The 1994 to 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS was the end of an era.
It was Chevy’s last body-on-frame performance “car” as it and the Caprice sedan that it was based on went out of production after the 1996 model year.
The Impala SS was previewed by a concept car that debuted at the 1992 Detroit Auto Show made it to production with few changes.
The most significant was the switch from an 8.2-liter big block V8 to a 260 hp version of the 5.7-liter V8 from the Corvette. It was largely the Caprice police package wrapped in a menacing blacked-out style with a set of nifty five-spoke wheels.
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The Impala SS could hit 60 mph in less than seven seconds and run 15s at the drag strip, which wasn’t bad at all back then, especially for an 18-foot-long two-ton car. Better yet, cranking up the small block’s power with performance parts was as easy to do as with any Chevy V8.
Prices started around $24,000, which would be approximately $50,000 in 2024, and nearly 70,000 were sold during the model run, making it a certified hit. It’s not uncommon to see heavily modified and beat-to-death examples on the road today, but well-kept cars appear to finally be getting the attention they deserve.
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According to Classic.com, the average price paid for an Impala SS has increased from $14,000 in 2020 to that original sale price of $24,000, but above average cars are doing much better.
A 1996 Impala SS with 352 miles on the odometer was sold on Bring A Trailer on Oct. 24 for $59,300. That followed the Sept. 7 sale of an 898-mile car for $60,000.
There’s no telling how many more ultra-low-mileage cars are still out there that can command these prices, but the trend suggests they won’t be getting cheaper anytime soon.
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