The Last Impalas

Different Worlds Last Impala vs. Last Impala SS

Story by John Gunnell

Buying the last Chevrolet Impala in 2020 was an experience that was worlds apart from buying the last Impala SS in 1996. M.G. “Pinky” Randall of Houghton Lake, Michigan purchased both of the historic Chevrolets. But, 24 years ago he did not have to deal with a changed GM corporate structure, a UAW strike and a coronavirus pandemic to buy his milestone car and get it back to his home.

Pinky—who was born in 1928 and started his love of Chevrolets at four years old— eventually collected 46 bow tie buggies and picked up the nickname “Mr. Chevy.” About 10 years ago, he sold a bunch of cars, including that last Impala SS, to the General Motors Heritage Center. But he recalls many details about buying the SS and remembers that the 1996 purchase was more fun than his 2020 last Impala purchase. However, the latter may turn out to be more satisfying simply because it was a harder deal to put together.

Pinky Randall read an article in a May 1995 edition of the Detroit Free Press that outlined General Motors plans to convert the Arlington, Texas plant over to the manufacture of trucks and Sport Utility Vehicles and potentially end production of the Impala SS model. “I read between the lines and immediately wrote a letter to Chevrolet General Manager Jim Perkins requesting

the opportunity to acquire the last Impala SS,” Randall told the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram newspaper at the time.

Perkins knew Pinky and was familiar with his collection and his passion for Chevrolets. He had Chevrolet officials tell Randall to select a dealership he wanted to work with and Pinky arranged to buy the vehicle through a dealer in his hometown. The dealer was told that the last Impala SS would be built on Dec. 13, 1996. Pinky and his wife Joyce went to the Arlington, Texas assembly plant where it was made. He even got to drive it off the assembly line himself. Hanging behind it was a large banner that read, “The last Impala SS Produced At The GM Arlington Assembly Plant, December 13, 1996.”

Pinky was asked to speak about his Chevy collection to workers at the factory. He told them how he had fallen heads over heels in love with a lady’s new 1932 Chevy coupe that he saw while walking to school when he was four years old. “I would go in an hour early just to look at that car,” he emphasized. “In 1948, I bought that car for $30.”

Randall was presented with a plaque recognizing him as “the purchaser of the last Impala SS produced at this facility.” The plaque gave the car’s VIN, build number (A6132788), build date (Dec. 12, 1996) and colour (Dark Cherry Metallic). At the bottom it read: “The General Motors and UAW personnel hope that you will be as happy and proud of this extraordinary automobile as we have been to build it.” The names and signatures of plant manager Herb Stone and UAW Local 276 president Lonnie Morgan were on it.

While the last Impala SS was built before Christmas in 1996, Randall did not get to take it home then. The car, which sold for about $26,000 in 1996, had been ordered through a local dealer named Thomas Motors in Houghton Lake, Michigan and was shipped there after it had been built. Randall picked it up there and drove it out of the Thomas Motors showroom at 4:48 pm on Jan. 24, 1997. It had 15 miles on its odometer.

In March, 2020, Chevrolet announced that the last Chevrolet Impala (not an SS of course) had rolled out of General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant on the morning of Feb. 27. “The last Impala is reportedly spoken for by a private owner,” said the news report. The private owner who purchased that car was “Pinky” Randall.

Randall purchased the Bright Cherry Red car from Terry Corrigan, the owner of Classic Chevrolet in Lake City, Mich. This time putting the deal together took a little more work than in 1996. “There was news last year that the Impala would be produced only until the fall of 2019, presumably late October,” Randall explained. “I learned this in about March or April of 2019 and made many inquiries about the Impala early on, but never did get much of a response from the factories or some

According to Randall, there wasn’t much information available, but he stayed in close touch with Terry Corrigan, who kept him posted on what he was able to learn. “We watched the production barometer very closely and had figured out that the last Impala might be built in October 2019,” Pinky pointed out. “Our estimate was close at that time, but many things changed, such as the United Auto Workers strike that came about last fall. All of the plants were closed and our communications were obviously closed as well.”

Pinky didn’t give up, however. He made up an order with his dealer and the dealer kept in close contact with his Chevrolet field representative. “The Field man knew our plan and was interested in the outcome,” said Randall. “We kept close track of the strike activities, its progress, the UAW and GM. We were confident that our plan would work out. I thank Terry Corrigan for keeping very good track of where we were on closing the deal on the last Impala. I thank him very much for his concern and interest in the deal.”

The car was eventually produced and dealer and customer received the date of manufacture and an approximate date for delivery of the car to Classic Chevrolet. Then, another problem arose—car manufacturing was closed down as COVID-19 broke out all over the globe. The awareness of the virus was followed by the closing of Michigan automobile dealers until late spring or even early summer. “The car was delivered to the dealer however,” Pinky Randall reports. “He has sent me photos of the Impala on the assembly line, on the haul-away truck and in front of the Classic Chevrolet dealership.”