Here’s how the Chevy Impala went from classic muscle car to rental car favorite

In this episode I provide the history of the Chevrolet Impala, which ran from 1958 to 2020, but with two gaps where the car was dropped from production. The first six generations lasted until 1985, and during the 1960s the Impala was the best selling car in the U.S., with over a million sold in 1965 and 66. The 409ci V8 introduced in 1961 for the SuperSport (SS) trim was so popular that the Beach Boys wrote a hit song about it. But the Impala grew to the biggest car Chevy ever sold in the mis-70s, and by 1977 it had lost most of the big power under the hood, and was becoming better known for police and taxis. The Impala was brought back for a seventh generation solely as an SS trim version of the Caprice in 1994, but only for just three years, as GM killed its full-size sedan platform to make more room for SUV's. Then the eighth generation debuted for 2000, becoming a front-drive unibody replacement for the Lumina, and became more popular as a rental car. SS versions were offered but far less popular. Then the final generation began in 2014, looking like a real contender as the Chevrolet flagship, but it died in 2020 as sedan sales kept shrinking. But sedans may be making a comeback, and the Impala could come back yet again. Background music by Nick Weiss - nickweissmusic.com