Me & My Car: The ’58 Chevrolet Impala is a steady crowd pleaser among collectors
I have a theory, with no proof what so ever, that the 1958 Chevrolet was really supposed to be a 1957 model. I think either General Motors didn’t have enough time to get it ready or internal problems arose that prevented it from being built.
My reasoning is that the 1958 models were only manufactured one year and they were dramatically different from the 1956 and 1959 models. In the mid-1950s, car manufacturers usually built the same model for two or three model years. Chevrolet built very successful 1955 and 1956 models. But instead of having a brand-new model for 1957, Chevrolet did a face lift of the ’56 model and while it was a good-looking car, it wasn’t accepted as well as the previous two years models.
In the 1957 model year, Ford actually outsold Chevrolet for the first time since 1937, but only for that one model year. It’s interesting to note that today the 1957 Chevrolet is much more popular as a collector car than the 1957 Ford.
The 1958 Chevrolet Impala was built only as a convertible and a 2-door hardtop. It was the top of the Chevrolet Bel Air series with prices starting at $2,841 (about $27,899 in today’s dollars). There were eight different engine options from Chevrolet’s well experienced 235 cubic inch, inline 6-cylinder rated at 145 horsepower to a 348 cubic inch V8 rated at 315 horsepower.
This was General Motors’s 50th Anniversary and they made it notable. It was first year the Impala model name was used. The ’58 Impala was sometimes referred to as a baby Cadillac not only because of its styling but because of its available features. It was Chevrolet’s first year with “quad” headlights and six taillights plus a very opulent interior.
To improve the ride, Impala had a four-coil spring suspension along with a new “X-frame” for a wider wheelbase and if that was enough, an optional “Level-Air” suspension was available. There was plenty of performance available with the maximum from the 348 cubic inch engine.
Of the total of 98,989 Impalas sold that model year, slightly more were convertibles than hardtops. Some believe, the writer included, that it was a mistake to build this beautiful model only one year. As it turned out, the radically styled 1959 Chevrolet did not get as warm of reception.
The owner of this issue’s 1958 Chevrolet Impala is Tom Aithison, a resident of Lafayette. Aithison isn’t the normal car collector.
“Over the years,” he said, “I’ve owned a lot of different cars. I’ve driven nice cars, Corvettes, Bentley, Ferrari, but one day I was at my lake house watch Barrett-Jackson (auction) and I saw these old cars go by, and I said I’m going to do that for a fun thing.”
While he admitted he is mechanically inclined and has rebuilt several older cars in the past, he said, “Now I’m too old to bend over fenders.”
He started being a car collector less than a year ago. He currently owns nine collector cars and he drives them all.
“I don’t know what I want next, but right now I don’t have the room, so I’ll just think about it. I love looking for them, I love seeing the beauty of them, I love driving them and it’s the experience of taking yourself back,” he said. “I even have my wife looking at Barrett-Jackson auctions and she’s starting to identify the cars.”
This 1958 Chevrolet Impala is a relatively new acquisition paying $74,000 for it. It’s a very nice car and Aithison thought it was in perfect condition. It looks great with the Continental Kit that was popular when that car was new. It has Powerglide automatic transmission, power steering and power drum brakes, but no power windows or air conditioning. It even has a Kleenex holder mounted under the dash with the Chevrolet logo on it. The fender skirts are in the trunk, as the owner doesn’t like that look.
Not an unfamiliar story, he had some surprises and has had to invest another $7,000 to $8,000 in not major-major items, but necessary items that included a water pump, rebuilding the radiator, rebuilding the generator and carburetors, eliminate all the leaks, replace door handles that were falling off, a clock that didn’t work, and maybe a few other things. But it runs fine. The odometer says 44,100 miles, but the owner has no idea how many times it has turned over. The car should now be the perfect car he thought he bought a few months ago.
It’s my observation that Aithison likes his 1958 Chevrolet Impala, but he doesn’t love it. While he isn’t in any hurry, he is thinking that maybe it is time to move on and look for another collector car. The retired businessman is hoping he can just break even.
Have an interesting vehicle? Contact David Krumboltz at MOBopoly@yahoo.com. To view more photos of this and other issues’ vehicles or to read more of Dave’s columns, visit mercurynews.com/author/david-krumboltz.