Your dad's engine choice told on him.
10 options. One showroom. One year.
Grocery-getter or fire-breather. Dad decided.
Chevrolet’s 1965 Impala order form listed 10 different engine options. Which option the buyer chose said a lot about that person.
Here’s how the lineup went.
At the very bottom was the 283 ci V8 with a 2-barrel carburetor, producing 195 hp. A sensible choice. The kind of dad who looks at the price tag first.
One step up was the 327 ci engine with a 4-barrel carburetor, producing 250 or 300 hp. Same Impala, but way cooler.
At the very top was the 396 ci Turbo-Jet. It was released on February 15, produced 325 hp, and replaced the 409. Before the 409 was discontinued, only 2,828 Impalas and Super Sports were produced with this engine. The gearshift was a 3-speed manual mounted on the steering column, unless, of course, you paid extra for a 4-speed, Powerglide, or Turbo Hydra-Matic.
In the hardtop model, when you lowered the side windows, there were no pillars left to block the breeze.
Anyone could buy the same Impala. Only your engine revealed who you were.