I have mixed feelings about this big red Chevy. The ’68 Impala is my favorite car of all time, thanks to my mom’s best friend owning a wonderful ’68 hardtop sedan in turquoise when I was a kid. And top-down driving can be such a pleasure. But so much of the styling zest of the ’68 Chevy lies in the hardtop roofs.
Ah, there; that’s better. Such smooth lines! And that kickup on the rear passenger window: bliss. I almost bought one like this about 15 years ago, except that between the time I said I’d buy it and the time I scraped together the money, the seller managed to destroy it in a stupid accident. Sigh.
Not that I’d turn down this Impala. If I could afford it, that is; it’s probably worth more than my house. That’s because it isn’t just any Impala convertible, but a fire-breathing SS 427. Just check RPO Z-24 on your build sheet! This one comes with Positraction and a 4-speed gearbox. It’s a fairly rare beast: one of 1,778 built in 1968. By the time these came along, people were looking much more to mid-size platforms — Chevelle SS, GTO, 442, Charger — to satisfy their performance lust.
Ooh, looky: strato-buckets! You could apparently order these with a cloth-covered bench seat. Good lord, why would anybody do that? If you’re going to own the most powerful ’68 Impala, go all the way.
I can prefer the two-door hardtop ’68 Impala all day — but one was not to be found during my visit. And this potent Impala is plenty pretty. It is my favorite car at the 2015 Mecum Spring Classic.
