There are few material things in life that are as priceless as an American classic car, specifically, the Chevrolet.
Invented in the early 1900s, the original Chevrolets — whose namesake, Louis Chevrolet was actually a race car driver for the Buick brand — were envisioned as being manufactured for the wealthy, this is evidenced by the introduction of the “Classic Six”, one of Chevrolet’s earliest models that also had a whopping price tag of over $2000 — a significant price for that day and age, and one very few people could actually afford.
It was also because of this difference in the idea for the vision of the company that the partnership of Louis Chevrolet and William Durant — the founder of General Motors and the one who hired Mr. Chevrolet to drive the Buick vehicles in promotional races — went their separate ways. This bit of history is often included in the story told by those selling classic cars, as it helps illustrate the richness and uniqueness of the Chevrolet brand.
As the years progressed, Mr. Durant continued to compete with Ford and Dodge by introducing automobiles with advancements in engine and body innovation and creativity that ultimately laid the groundwork for the Chevrolet models to surge in popularity.
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Chevy?s flagship car, the Impala, finally has the power to match its heralded name. Ever since the car was redesigned in the late 1990s, the Impala has been more of a pretender than a performer. Now with an optional small block 5.3L V8 added to the mix, the 2006 Chevrolet Impala can go toe to toe with the Chrysler 300 and the Dodge Charger. The changes for the Impala are not all under the hood, Chevy took the time to redo the entire car and they did it with care. Let?s look at some of the changes for 2006.
More Power ? A V6 is a great engine, especially in these times of high gas prices. Still, if you opt for a car of the Impala?s size, at least having the option of purchasing a V8 makes sense, doesn?t it? You better believe it. GM has sweetened the deal by plunking in a V8 that incorporates Corvette technology as the engine heads with ?their pent?roof combustion chambers and flat?top pistons deliver high horsepower?, this according to Chevrolet?s promotional material. In addition, GM?s ?displacement on demand? technology allows the V8 to squeeze out a miserly 28 mpg on the highway [18 mpg city] with computer equipment that shuts down unneeded cylinders at the appropriate time. Cadillac tried this in the early 1980s with its V8-6-4 engine that failed to live up to the job as computing technology then wasn?t what it is today. Fortunately, current GM technology makes this a reality for current models.
Better Looks ? When it comes to ?looks? beauty is subjective. Yet, previous Impala models had a bit of a pedestrian look to them. In the highly competitive large sedan category, this can easily mean lost sales as the choices for similarly priced, but more aggressive looking cars is strong. All new sheetmetal, a more assertive nose ? similar to the Cobalt?s ? and updated headlights and tail lights gives the Impala a fresh and assertive look.
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