might seem very un-special as the engine and transmission are completely unmodified from those found in regular Caprices (optionally, as well as standard in wagons, Buick Roadmasters and Cadillac Fleetwood Broughams). However, the Impala benefited from some reflected glory as the LT1, which was new in B-bodies for 1994, was first installed in Corvettes for 1992 and Camaros for 1993. “It’s got a Corvette engine!” is a great sales line, going back to the marketing. The Gen II 5.7L small block was a big advance, given to the B-bodies mainly to improve emissions and efficiency and to simplify production with one basic drivetrain for all rear-drive cars. The side benefit was significantly more power than its predecessor and enough muscular motive force to seem appropriate for a re-incarnated SS.

Its 260hp and 330 lb-ft was a lot of power for a domestic sedan in 1994. Only a few years earlier, big Chevys were doing well to have 170hp.  0-60 in 6.5 sec and 1/4 mile in 15.0@92mph was faster than a factory full-sized car had traveled since the 1960’s. And faster even than most 60’s Impalas.

Just like in the 60’s, the Impala SS shared a decidedly unsporty dash with its sister models. The Caprice’s fake wood was removed and high-back leather bucket seats replaced the customary park bench (though they shared seat frames and weren’t any more supportive than the Caprice’s and Roadmaster’s already decent seats). A center console was standard, but the 94 and 95 models kept the column shifter. In classic GM fashion, they waited for its last year in 1996 to give it a proper floor shifter and tachometer. Retro only went so far, though, as a 4-speed automatic was the only thing available under the console.

The final head-scratcher to Vader’s success is how Chevy passed a four-door sedan off as a throwback muscle car… and they actually got away with it! All previous Impala SS’s had been two doors, of course. No American car with muscly pretensions would ever have been caught with an extra set of doors in the 60s.

 

In the 90’s, though, the idea of a four door performance car was not nearly so radical. European performance cars in four door variants had been sold in the U.S. for a decade or two, and “euro” style American sedans like the Taurus SHO and Pontiac 6000 STE had been sprouting up in the 80’s and 90’s. Coupes in general had been falling out of favor for years. Chevy had killed the Caprice coupe in 1987, so obviously, a two door Impala SS wasn’t even an option. Enthusiasts took to the modern-era Impala SS four door with surprising ease.

Introduced midyear in 1994, 6,603 black Vader-mobiles were sold. Those not wanting to go full Sith Lord could choose Dark Cherry or Dark Gray-Green in 1995, when sales bumped to 21,454. The late 1995 announcement of the B-body’s cancellation at the end of the ’96 model year really lit a fire under anyone inclined towards Chevy’s sinister sedan, spurring 41, 941 to find grateful homes that year.

The Darth Vader metaphor works on a deeper level than one might at first realize. At the time of the original Star Wars story, Obi-wan, Yoda, and Vader were the last survivors of an archaic and discarded order of Jedi Knights. Kind of like the B-body sedans and wagons themselves being archaic and all but discarded by modern car buyers in the 90s. Unlike in the movies, the evil Galactic Empire of SUVs successfully killed all the Jedi B-bodies (and Panthers) and is threatening to wipe out even the few remaining traditional low sedans.

With the Impala SS, it feels good to root for the bad guy who proved to be redeemable in the end.

 

1996 Impalas photographed in Houston, TX April 2024 (top image) and February 2021

related reading:

Curbside Classic: 1994-96 Chevrolet Impala SS – Killer Whale By William Stopford

In-Motion Classic: 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS – Chicago On Wheels By Joseph Dennis

1996 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 – One Officer’s Passion – if you missed it, my recent CC on the Impala SS’s progenitor and a compelling story of its owner.

Curbside Classic: 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged – Dangerous M.E.SS – M.E.SS #1