The 60's was a great time for the automobile. Drag racing and stock car racing were increasing in
popularity. Winning on Sunday meant sales on Monday. Every year, each manufacturer up the ante
over the previous year’s offerings with bigger engines or new sportier models. The horsepower wars
were in full swing. Performance oriented full sized cars became less popular with the introduction of the
muscle cars. However, the manufacturers had an agreement that a 400 cubic inch limit would be put on
engines to be installed in the intermediated sized cars. Such agreement did not exist for full sized cars.
Ford had 406 and 427 engines, Dodge and Plymouth the 426 max wedge, then the 426 hemi, Pontiac
offered a 421 super duty engine. Chevy had kept pace with its legendary 409, but dropped it from the
option list in the mid 1965 model year. It was replaced with the Mark IV engine displacing only 396
cubic inches. Wanting to keep with the other cars which offered 400+ cubic inch engines in their fullsized
line up, Chevrolet increased the displacement of its Mark IV engine to 427 cubic inches in 1966. It
was available with either 390 or 425 horse power.
Full sized Chevrolets had just received a major restyling in 1965, so 1966 was a “face lift” year. Gone
were the trademark six round tail lights usually found on Impalas (except for 1959). 1966 also marked
the final year that Super Sports were a separate series. In 1967, Super Sports became an option on an
Impala. Super Sport models accounted for just nine percent of total full size Chevrolet production for
1966.
This unrestored, black,1966 427 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport is owned by Bob and Sherry Reid. It still wears its original lacquer finish and, with the exception of its wheels and tires, is pretty much a time capsule from 1966. Being a Super Sport, vinyl bucket seats, consul and a floor shift set the interior apart from regular Impalas. Under the hood is an L-36, 390 horsepower 427 backed by a turbo hydromatic transmission
The car was sold new by Lang Motors in Meadville,
Pennsylvania. The original owner kept it for 11 years
putting 12,000 miles on it during that time. He then
traded it back in at Lang Motors for $2,400.00. Dean
Lang, son of the owner of Lang Motors, kept the car
for three years during which time it was displayed in a
building across the street from the dealership where
other high performance and special interest cars were
kept. In May, 1980 it was sold to Howard Friedman,
a car dealer from Erie, Pennsylvania for $3,001.00. From there it went to up state New York and then
made its way to Ontario.
The SS next went to Bathurst, New Brunswick, then Fredericton, and finally purchased by Andy MacDonald of Moncton, N.B. Bob spotted the car at the 2000 Atlantic Nationals in Moncton and soon became the next owner. The car had only traveled 56,000 miles up to this point. Bob and Sherry have put approximately 5,000 miles on the SS since acquiring it. With two other cars to maintain, Bob advises that he is thinking about downsizing by one car. This may be a great opportunity to own a piece of Chevrolet history. Remember, a car can be restored numerous times, but it is only original once.