Chevrolet Impala News

What’s a car without a name? It’s an object that may function superbly well. It might even look impressively tough or beautifully sleek.

Chevrolet was founded in Detroit, in November 1911, by racer Louis Chevrolet and General Motors founder William C. Billy Durant, who developed cars that quickly earned reputations for performance, durability and value. Those traits remain at the core of Chevrolet, which is the world's fourth-largest automotive brand. From the very start, Chevrolet brought technology and features typically reserved for more expensive cars to its lineup of affordable cars and trucks. The first Chevrolet — the Series C Classic Six, offered an electric starter and electric headlamps at a time when both were rarities among even luxury cars. In the decades that followed, innovations such as safety glass, fuel injection, anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control systems were used on Chevrolet models at the same time as more expensive vehicles. As one of the largest-selling brands in the industry, Chevrolet's early adoption of landmark technologies fundamentally changed the way they were applied to new vehicles. Chevrolet also made performance affordable. Its early four and six-cylinder engines were known for durability and strong performance, but it was the 1955 introduction of Chevrolet's small-block V8 that began a new era in attainable high-performance. The engine would power millions of cars and trucks in next 50 years, with its legacy passed on to a new generation of small-block V8s used in today's trucks and SUVs, as well as performance cars including the Camaro SS and Corvette. The performance characteristics of the small-block V8 helped establish Chevrolet as a force in almost all forms of motorsports. Chevrolet-powered race cars were immediate contenders in the fledging stock car and drag racing worlds of the 1950s, growing to dominate them in the next decades. Design has been a cornerstone of Chevrolet and its models have become icons of American culture. The soaring fins of the 1957 Chevy Bel Air epitomized the optimism of the Jet Age, while the sleek 1963 Corvette Sting Ray is regarded by many automotive historians as one of the best-looking cars ever designed. Other Chevrolet models' designs had cultural impacts that resonated for decades. The Camaro, introduced in 1967, brought great design and affordable performance to younger customers. The heritage-inspired design of the fifth-generation model, introduced for 2010, became the best seller among its primary competitors. In the truck world, Chevrolet design innovations helped drive changes and create new markets in the industry. The Suburban was introduced in 1935 and continues as the longest-running automotive nameplate in industry history. Its concept of delivering greater passenger and cargo capacity has remained true for 76 years. In 1955, the special-edition Chevrolet Cameo Carrier introduced smooth rear fenders for the first time to a mainstream pickup. The styling gave the truck a flowing, upscale appearance that differed greatly from the traditional step side design of other contemporary trucks. Within a few years, the entire industry was transformed. The smooth cargo bed sides, which became known as fleetside styling, were found on every truck on the market. The electrically driven Volt leads Chevrolet into its second century and redefines what a car means. It is the world's first mass-produced electric vehicle with extended range, providing up to 500km of driving.  That means Volt provides the benefits of an electric vehicle without the range limitations associated with other electric vehicles in the market  expanding the boundaries of performance and efficiency. It exemplifies Chevrolet's heritage of introducing advanced technology on value-driven products.

In the show the 20-something brothers travel the highways and byways of North America in search of their missing father. Along the way they encounter various evil spirits with which they do battle.It's kind of a family tradition.Now in its second season, the show's other big star is, of course, the big black American muscle car that carries the brothers on their exploits.Many people have asked us what kind of car the Winchester brothers drive. We can report the car, owned by older brother Dean, is in fact a four-door, 1967 Chevrolet Impala.When the car was smashed at the end of the first season, the show's creator Eric Kripke revealed he was inundated with letters from fans wanting to know if it was going to make a return?“When I was originally writing the show I wanted to give the guys an American muscle car,” Kripke said.“My first choice was a '65 Mustang. My neighbour said it had to be a '67 Impala because you can put a body in the trunk.“He says, 'You want a car that, when people stop next to it at the lights, they lock their doors'.”Five black Impalas are actually used in the production of the show. In the pilot episode, the car's huge trunk is revealed to hold a travelling armoury of weapons which the brothers use to do battle with supernatural forces.The Impala has a Sedgwick County, Kansas (even though they are from Lawrence, Kansas) licence plate KAZ 2Y5, a reference to Kansas, the Winchesters' home state, and 2005, the year the show premiered.The Impala has been nicknamed the Metallicar by fans of the show.The Chevy Impala takes its name from the swift antelope found in herds on the grasslands of central and southern of Africa.Introduced in 1958, the Impala was developed by GM's then chief engineer Edward Cole who later became president of the company. It began life as a concept car for the 1956 General Motors Motorama and at one time was the best selling full-size car in the US.Introduced as a trim package, the sporty new model was unique with its six tail lights. It eventually became the best-selling car in the Chevrolet line-up and, in 1959, became a separate model in both two and four-door versions.Continuing for a decade as the best-selling automobile in the US, Impala broke the record for sales with more than 13 million units sold.The two-door Impala SS (Super Sport) is credited for the beginning of the muscle car era.During the 1973 energy crisis, however, Impala sales plummeted and the car was redesigned to meet changing demands. The name continues to this day.The 1967 model as featured on the show came with a choice of inline six-cylinder as well as the famous Chevy small-block and big-block V8s.The big block V8s included a 325hp 396 cubic inch and 385hp 427 cubic inch units. It was available with a four-speed manual or three-speed turbo hydramatic auto in big block V8 form.