In celebration of their fiftieth year of vehicle production, General Motors debuted a number of new vehicles. Among those new offerings was the 1958 Chevy Impala, which debuted as the leader of the Bel Air line. The Impala was built on the Safety Girder X-Frame like the rest of the Bel Air line, but featured a lower roofline, longer wheelbase, and iconic triple taillights.
The 1958 Chevy Impala had a varied selection of drivetrains available that included the economical inline six cylinder, several different 283 cubic-inch Small Blocks available with either carburetors or Rochester mechanical fuel injection, or even the 348 cubic-inch Turbo Thrust W-Head Big Block that made up to 315 angry horses.
By the time the 1958 Chevy Impala rolled onto dealer’s showrooms, Buddy Holly had a few hit singles on the charts including “That’ll Be The Day,” “Not Fade Away,” “Oh, Boy!,” and “Peggy Sue,” and was gaining in popularity. Holly had his manager buy our feature 1958 Chevy Impala as a belated Christmas gift for Holly’s father, Larry Holley (Holly changed the spelling of his last name for show biz).
The Chevy Impala has been restored by Bill Clement of Chevy Craft in Lubbock, Texas, in its original hue of Cay Coral with Ermine White roof. The chrome has been refinished and the stainless trim polished by Plains Electroplating. The Impala is powered by the numbers-matching 283 Small Block producing 230 horsepower. The 283 is backed by a two-speed Powerglide automatic. Inside, the Impala is trimmed in Coral vinyl with tri-color seat inserts. It is equipped with dual radio antennas, the aforementioned fender skirts, a pushbutton AM radio refurbished by R&R Radio, and wide whitewall tires. Included in the sale is a copy of the conditional sale contract signed by band manager Norman Petty and a copy of the title issued to L.O. Holley.
This one-of-a-kind 1958 Chevy Impala will cross the Mecum Auctions block at its 38th Original Spring Classic in Indianapolis, Indiana, Thursday, May 15th.
Comments
After what is considered to be the “beautiful” ’57, the ’58s were just plain ugly.
Couldn’t disagree more. Yes, totally different body than the tri-five’s, but beautiful in its own design.
Wow, that takes me back. When I was a kid a nearby neighbor had a ’58 in the same color. Made sense, she also painted her house pink.
Always thought the 55 Chevy was the best looking of the tri fives. The 58 Impala is really a knock out. Why everyone thinks the 57 was the holy grail, is beyond me. 🤷🏼♂️
Peggy Sue got married.
My favorite of the the 55, 56 & 57 Chevys is the 56. I owned a 56 Bel Air two toned black and white with the Corvette power pack. I replaced the power glide with three speed manual and a hurst floor shift. It was a fun and fast car for its day. Those were wonderful days of cruising the ave, drive in movies, rock n’ roll and beautiful girls without tattoos or piercings.
The ’58 looks better from all angles IMHO.
THIS car is so so cool in this color. one of our friends back in the bronx got his first car-a 58 chevy 2 door. was never a fan of a 2 door because you always had to maneuver to the rear seat. i wish gm had the bravado to offer nice colors again
Totally agree, LITTLE STAR. So many fantastic colors to choose from in the ’50s and ’60s.
What an outstanding car. As much as original is cool, I’d swap out the 2 speed power slug for a 700r. I think GM had a LOT of excellent vehicles from the late 40s till the mid 70s. One of my personal favorites is the 59 Impala. 60 is a close second. The provenance is what will, if legitimate, take this car to about 200k, maybe 250k. New owner will be a happy camper.
I hope it gets driven and not stuck in somebodies personal museum.
My Dad had a 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air in that gorgeous color. Nothing fancy, just a three on the tree, straight six, two-door so we three kids didn’t open a back door and fall out when on local drives or summertime drives to Florida to visit with relatives. I was four years old when my Dad brought it home from the dealership, my twin brother and sister two.
And now ?
95 Shades of Gray .
The Elegance made once, today is unexistent
When the 58 Impala came out, I thought it was the most beautiful car ever built. A friend bought a red one with the white top.
My brother bought one in a blue color with the 348 and a Powerglide Tranny. “It was a fluke.” After a year of many troubles, mostly transmission, he found a sucker to buy it. He did gain a few girlfriends with it though, when it wasn’t in the shop.