Collectible Classic: 1994-1996 Chevrolet Impala SS - Automobile
The Impala SS wouldn’t outrun a modern Honda Accord V-6 , and Leahy is more interested in catching up with friends along Woodward than laying rubber at every stoplight. Yet in its heyday, the SS was a bonafide muscle car, and thanks to its subdued looks and four-door body, it didn’t attract as much attention as its performance merited. After a hiatus of 25 years, the Chevrolet Impala SS returned for the 1994 model year with all the hop-up parts needed to justify its final two letters. Based on a Chevy Caprice sedan, the SS had a beefed-up LT1 V-8. a lower, heavy-duty suspension derived from the Caprice cop car. To help passersby tell the Impala SS apart from plebian Caprices, it wore special five-spoke aluminum wheels and a rear spoiler and all its exterior chrome trim was deleted. The majority of the cars were painted black, which was the only choice in 1994 until dark cherry metallic and dark gray joined the palette for ’95 and ’96. The Chevrolet Impala SS was far meaner than any standard Caprice, able to run to 60 mph in... ” Leahy certainly enjoyed the Impala’s straight-line performance on Woodward, terrifying his wife with full-bore launches and even tagging along on the 2001 HOT ROD Power Tour. He bought the car, after all, because he ended up selling his 1979 Corvette after marriage and kids arrived, but he still wanted a car that would be fun to drive. Source: www.automobilemag.com
