(Please accept our new Wednesday COALer) General Motors' B-bodies from 1977 to 1996 have been extensively celebrated on the pages of Curbside Classic over the years. As my first COAL, I want to explain why one nascent middle-aged car collector decided to spend his money on a car that sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars over forty years ago.
Meet my current classic vehicle: a gleefully retro buckskin gold/tan 1977 Chevrolet Impala sedan. With slightly more than 100,000 miles on the clock, the Impala appears to have survived years in the upper Midwest without succumbing to the tin worm that annihilated the majority of its contemporaries. The car was originally delivered to Larsen Chevrolet in Superior, Wisconsin (as seen on the rear), and spent the majority of its life in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota before making its way down to the Twin Cities under the auspices of a granddaughter who didn't want to inherit grandma's car.
One of the most amazing aspects of this car is its complete simplicity – no A/C (which was not uncommon in the upper Midwest at the time), no rear defroster (also not uncommon), manual windows and locks, and a simple mono AM radio for entertainment. It's the type of car someone would buy if they only needed it to get to church and run errands. The bench seat is covered in cloth and has no other adjustments other than sliding back and forth. It did have power steering and brakes, as did every Impala/Caprice of the time, as well as a three-speed automatic transmission. Except for the "upgraded" engine – a 305 V8 – and some chrome moldings, grandma kept the options sheet light.
That is part of the appeal of this car – it is more than just a time machine because it has survived four decades. It's a time machine because it's the type of car that's hard to come by these days: an honest, low-option family driver. Millions of people purchased cars like this, particularly between the post-World War II era and the 1980s. Simple, functional machines that did the job for families – enough space to transport people, hold groceries, store luggage on family vacations, and shuttle to work or school. It's a car that reminds me that a car was a basic necessity for many people, not a fashion or personal statement. The Impala's boxy shape, generous space, and simple controls are anything but flashy.
Driving the Impala also reminds me of the car's inherent soundness. The 1977 B's represented the best distillation of GM's engineering at the time, as they were at the forefront of domestic downsizing. A smooth and generally controlled ride. Predictable handling – the Impala is no sports car, but even without the upgraded suspension, it handles winding back roads better than you'd expect. Good space utilization for its size, and enough pick-up and torque from the small block V8 to make the sacrifice for slightly better mileage worthwhile. In comparison to my other vehicles, a 2016 BMW 228i Xdrive and a 2016 Mazda CX-5, the Impala is clearly from another era, but it requires a different type of driving. More deliberate, planned, and at ease.
Driving the Impala also reminds me of the car's inherent soundness. The 1977 B's represented the best distillation of GM's engineering at the time, as they were at the forefront of domestic downsizing. A smooth and generally controlled ride. Predictable handling – the Impala is no sports car, but even without the upgraded suspension, it handles winding back roads better than you'd expect. Good space utilization for its size, and enough pick-up and torque from the small block V8 to make the sacrifice for slightly better mileage worthwhile. In comparison to my other vehicles, a 2016 BMW 228i Xdrive and a 2016 Mazda CX-5, the Impala is clearly from another era, but it requires a different type of driving. More deliberate, planned, and at ease.
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