NEW BUILDS – ’62 Impala: White Jacket, Black Tie, Emerald Jewelry

Early Chevy Impalas are classy, beautiful cars; all hardtops or convertibles, they are decorated with little styling flourishes not found on other models and feature high-end and attractive interiors with cool color combinations and details more expected in a Buick or even a Cadillac. The 1962 model is a particular favorite of mine, which is why I had to have this early Johnny Lightning Impala in white with a black top. I have already acquired a version of the later Auto World variation of this body, the ’62 Bel-Air “bubble-top”, and I was pleased to see that the Impala had its own unique roofline and historically correct 6 tail lights, as opposed to the BA’s 4 lenses. I won this lightly used version at auction-where I’m sure I paid too much, but what the hay-and when it arrived I considered how it make it look its best.

I wanted something “extra” for this one and I found it when I stumbled upon someone selling a translucent green Ultra G chassis which was no doubt taken from one of the lame “Looney Tunes” AW releases (not that I don’t love Looney Tunes: I do, but those cars are…lame). I bought the one-of chassis and when it arrived I promptly removed the goofy red tires and stock wheels and axles and built it “my way” with a set of Road Race Replicas deep-dish chrome reverses, the same wheels I used on the ’62 Bel-Air. I considered other styles, but these wheels look so damn good on a full-sized early 60’s muscle box because that’s the era when they were most popular, so ultimately I couldn’t resist.

So…how do you like her now?

I needed a car name and a driver name, and entered it into the “LATE ADDITIONS” section of the fleet roster under the ownership of Pittsburgh, PA native Ted “Snowman” Sabrosky. For the car, several nicknames occurred to me but were rejected for various reasons: “Ghost Rider”, “Glacier” and “Boneshaker” are already taken; “Siberian Express” was too Russian for a cold war-era car; a few other names that would cause heads to explode everywhere would have been fun for that reason alone, but even your humble blogger isn’t that “right wing.” 😀 So, I’m leaning toward another “bone-themed” name: “Crossbones,” or perhaps one other idea: “Touch Of Class.” That doesn’t sound like the name of a road-racing muscle car, but it sure is an apt description for a white Impala with a customized green interior!

Of course it may not even matter since the Ultra G Muscle Car Racing Fleet is now so overstocked that it may never see actual track duty, but hey, I like putting cars together, so I keep buying ‘em. I’m rather pleased with out she came out!