The SS, or “Super Sport,” option was available for the first time in Chevrolet’s 1961 catalogue. In 1962 it became a separate sub-series within the Impala lineup, in both coupe and convertible body styles.

The SS models included special badging and "spinner" wheel covers, side-molding inserts, an engine-turned rear cove molding, and bucket seats with a console—for just $53.80 extra. No wonder so many opted for it. The package also included chassis enhancements and beefed-up springs and shock absorbers. Other features included power steering and brakes, metallic brake linings, a prominent column-mounted tachometer, and thin whitewall tires. Most prominent was a grab-bar for the right front passenger, hinting at the power that the Super Sport could deliver.

General Motor’s big-block V-8 engine debuted in 1958 with 348 cubic inches of displacement. Coinciding with the debut of the Impala SS option, it was bored and stroked to 409 cubic inches and christened the Turbo Fire V-8. Initially rated at 360 horsepower with a single Carter AFB four-barrel carburetor, it had solid lifters, a new forged steel crankshaft, distinctive wedge-shaped combustion chambers in the block, 11.25:1 compression, and a more aggressive camshaft. The only transmission choice was, fittingly, a four-speed manual. By 1962, the 409 engine was updated with a pair of dual quad-barrel carburetors, and its factory-issued output rating jumped to 409 horsepower, the perfect cubic-inch-to-horsepower ratio.

This spectacularly restored 1963 Chevrolet Impala SS 409 Convertible is even more potent, equipped with an engine bearing a QB-suffixed stamping, which designates a 1963-to-1964 425-horsepower engine. The exterior is finished in equally desirable Tuxedo Black over a dashing red interior. Occupants benefit from a suite of power options, including windows, steering, and drum brakes. The dashboard features a tachometer, Delco radio, an Autronic Eye headlight dimmer, and a polished chrome tissue box. In between the front bucket seats, a floor-mounted shift lever for the four-speed manual transmission provides the ultimate control over the big block’s prodigious power.

This Impala SS joined the collection of Ron and Sarah Jury in 2018 and was awarded a Senior National First Prize by the Antique Automotive Club of America soon after, further solidifying its supreme quality and presentation.

A definitive classic, this Chevrolet Impala SS 409 Convertible is the perfect weekend cruiser and burly, show field prize winner.