This car is a frustration for me. I'm an admirer of the '67-'68-'69 SS427 model, as it was far more unusual than most people realize. I'll tell the story some day about how these cars were NOT Super Sports.
However, for investment reasons, it would make sense to keep this car as stock as possible, and I couldn't abide by that '69 green colour for a SS427. I do have a '69 427 4-bolt 11:1 long block though. It was probably a 390hp originally anyway.
Oh well.
If we ever spot a black/black/black '67 SS427 'vert, y'all better stand out of the way or be trampled.
I love these cars. My personal favorite is 1968, and I've been trying to find an affordable one for quite some time.
I think what 67 Heaven is referring to is the option codes and what equipt went with them. In 67 & 68 for sure, you could in fact get an SS427 Impala option code Z24 - which came only with a 427, and the special hood, badging etc. - that was not a regular SS option code z03. In 69 the only Impala SS available was the SS427 model, which was not not the case in 67 & 68. You could even get a 6 cyl SS in 67. If it was z24 and not also zo3, it came with a bench seat as standard. There is a guy in BC who has a St. Therese built 68 ss427 that was not a Z03 SS.
Nice car, Same colour as my 69 Beaumont. I got a set of buckets out of one of those. Same as the Beaumonts. My budy got a 69 with a 427 and stripped it . Gave me the buckets. He still has the 427 and trany out of it.
From what I can remember the 67-69 SS427 model was RPO Z24. The Super Sport was a different code? A Super Sport with the 427 engine option was different in trim package. The true SS427's had a unique hood 67-68, 68's had front fender gills and they has different emblems as well. I'm sure there is more to the story than I can remember. A friend in high school had a 68 SS427 convertible. Red 4 speed, with a nasty rear gear. He wasn't much of a driver and put a few engines thru it as well as trannys. The car led a hard life, but it was gorgeous.
There's lots to tell about the SS427, so I'll just focus on the 1967 car for now.
If you ordered a '67 Impala Super Sport you got emblems like this on the front fenders, grill and trunk...
But, if you checked off RPO Z-24 (the SS427), none of the above emblems appeared on the car. In fact, the word Impala is not anywhere on the car, inside or out, because it's not really an Impala. But, these emblems appear on the car... Centre trunk
Centre grill
Unlike the Impala Super Sport, the SS427 got no fender emblems, other than the 427 and flags. If you added a 427 to any non-SS427 (regular Super Sports and non-Super Sport Chevys), your fender flags looked like this...
However, with the Chevrolet SS427, your fender flags suddenly looked like this...
And, voila, you got this amazing hood...
And, where the Impala Super Sport emblem would have been on the trunk, the SS427 had just "Chevrolet", like all non-Super Sports did...
This isn't on the SS427 either...
So, to summarize, you could have ordered an Chevrolet Impala Super Sport (or any other full-sze Chevy) with a 427, but if you knew the RPO code list, you could have ordered a Chevrolet SS427. Most buyers didn't, but those who knew got a real collector's car.
Not only were they not Super Sports, they weren't really even Impalas either. The above ad was designed prior to the car's release; thus the mistake on the trunk emblem.
There's plenty more to the story, but I wouldn't want to bore you guys.
Fascinating stuff Bob, please do tell us more! Is the situation with 68's and 69's similar?
So what would it say on your ownership for the model? Make would say Chevrolet, but model would just be SS427? That would be uber cool but I suspect, at least here in Ontario, your ownership would still say 'Impala' or am I wrong?
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Hillar
1970 LS4 (eventually an LS5) Laurentian 2dr hdtp -and a bunch of other muscle cars...
Supplemental question, was the SS427 option available on any other body style besides the Impala 2 door hardtop and the convertible? If not, wouldn't that lend some credence to the argument that these cars must be Impalas as this option was only available on Impala trimmed cars? Not being argumentative, just wondering...
__________________
Hillar
1970 LS4 (eventually an LS5) Laurentian 2dr hdtp -and a bunch of other muscle cars...
Supplemental question, was the SS427 option available on any other body style besides the Impala 2 door hardtop and the convertible? If not, wouldn't that lend some credence to the argument that these cars must be Impalas as this option was only available on Impala trimmed cars? Not being argumentative, just wondering...
I think the rationale for the required sport coupe or convertible body was to take advantage of the luxury and style built in to those bodies. Chevy wanted the SS427 to be the style leader.
The story changes somewhat in '68, and then again in '69, but the research side of my brain is tired right now.
I really should buy that '69, but I'm holding out for a '67.
Now, here's where it gets real interesting. Examine those hoods. Notice the three distinctive areas? They were designed that way because, just like on the '67 Corvette, they planned to offer 3 x 2 Holleys on the SS427 too.
Don't believe me??????
From the 1967 Chevrolet Factory Assembly Manual (full-size car)...
In addition to the L-36 (385hp), they were going to offer the L-68 (400hp) and the L-71 (435hp), from the Corvette.....symbolized by the shape of the special hood. Neat, huh?
Body styles were: in 67, 2 dr convt & fastback ht only. In 68 & 69, 2 dr convt, fastback and custom coupe styles. There were many features unique to the z24 option as noted for the 67. Same was true for 68. By 69 features like the special hood were gone, but some of the prior year options - e.g. disc brakes - were standard on the 69 SS427.
If you were lucky enough to have a Canadian built car you had the bonus of full documentation from the manufacturer just like the Pontiacs. The US built cars are much harder to document.
Is the situation with 68's and 69's similar?
