Vintage Review: 1970 Chevrolet Impala Custom Coupe – Leaving Super Sports And The Sixties Behind, Especially In The Curves

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As the dawn of a new decade began, Chevrolet fielded its final update of the landmark 1965 design.  Unlike earlier iterations, this Impala had dropped its sporty pretensions and was heading for brougham country, including a unique-to-Chevrolet hardtop coupe roof line with formal styling and concave-curved rear glass.  Road Test Magazine took one for a spin in the May 1970 issue, and found the evolved Impala to be right on target. Somewhat ironically, its handling, braking and all-round performance were much better than the 1965 Super Sport, thanks to significant improvements such as the three-speed THM 350 automatic, larger 15″ wheels, wide belted tires, disc brakes and the F40 suspension option, which turned the Impala into a big (4200 lbs) car that “handled remarkably well”.

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This Impala Custom Coupe had an as-tested price of $4,714 ($28,796 adjusted) and was loaded with luxuries for the suburban set.  The test car featured the 300hp 350 V8 and the 3-speed Turbo Hydramatic.  Sadly, the Super Sport package was no longer available as an option on full size Chevrolets, but at least the Rally Wheels offered a bit of a sporty look.

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More bloat was on its way for the big Chevrolet, and as such this 1970 would be the end of an era.  But the car did its job well, and did a good job of evolving a design to meet changing tastes in the big car market.

Related reading:

Curbside Classic: 1970 Chevrolet Impala – The Best Big Car Of Its Time