Even with a classic car this close to perfection, its owner wants to add another upgrade or two to put it over the top.
In the 1950s, automotive designer Virgil Exner’s love for tailfins triggered a trend for extreme styling. Chevrolet took this aesthetic to the next level on its 1959 Impala. The result is one of the most distinctive car silhouettes of that era.
Today, one man has restomodded his Impala to accentuate its outrageous looks. It’s sheer perfection, yet he had another upgrade in mind. YouTuber Eric Isaacesen of Muscle Cars With Eric talks to Terry, the Impala’s owner at an Arizona car show.
Feast your eyes on this superb Chevy Impala in the video.
Pumping Up The Impala’s Styling
On the street, an unadorned second-gen Impala would make its presence known with its exaggerated aerodynamic profile, huge flattened, outward-pointing tailfins, and teardrop-shaped taillights. Terry’s restomod, though, cranks up the distraction factor with a flaming orange-red finish and endless chrome. So striking is this car that it placed in the top 10 at a recent Good Guys National car show in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Terry has taken great care with the restomod’s immaculate, authentic-looking interior. The gauges and pedals are original-style, and he’s re-chromed and installed the car’s original air conditioning vents. The upholstery replicates exactly that of the original. But Terry isn’t satisfied and wants to replace the vinyl with leather to produce a more luxe, hot-rod look.
Beauty For This 1959 Chevrolet Impala Goes Beyond Skin-Deep
Under the hood of the Chevy Impala is where Terry’s mods are the most impressive and eye-catching. Of course, it has a stunning painted-matched engine bay and shiny components. Yet Terry has gone one better with extending the fender to install a matching box to hide the car’s wiring. He’s slightly frustrated that he’s not found a way to hide the spark plug wiring.
This is where the details count. He’s added a modern electronic fuel injection system that looks like the original carburetor as well as a new fuel cell distributor. He’s sanded and painted the valve covers by hand. The old Hydroboost braking is now electric and serpentine belts replace the old V-belts.
Terry has kept the original TriPower 348 big-block V8. He’s never put the Impala on the dyno but estimates that its output is somewhere around 350 hp. But its rumble proves its power when the owner starts it up.
Not surprisingly, Terry loves driving the classic car and the attention it gets on the road. But it’s a foregone conclusion that he’ll be refining the Impala even more. They say you can’t improve on perfection, but Terry will keep working toward his own vision of an ideal restomod. If you’re looking to your purchase a 1959 Chevrolet Impala, expect to pay at least $50,000 according to ClassicCars.com.
