1960 Chevy Impala Sport Coupe

The slightly more restrained 1960 Chevrolet Impala followed on from the wild styling of the 1959 models which, if we are honest, wasn’t that popular with the public at the time.

Arguably the 1959’s were a step too far which will have contributed to the slump in sales that year. A major overhaul wasn’t on the cards so the ’59 was refined and smoothed out. The result is the fine automobile you see here. It was a great year for Chevrolet as they managed to corner 28 percent of the US auto market.

The triple tail lights are an easy way to identify an Impala over the other full-size Chevrolet models.

rear view of a 1960 Chevy Impala Sport Coupe showing the factory continental kit
side view

We can also see here a somewhat rare factory fitted continental kit. In fact only 47 cars were originally fitted with one.

Vinyl and cloth interior

Inside is a striking two-tone turquoise interior and what Chevrolet described at the time as, “color-keyed interior beauty… a brilliant selection of pattern cloth and leather-grained vinyl upholsteries, floor coverings and tasteful appointments.”

instrument panel inside a 1960 Chevy Impala
instrument panel

Under the hood is the largest displacement engine that Chevrolet had available as an option that year, a 283 cubic inch V8. This is the 230 horsepower version with a 4-barrel carburetor. A 3-speed manual transmission was standard although this car was purchased with a Powerglide automatic transmission. It’s a combination that would have cost the original owner an additional $335 when they ordered the car new.

Chevy 283 cubic inch V8 engine from 1960
283 V8

SOME CHEVROLET OPTIONS FOR 1960

Option Price
Heater $69
Push-button AM Radio $65
E-Z-I Glass $35
Whitewalls $30
Wheel Discs $13.50
TurboThrust $75
Triple Carburetor $65
Positraction $40

Note: These prices would have also incurred sales tax

Production figures from Chevrolet are a bit vague around this period as they chose to keep records by body style and not per model. We do know that they produced 204,467 Sport Coupes. This would have been for both the Impala and Bel Air.

front view of a 1960 Chevy Impala
front view

An Impala Sport Coupe would have cost you $2,597 for one equipped with a 235.5 cubic inch “Hi-Thrift” six cylinder engine. Another $107 got you the Economy Turbo-Fire 283 V8 (170 hp, 2-barrel carburetor version) – both came with 3-speed manual transmission as standard.

This ’60 Chevy Impala is currently for sale on eBay. (follow the link for more photos)

Leave a Comment