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1965 Impala
A Beautiful New Shape

The all-new 1965 Chevy Impala ignited a design revolution that literally changed the way American cars would look. The new style was ultra-smooth, clean-lined and softer in form than before. The Impala Sport Coupe's semi-fastback roofline was especially dramatic, and this two-door was the best-selling Impala by far.

While the look was all-new, it was loaded with "brand character." Six taillamps, "impala" insignias, a wide horizontal grille, and tasteful use of chrome all identified the '65 as 100 percent Chevrolet. By comparison, the also-new, sharp-edged 1965 Ford was widely panned. One critic suggested the Ford looked like "the box the Chevy came in."

The totally redesigned chassis featured a "perimeter" steel frame, all-new front and rear suspension, and wider track. At mid-year, a new-generation 396-cubic-inch big block V8 replaced the previous 409 V8 and an ultra-plush Caprice four-door hardtop made its debut at the top of the Impala line.

Chevrolet sold a record 1.7 million full-size cars in 1965, including 1.1 million Impalas. It's an industry sales record that still stands today.

"In 1965 Chevrolet had produced 1,821,262 full-size models,
while Ford's output was 1,048,388."
Automobile Quarterly