For the 1959 model year, Chevrolet had a hit on its hands with its new Impala. A total of 1,134,270 buyers handed over their cash to park one in their driveway. Of those, 164,901 were the gorgeous Sport Coupe version. This is one of those cars, and a running big-block V8 occupies its engine bay. It shows plenty of promise as a project car, offering equal helpings of good looks and impressive performance. Located in Houston, Texas, you will find the Impala listed for sale here on Craigslist. You could tackle this project by handing the owner $8,500. I have to say a big thank you to Barn Finder Larry D for once again demonstrating that he has an effective radar when it comes to spotting a genuine classic.
The owner is pretty vague in his listing for this Impala. It appears that it rolled off the production line wearing Satin Beige paint, which remains largely intact. It is pretty weathered and tired, and the buyer will probably choose to strip the vehicle to bare metal if they intend to achieve a high standard of finish on this restoration. The panels have accumulated their share of minor dents and bruises, but these all appear repairable. Probably the biggest question playing on any buyer’s mind will be that of rust. The owner provides no information in the advertisement, meaning that the state of the floors and frame are unclear. However, if this Impala has spent most of its life in the dry Texas climate, it could be structurally sound. Some is visible in the lower rear quarter panels, but only an in-person inspection will determine whether the next owner could address this with patches or whether complete panel replacement is the best option. It appears that most of the trim is present and should be a restorable proposition. The Impala features tinted glass, and while the windshield seems to be cracked, the rest looks in good order.
If this Impala has an ace up its sleeve, it is revealed when we lift the hood. It isn’t clear whether this classic is numbers-matching, but a 348ci big-block V8 occupies its engine bay. This motor is bolted to a two-speed Powerglide transmission, while the vehicle is also equipped with power steering. The seller doesn’t indicate which version of the 348 we are looking at here, but it should be producing at least 250hp. While the Powerglide does sap some outright performance, this 3,860lb beast should still cover the ¼ mile in 17.8 seconds. Of course, if this is a more potent version, that figure will drop substantially. From a positive perspective, the owner says that this V8 does run. There is no word on whether the car is roadworthy, but that’s a question that would be worth asking. It appears that it rolls on newer tires, which could be a positive indication on that front. We don’t get a look at the interior, but we know it features air conditioning. The state of the upholstery is unclear, but given the outside appearance, the buyer probably needs to brace for a complete interior re-trim. With trim kits retailing for around $2,900, this won’t be a cheap process. However, the finished product and the potential value should make it worth the cost.
The owner of this 1959 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe has done himself no favors with his listing. However, what can be seen shows promise for potential buyers. If the car has survived largely rust-free, returning it to its former glory should be a pretty straightforward process. The big-block V8 occupying the engine bay adds to its appeal, and if restored to a high standard, it should be capable of commanding a value of $50,000 without raising a sweat. If the new owner achieves perfection, that figure could balloon beyond $80,000. When you look at the asking price, that leaves a lot of room to move on any restoration. The car has only been on the market a short time, and I suspect that somebody will snap it up pretty quickly.
I see a Houston flood victim. Had an Impala 2 door ht with 348 four barrel. Turbo Glide. Blue body, white top. But, was not a flood car.
My favorite year Chev. And I am Mopar.
I picked up a 69 Charger RT/SE, Sunroof, 440, auto, air, power windows.
Big flood was the next week in Houston.
Sad part, next to it was a 69 Hemi Coronet RT and might have been underwater after
Could very well be since no interior pics.
Last pic shows California black plates. So, it doesn’t look like a lifetime spent in Texas but can imagine how beautiful it’ll look once it’s given the royal treatment.
This ad is a scam, it pops up all over craigslist.
Yeah, I’m beginning to think so too. Once they start to cover up the plates, you know something is up.
Correct Chuck – it showed up on the Dallas CL way over a year ago with the sad song ” this is my dad’s car and he is sick ” – I chased it back then for a week or so.
The pictures are the same ones from a year or so back – it’s been posted all over CL as I’m chasing 1959 parts for my sedan delivery.
I think you are right, it was on C/L in Phoenix and I thought whats up with this, it just seemed off. So much so I didn’t even chase it down. Maybe I was right for once.
This car was on C/L in Phoenix, it seemed strange ,so much so that I didn’t even follow up on it. For once maybe my scam radar was working.
Single exhaust means it’s probably the lesser of the 348. Not enough pics or detail either. Poor ad for a potential very nice car.
ALL 348s had duals, regardless of the HP rating.
When I was much younger, my dad had a buddy that owned tandem axle Chevrolet dump truck. It was constantly breaking crankshafts. Was that owner abuse, or could some of you older guys confirm there was a problem with 348 cranks? And Joe, I’d always heard the Turboglide was a turd of a transmission. What was your experience? And Adam and Joe, as far as “…{1959} gorgeous Sport Coupe version…”, I’ll be kind and say, different strokes for different folks.
Don’t know about the cranks but i had a 61 Impala 250hp/348 and turbo glide terrible transmission same as a Buick dynoflow no shift points you had GR for grade which was a granny low I trashed it in short order and converted it to a 4speed
Also I don’t remember any 348 valve covers being blue not that it matters maybe trucks had blue but all I’ve seen were orange
Turboglides got a bad rep, but I had 2 61s w/TG and never had a problem. In reading the above post, the reason you trashed it was because you THOUGHT it was a “granny low”. It was NOT. It was to be used ONLY for additional engine braking on hills. If it was used as a LOW and then shifted to drive, they fell apart. Seems that happened to a lot of them at the hands of uninformed TG owners.
This car has been for sale for at least over a year and no takers. A highly desirable car but what is keeping someone from purchasing. My guess is all that rust. Would like to see what the trunk, pans, rockers and frames look like. I can only imagine.
The Turboglide was junk. My dads 57 had it, and my 59. Both needed major repair.
My guess, not enough cooling and or too much slippage, or both.
Anyway, gotta get out to shop and do some things on my Nascar Challenger for an upcoming event
Is my memory right? Was the Turdoglide derived from the Buick Dynaflow?
No. Similar feeling but really unrelated.
Odd that this ’59 shows the rear black plate and has the CA one piece rear bumper. The front bumper is the two -piece mid-west type. Also, first thing I see under the hood are the non- original big bulbous horn’s which look to be shoehorned in. This looks like a rust bucket beater and will be a real money pit for the new owner. Not sure on this but could very well be a scammer as I recall sometime back seeing this for sale at other sites.
Chuck Dickinson by saying i trashed it i meant i changed it for a 4 speed because that’s what i really wanted in the 1st place i never drove it by shifting it from low to drive only once to see what it was i didn’t break it i would have done the same thing if it had been a PG this was 1966 auto transmission’s weren’t popular for street car’s back then it was a really great car when i bought it just didn’t have the transmission i wanted and i couldn’t find one that did at the time
Had one with a 283, three-on-the-tree … paid $75 for it in 1970; needed new clutch – $20 for clutch, plate, and bearing, installed … could get 90 in second … had a great back seat for the girlfriends … got stolen in Chicago in 1971 … really missed that car …