A Big, Fast Car 1964: When chevy upgraded the Super Sport Story and photos by John Gunnell
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hen the ’64 Chevys hit the showroom in the fall of 1963, the Impala SS Sport Coupe was no longer an option package like it had been in 1961, 1962 and 1963. It now had its own Chevy model number--1447—and became the sporty car in the line. The Impala was Chevrolet’s plushest model and the Impala Super Sport was now in a separate Impala series positioned above the regular Impala. The list of standard equipment for the Super Sport (or SS) took off where regular Impala features left off. Super Sport buyers got leather-grained vinyl upholstery, individual front bucket seats and special body moulding inserts. They could also store their gloves or sun glasses in a locking centre console. Exterior distinction came from the use of a wider upper body moulding filled with a swirl pattern, silver anodized insert. Impala lettering and the SS badge appeared on the rear fenders, with another badge appearing on the rear deck lid. The rear cove outline mouldings were filled with a silver anodized insert. Full wheel covers of specific Super Sport design were used on the upper-level Impala.
The front bucket seats are hefty looking and have heavy stainless-steel trim.
For 1964, due to the performance ban that GM brass put into effect in the middle of the previous year, Chevrolet engine choices stayed about the same as they were in late ‘63. Ban or no ban, that meant the Impala SS 327 hardtop was still a big, fast car. The optional Turbo-Fire 327 V8 was again available in two versions. The first one had a single four-barrel carburetor and 10.5:1 compression and made 250 hp. The second had a single four-barrel carburetor, dual exhausts, and a 10.5:1 compression ratio. It made 300 hp and cost $138. Chevrolet produced 185,325 Impala Super Sport models in 1964. 2,914 of those were actually six-cylinder-powered two-door hardtops and far from
Centre console and radio were extra-cost factory options. AUG/SEPT 2021 MUSCLE CAR Plus MAGAZINE 33
