348/4-Speed: 1960 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe
Chevrolet managed to achieve what many people thought was impossible with the 1960 Impala Sport Coupe. These are big and heavy cars, but thanks to extremely narrow roof pillars and vast expanses of glass, they blessed these classics with an appearance that was light and airy. This particular car is in excellent condition for its age, and it comes equipped with a drivetrain that should offer plenty of performance potential. Located in Eustis, Florida, you will find the Impala listed for sale here on Craigslist. The owner has set the sale price for the Sport Coupe at $39,000. I have to say a big thank you to Barn Finder MattR for referring this beauty to us.
The owner claims that the Tuxedo Black paint that graces the Impala’s panels is original. If this is true, then its condition is pretty impressive. It has a few minor marks, but there’s nothing that would be classed as a deal-breaker. If the buyer intends to drive the vehicle as an original survivor, they could slip behind the wheel and hold their head high in this car. The panels are impressively straight, with no visible dings or dents. The big question with any vehicle of this vintage revolves around rust issues, but once again, the news with the Impala is all positive. There is nothing visible in any of the supplied shots, and the owner emphasizes that there is none present anywhere on the car. The trim and chrome are just as spotless as the rest of the exterior, while there are no issues with the glass.
The Impala’s interior is a bit of a head-scratcher because it sends us mixed messages. The owner states that it is all original and that it is in mint condition. I’m not going to argue about the state of the seats because the plastic covers have allowed them to remain beautifully preserved. The dash is spotless, while the carpet is in excellent condition for its age. From here, things seem to head off on a tangent. The remaining upholstered surfaces look as nice as the seats, but the passenger door trim appears to be hanging loose and is missing handles and its armrest. The wheel is badly cracked, and it is missing its center. A couple of photos suggest that the headliner is hanging down, but none of these things rates a mention in the listing. That raises plenty of questions, and we hope that the owner is willing to answer them. There could be a good reason why things look the way they do, so potential buyers would be wise to contact the seller to gain some insight on these matters. On a positive note, it doesn’t appear that there have been any aftermarket additions, so the buyer won’t be facing swapping out stereos or other items when they whip the interior into shape.
When it comes to the question of drivetrain configuration, this Impala isn’t lacking. Lifting the hood reveals a 348ci V8 that wears six carburetors! Shifting duties fall to a 4-speed manual transmission, while the car is also equipped with power steering and power brakes. The specifications of that V8 aren’t clear, but the Special Super Turbo-Thrust was the most potent engine offered in 1960. It produced 335hp, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this one produces a similar figure. If this is right, the Impala would be capable of demolishing the ¼ mile in 15.5 seconds. That figure is put into perspective when you consider that the vehicle would tip the scales at 3,700lbs. That makes its performance seem pretty respectable, particularly in a 1960 context. The news for the buyer once again appears to be positive. The owner has recently treated the engine and transmission to a rebuild and installed a new alternator, a new master cylinder, new tires, and a dual Flowmaster exhaust. He doesn’t indicate how well the vehicle runs or drives, but it would be fair to expect it to perform both tasks well.
It doesn’t matter how you look at this 1960 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe, it is a car that is guaranteed to turn heads. It is also one that raises a few questions, and we have to hope that the owner is willing to answer them. If all of the answers come back as positive, that would make this a classic car ready to be driven and enjoyed. Tidy and original examples with the 348/4-speed combination will easily fetch $35,000 any day of the week, while pristine examples can sell for more than $50,000. That makes the asking price for this car seem pretty competitive, and if the answers from the owner are mainly positive, someone could be onto a winner with this classic.
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Comments
The seller claims the interior is in “mint condition”..Uh, not exactly. Too bad, it truly is a nice car overall.
The hottest 348s all had a tri-power setup, not six carburetors. So this car is not stock.
Interesting car but with a question. I see the floor shifter but what I don’t see is a clutch pedal, most interesting. The brake pedal appears to be correct for a manual but where’s the clutch pedal?
a fuel hose is missing. 4 dummy carbs. 348=boat anchor.
Great observation Phil. Looks like 5 may be hooked up, 6th fuel line MIA. Without the sixth line it doesn’t appear that the runner is capped. Probably is not running well, if at all. Gasoline spraying on the top of an engine is never good. Also once started needs to warm up, unless there are chokes on those 1 barrels.
Later model power steering pump & alternator too.
No belt on alternator. Caveat Emptor.
Stunning car but some real weirdnesses also. Beyond the (collapsed?) clutch pedal and the fuel rail for the 6 carburetors with only 5 lines, the interior has some details that don’t make sense if the car is really original. The rear speaker seems to stick up too high, or is that because the package shelf is collapsed? The photo with the instruments seems to show a lot of orange peel in the paint. That would indicate to me that they have been repainted. I certainly would not call the interior “all original and in mint condition”. I like it anyway. An late fifties/early sixties Chevy with a W-engine and a 4-speed is just way cool. And I bet it sounds great (at least until it catches fire).
I’m sorry…this is NOT a $39,000 car.
Hum. Old cars are not perfect. Tough crowd on this one. If they were “mint” most of us could not afford to buy it and work on them. The selling price offered at is high but hopeful it’s a starting place to negotiate down from. I would not have used the word mint to describe this car, It’s certainly a sought after set up and the manifold mod is unique. Owners get old, the cars move on, I hope it finds the right home.
Original paint? It has a radio, but there’s no sign of an antenna or hole in the front or rear fender for one. Where’d it go?
Not only the antenna Chuck but the SS trim on both sides forward of the wing windows is missing, and no wipers, no rear license bracket assembly, the steering wheel should have been two toned white and red with the 4 small chrome dividers which are missing also. The dash and wheel appear to have been repainted as they do show a lot of orange peel, as far as the non original hounds tooth seat covers they have been covered in an after market cheap plastic which looks to have adhered to the material. Oh, the hole for the missing antenna is at the rear of the front passenger fender, seen in a couple pics.
I could see a lot of issues with this Impala, a year and model I really like but this is one way over priced for what is represented here. Good luck to the seller and buyer.
I had to enlarge the photo to see the hole in the fender–black on black! Not only A pillar stainless missing but top w/shield mldg as well.
I know this is a nitpick, but first impressions do mean something, just like with real estate. The white letter tires look as out of place on a 1960 car as wide whitewalls look out of place on a 1970 car. Otherwise, all of you eagle-eye readers have picked out quite a few deficiencies on what is supposed to be a high-quality example.
I’ll take the Fox-body Mustang convertible in the background.
Engine compartment looks ratty. Wires run over carpet. Cheap plastic recovered seat covers. 4 sp shifter on the floor doesn’t look factory. Never seen a ss 60 impala. With all the crap going on with this auto he posts in front of a church….. prayers needed. Lol
Seller in his ad claims the alternator is new, if that is new I would hate to see the old used one, I also find it odd that there is not one fan belt seen in the engine photo, so how is this a restored and running vehicle? Best guess is this was pushed to a street location for the photo shoot, clearly NOT a runner.