1964 Chevy Impala: Jet smooth luxury
Wade Knight is a man who has his priorities in order. He once owned a Corvette, of which he was very fond. However, when he and his wife needed a down payment on a house, this Knight didn’t hesitate to convert his Corvette into the necessary money for the house.
Several years passed before the urge to have a classic car surfaced and Knight began searching for a suitable vehicle. In 2009, he saw on eBay a 1964 Chevrolet Impala two-door hardtop located in Nebraska that caught his eye.
“That’s it,” he thought. He arranged to fly to Nebraska from his home in Virginia to further inspect the car.
There didn’t appear to be rust problems on the silver-blue Chevrolet. Under the expansive hood was a 283-cubic-inch, Turbo-Fire V-8 engine that developed 195 horsepower.
Knight took the Impala for a test-drive, which convinced him that the car was solid. However, he reserved the right to go home to think it over.
Back at home in Haymarket, Va., he began thinking about how the nice 17.5-foot-long Impala appealed to him. He knew that acquiring parts for the car, if he ever needed them, would be no problem because the total production of full-size Chevrolets that model year totaled 1,574,468 — and of that number the Impalas accounted for 889,600.
Knight was convinced this Chevy was the car for him, but he wanted to have his wife look at it to see if she could identify any possible flaws that he might have overlooked.
Knight and his wife flew to Omaha where the 1964 Chevrolet awaited on its 119-inch wheelbase. The car quickly captured her attention. The odometer, beside the 120-mph speedometer, had recorded just 47,000 miles.
Advertisements from 1964 tout the car as a “jet smooth luxury Chevrolet.”
After purchasing the Impala the Knights flew home and anxiously awaited the truck that was to deliver their car. Once the Impala, with the double side bar molding highlighted with a thin strip of white paint in the center, was unloaded the Knight’s were ecstatic.
They noticed details that they had overlooked before, such as the ankle-level air vents beneath the dashboard, as well as the wing vent windows in both doors. Knight is particularly impressed with the styling of the rear of the car with four taillights and two backup lights.
Above and forward of the rear window is a crease stamped in the metal rooftop. Chevrolet designers hoped the crease would give the impression of a convertible top.
The drum brakes appear to be up to the task of halting the Impala. The car had been reupholstered before Knight became the owner. Both the headliner and carpeting are black. In the upper center of the rear seat is the rear speaker for the radio.
While seated at the two-spoke helm of the Impala both outside mirrors give the driver a clear view of traffic behind. So far the odometer has recorded 55,800 miles. He does not hesitate to drive the Impala if the weather cooperates.
The car pleases both Knights, especially when he is at the wheel his wife observes, “That car looks like you.”
For your car to become the subject of the Classic Classics column, e-mail us your .jpeg image, plus brief details and phone number. Type “Classic Classics” in subject box and send to info@motormatters.biz. Or, send a photo (frontal 3/4 view) plus brief details and phone number to Vern Parker, 2221 Abbotsford Drive, Vienna, VA 22181.