1961 Chevrolet Impala SS Convertible Is An ‘Extremely Rare’ Auction Find
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The Chevrolet Impala has been discontinued by General Motors after ten generations, marking the end of the line for one of the automaker’s most well-known nameplates.
While the tenth-generation Impala wasn’t nearly as special as some of the coupes and sedans that once wore the storied nameplate, it will still be missed by many GM enthusiasts. We’re sure the residents of Oshawa, Ontario are also sad to see it go, who have been building the vehicle at GM’s Oshawa Assembly plant since the mid-1960s.
This 1961 Chevrolet Impala SS Convertible is a great example of just how cool the Impala once was. Headed to auction at Mecum’s Dallas sale later this summer, this car is fully restored but still has its original bumpers and grille and all of its original body panels – fairly impressive when you consider that it was once campaigned as a drag car. What’s more, this car actually set a class trap speed record at Langhorne Speedway in Pennsylvania back in the day and is sold with the time slip to prove it, along with in-period photos of it wearing drag slicks.
Even without an interesting past and a ton of original parts, this car would be pretty cool. The Tuxedo Black and red interior make for a rare and extremely desirable color combination and the original 348 cubic-inch V8 engine is paired with a four-speed manual transmission. It’s one of just 456 Impala SS examples GM built for the 1961 model year and is one of an unknown number of Impala SS Convertibles. Despite the Impala being built in large numbers, one like this is very uncommon.
Check out the listing at this link for additional information and photos.
Photos via Mecum
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The 61′ Impala was considerably cheapened compared to the 59′ and ‘right on’ 60′.
SS Impala’s were common. Ones with 350-hp 348’s, and 409’s, were the rare ones.
Cheapened? i hardly think so, they were a little smaller dimension wise,but they still were and are one of the great Chevys of the time. only 453 61 SS cars came out of the factory with a hand full of dealer added packages. also,in order to get the SS package,you had to order at least a 348 engine. a 61 SS 409 factory car is really rare.
61 SS cars were not common. now in 1962,yes because you could get an SS car with a 235 6 cylinder.
Better looking then anything they make today.
My Dad used to set up delivery of 61 SS Impalas at the dealership. There were two ways to order the option: across the parts counter or as direct order from GM. If it was a direct order, the Impala arrived with bucket seats. If not, it came with a bench. In either case, the billing rate from GM was for 0.5 hour worth of labor to install the parts at the dealership. The SS trim box came with the following: 4 custom spinners and brackets in the early part of the model year or 4 custom spinners directly mounted to a solid stainless back panel later in the model year for the wheel covers, 2 side trim emblems, 1 rear trunk emblem, 1 interior grab bar and 1 custom shifter plate for use only on 4-speed cars. A 3-speed column mount, an automatic or a bench seat caused the shift plate to be thrown away. If you see a bench seat along with a 4-speed and the decorative shift plate the vehicle is fake. All that’s supposed to be there is the rubber boot on the shifter with a bench. You could put the SS trim on anything including the station wagons, of which Dad assembled several. One guy with a turquoise and white two-tone wagon told him not to install the grab bar and it went right into the trash. There was no motor requirement. You could build or order a 61 SS with a 6-cylinder base motor: it was strictly a trim package.
Dang! How cool is that? What a great person to know and be a part of your life. That’s great info. Thanks
F Baby, as the sixties went on, SS’s became more about the engine, with larger decals and wide, over done stripes, IMO. This ruined the image of an SS, and to this day there is a stigma to owning an SS anything. This I believe, contributed to the lack of sales of the current Chevy SS, which was recently cancelled because so. The early 60’s SS’s were truly the best, most tasteful models of each line of Chevy they came in.
I had one exactly like it in 1970, it was my first car. I traded a record player for it.
I owned one of the last 300 Impalas to come off the line before the first SS. It was Roman Red with Irmine white stripe. 348 tri power. Listed @350 HP for insurance purposes. It dynoed @396 HP. Factory BW t-10 four year. What a great car it was‼️ Sold it when drafted😢