
Involved in an ideal high-performance Chevy sedan with a mere 79 miles on the odometer and an inside that is nonetheless partially wrapped in plastic? Remarkably, you’ll be able to have one: this Impala SS was inbuilt 1996 and has barely moved since. It is developing for public sale at Mecum in early January of 2026. How is that this stage of untouched-ness even doable? It is unclear from Mecum’s web site (which says the mileage is 78, however based mostly on a picture of the odo, it seems yet another mile has been added since that was posted). The location does report that it was “(g)araged and coated in a climate-controlled setting since new.” If you happen to’re apprehensive about sure parts having gone south with age after 30 years, fret not: the tires are contemporary (however you get the unique manufacturing facility rubber should you win the public sale), as is the battery.
The 1996 mannequin 12 months was the tip of the road for the rear-wheel-drive, seventh-generation Impala SS, which commenced manufacturing in 1994. Three extra generations, all front-wheel-drive, adopted. The Impala moniker dates to the late Fifties and did not formally depart the Chevy secure for good till 2020when the mannequin was retired. By the way in which, the SS stands for “Tremendous Sport,” and the designation has reliably been a part of Chevy’s choices for many years. I actually love these massive four-doors that had been sadly supplanted by the rise of the SUV, so it is actually thrilling to see such an impeccable instance of the legendary Impala hit the public sale block.
A Corvette motor in a household automobile
The V8 below the hood is a 5.7-liter unit – an LT1 borrowed from the Corvette and lowered from 300 horsepower to 260 hp. A four-speed auto handles the 330 pound-feet of torque. Based on Hagertythe 0-60mph time when new was 7.5 seconds (I discovered another sources that recommend a bit faster). Inside, in fact, acres of mid-Nineteen Nineties Detroit luxurious (the Impala SS was inbuilt Texas, nevertheless, at GM’s Arlington Meeting plant). On this case, pretty dove-gray leather-based, with the entrance bucket seats and the steering wheel as-yet unwrapped.
A good variety of these automobiles had been manufactured in the course of the quick run: 69,758, once more in response to Hagerty. I did a fast search across the web and located listings starting from below $20,000 for increased mileage automobiles to $30,000-$45,000 for automobiles that have not been pushed as a lot (this low-miles Impala went for about 60 grand on Carry A Trailer final 12 months). Clearly, the Mecum Impala SS going below the hammer is a somewhat particular instance, and whereas it stickered for $26,192 when it was born (the automobile comes with full documentation and manuals), one expects some appreciable worth appreciation.
A superb Tremendous Sport
Any individual in Southern California evidently purchased the Impala SS new after which had the foresight to stash it away for 3 many years. The public sale itemizing would not utterly element the working situation of all of the automobile’s techniques, and to be sincere, the loopy low mileage compels me to recommend that the profitable bidder rent a professional mechanic to verify the whole lot out earlier than cranking it up. That mentioned, the 17-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels are pristine, as is the straightforward black paint job. There is a CD participant! The “Impala SS” lettering on the rear panels is blacked-out and pretty discrete; use of chrome is restrained. Historical past has been type to the unpretentious design: it is lengthy, low, and smooth, with a capacious trunk and a roomy cabin that may trigger bigger people to rejoice. The factor is made for cruising, however that potent V8 means you’ll be able to at all times punch it, if the urge strikes. That may add some miles, however who might resist?
