Those were the days. Back in the fifties, sixties, and early seventies, you could count on the American manufacturers making enough changes each year to easily identify one year from another, at least for full size and intermediate size cars. The Chevrolet was redesigned in 1971 and updated in 1972 with a fresh grille/front bumper and taillights/rear bumper. It also provided a little excitement each fall to see what the new models would look like. A styling change with this significance these days would make the manufacturers declare a major update. Here is a 1972 Chevrolet Impala Sport Sedan (4 door hardtop) for sale here on eBay in Malibu, California. Please note that the heading claims this is a 1971, but is corrected underneath as a 1972.
Here’s one that stirs some memories. My mother had the 1972 Caprice version of this car in a darker green with a light green vinyl top. This one, however, has no vinyl top. It’s also similar to what Peggy, Mike’s mom drives on the TV situation comedy, Mike and Molly. A previous owner repainted the car in its original Gulf Green. All metal and trim are original with none missing. The seller states the front bumper has some patina, which appears to be a bit of pitting. All electrical items work including lights.
The interior is described as original with some wear in the shoulder area of the driver’s seat. We can’t see that from the pictures due to the aftermarket seat covers. The headliner is in good condition and this is a non-smoker car. The Impala has an aftermarket Pioneer radio with a cassette player. An owner has installed aftermarket radio speakers in the front door panels. The dash padding appears to be in good condition with no cracking. The manual windows roll up and down easily. The heater works great, but no mention of the air conditioning working status.
The engine is the 350 cubic inch V-8 that originally produced 165 horsepower and was standard on the Impala. The car drives smoothly and can be driven anywhere. The Impala is currently registered and running. The car has had two owners and has a good bit of documentation. This Chevrolet Impala has 64,000 miles. Are you ready to bid on an early seventies Impala in great condition?
My parents had a yellow ’72 Caprice in the late 70’s and early 80’s that they hated with a passion and they couldn’t wait to get rid of it. Any time I see this bodystyle that car comes to mind and I couldn’t own one no matter what the color or options.
I rember moms old chevy….. memories….
Holy crap!! I want this car!! These cars
were so safe and reliable that many of
them survived long into the era where they were being donked bt rappers and
turned into low riders by our Hispanic
friends. Sadly though, while our young
friends were being creative with them,
they lowered the number of pristine
examples available for folks like us.
If what the seller claims is true, my BIL
and I would be on the next flight to
California to pick it up and drive it home.
Then, my family and I would use it as a
daily driver/weekend cruiser. Wouldn’t change a thing about it. Just maintain
the mechanicals and enjoy it as is.
Might have to get the A/C upgraded to
R134 but that’s about it. Makes me
drool just looking at it! And yes, my poor
aching back would thank me every mile
we’d drive it.
Ken, The A/C has already converted to 134 and they’ve replaced the old POA valve with the newer style…. Just in case that makes you want to buy that plane ticket.
Safe? That thing would crumble like a sheet of aluminum foil in an accident.
Big doesn’t equal safe.
https://youtu.be/xtxd27jlZ_g
The ’59 Chevy in your video had an “X” frame and virtually no effort put into crash protection. There are also rumors that the motor was removed for the test to make the “crumpling” more dramatic. By 1972 cars had collapsible steering columns, padded dashes, 3 point shoulder harnesses and were starting to have crumple zones in the front end. Check out this crash of a ’71 Impala for the difference- the dummy did just fine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbRbyVUNrA8
Fred W, the ’59 from the video had a straight 6 engine.
That was a whole lot of empty space there to crumple.
I think people really misunderstand what safe means in the context of cars. More mass Might help in frontal collisions but there has to be proper crumple zones, as whatever momentum doesn’t get absorbed by the car is going to get absorbed by your body, which I probably don’t have to tell you isn’t good. Cars have come a long way in this regard since 1972.
Then there’s of course inconvenient side collisions where size really doesn’t matter. Not only that, this car sits so low to the ground and has such low door height that a modern SUV or CUV would probably be hitting your side windows with its bumper. I probably also don’t need to tell you that isn’t good! This is why new cars have such high doors and small windows.
And let’s not talk about the lack of air bags, anti-lock brakes, traction control , and other safety features that we now take for granted and that have contributed to massively lowering our highway death rates since the 1970s.
Very neat car but I wouldn’t be driving around thinking I was invincible. You’d probably be safer in a modern Kia Rio.
Oh man, these used to be everywhere, and they were all this color.
There is no such thing as an “Impala 400”, this car was built with a 400 c.i. engine and it was replaced with a GM crate 350. Seller doesn’t seem to know that. Wonder if it’s more or less powerful than the original.
All you need is some ASSMAN license plates.
Funny. Yes the “Assman” from Seinfield had this exact car.
65gto, not quite the exact car. The Sienfeld car had a drivers side airbag. That was a very rare option.
Kramer (The Assmans’s) car was a 4 door post though.
My mom had this car in gold. We didn’t have much love for it though because it was a 4 door.
Now we’re talking land yacht! This body style must be at the very end of American car design before it got …ridicolus…!
It’s amusing to think such vehicles were sold as family cars, it’d be absolutely senseless to send off wifey to parallell park this barge downtown. And Chevy was the entry level full size…?
Still…I love it! Great green color , perfectly balancing the era’s nice/tasteless look.It’s the kind of vehicle you’d expect dropping a wheel cover during each hard bend ; just like in the movies ! It’s sad door panels have been cut in this one, I’d suspect replacements are hard to come by , especially in dark green…
Hoping this one goes to a caring owner ; cool piece of 70s history.
Door panels are not a huge problem for most buyers, as to be authentic, what ’70s land barge would be without a set of Pioneers or Jensens?
Chebby is right. No such car as an Impala 400.
Check VIN . That will tell what original engine was.
It may be a 400 in it. People get the 350 and 400 mixed up.
I have to say cars from this era were usually thrown away at 70,000 miles. Today’s cars last longer because of the engineering and manufacturing tolerances. While that car makes me hearken back to the days, I wouldn’t touch this without a proper resto.
According to the VIN, this Impala left the factory with one of the two available 400 engines. 170 or 175 net horsepower.
These, and most other GM’s of the time, if properly maintained, would go 200,000 miles. Yes, ball joints, tie rods, water pumps, heater cores, motor mounts, would fail, but engines and transmissions were pretty bullet-proof.
The “goodwrench” sticker on the valve covers makes me think this is not the original engine…The hubcaps are off a ’71
In 1981 my friend bought his grandmothers 72 impala with a straight 6 and three on the tree!!!!!!!!
I think about it a lot how it would be with a small block and a floor shift.
I’m suspecting that they replaced the 400 with a 350 motor. I had a 72 Impala Custom Coupe with a 400 in it and the 400 emblem on the front fender. That emblem is probably what is being refereed to as the sub-model 400.
Very true about the Goodwrench sticker, kind of makes you wonder. A friend of mine had a brown 4 door hardtop like this back in high school. I later had two 1973 hardtop coupes. They were great riding cars.
I loved these cars. I had four ‘72 Chevys. Two of them were Impala customs and the other two were Caprice. They had the 350s and the 400s, but I preferred the 350s. I liked that concave back window design.