1965 Chevrolet Impala

The 1965 Chevrolet Impala was a gorgeous car. The exterior was smoothed out from years prior, giving it more of the "rocket" look for which Chevy seemed to be striving, as the battle to reach the moon first raged elsewhere.

The car sold very well, with 239,500 units sold. There has been some confusion over the "million car" mark. Some believe that Chevy sold 1 million Impalas in 1965 alone, but the company actually sold their millionth Impala in 1965 - that number included cars sold from all years since its launch in 1958.

Impalas again had an impressive array of engines, including a 396 descendant of the "mystery engines" of years prior (which turned out to be 425s). Available engines ranged from the base 230-ci Inline 6, rated at 140 horsepower, to the 283 V8, rated at 195hp with 2BBL carburetor or 225hp with 4BBL carb, on up to the 409 V8, rated at 400 horses. Transmissions included the standard three-speed synchronized manual column shift, a two-speed powerglide automatic, or a four-speed manual transmission. A three-speed turbo-hydramatic became available in mid-1965. Body styles included a 2-door hardtop, 4-door pillared sedan, 4-door hardtop (Sport-sedan), and a 4-door station wagon.