1958 Chevrolet Impala

    A factory custom car. That perfectly describes the first Impala, which was much more than a rebadged version of Chevy's Bel Air. Offered strictly as a sport coupe or convertible, the Impala had a longer sweep to it.
     Designers divided up the exterior sheetmetal to lengthen the rear deck, which robbed the interior of space for the sake of fashion. That's why the doors and rear decklid have different dimensions than those on the Bel Air sport coupe and convertible, and require special side glass.
     Most popular was the 2-door hardtop, highlighted with chromed rear facing simulated air scoops at the back of the roof. The remainder of the Impala custom features were shared with the convertible.
     Every Impala had a set of unique wheelcovers with red centers and a blue Chevy bow tie. Forward of the rear wheels, designers fitted large chrome-plated air scoops, sometimes called pitchforks. Special stainless steel rocker panels
connected the front and rear wheelwells. Even the taillight scheme was unique, featuring triple lenses on either side.  Of course, an Impala badge was fashioned and included crossed checkered flags.
     Chevrolet matched the custom exterior with a custom interior, starting with a 2-spoke steering wheel inset with an Impala crossed flags medallion and horizontally striped seat upholstery. Door panels were likewise specially designed
   for the Impala, featuring a color coordinated striped pattern with anodized aluminum inserts, and very long pull handles that swept to the rear of the doors.
     Under the hood, buyers could order either a six, the familiar 283 small-block V8 or a new 348 big-block W-series motor, the latter available in various stages of tune including a solid-lifter, triple 2-barrel fitted 350 horsepower version.
     Backing up the engines were a multitude of tranmission choices including 3- and 4-speed sticks and either a 2-speed Powerglide or 3-speed Turboglide automatic.
     The Chevy buyer in 1958 could truly customize his "custom" Impala.