1960 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe

1960 was the second model year for the second generation of Chevrolet's Impala, now its own model line rather than a special edition Bel Air. It could be had as a pillared sedan, a hardtop sedan, a five-door wagon, a convertible, or hardtop Sport Coupe like the one in the picture.

This second generation Impala shared its basic body shell and X-shaped frame with other B-body General Motors offerings from Buick, Olds, and Pontiac, although its 119" wheelbase was shorter than its closest kin, like the Catalina and LeSabre.

The '60 Impala Sport Coupe came with an almost bewildering array of driveline options based around OHV inline-sixes, and small-block and big-block V-8s. The bottom of the motor hierarchy was the 235 cubic inch Hi-Thrift inline six, which made 135 horsepower and could be had with three- or four-speed manual transmissions or the two-speed Powerglide automatic. 

Next up was the Turbo-Fire 283 OHV V-8, in either low-compression, 2-barrel 180hp form or as the Super Turbo-Fire, with a 9.5:1 compression ratio, 4-barrel carb, and 230 ponies. Big block options were the 4-barrel Turbo-Thrust 348 cube big-block rated at 250 horsepower, or the Super Turbo-Thrust, which sported triple deuces on a free-flowing intake manifold and was rated at 280 horsepower. The two performance V-8 options came with close-ratio synchromesh 4-speeds rather than the overdrive 4-speed manuals of the lesser power plants, or else a 3-speed manual or 2-speed Powerglide. 

This Roman Red and Ermine White two-tone '60 Sport Coupe would have been the swoopiest thing in the Chevy catalog that year that wasn't a Corvette.

When Motor Life magazine tested a 1969 Impala Sport Coupe they noted its rich options list and the way it would cruise quietly and comfortably at seventy for as long as the petrol held out. They also pointed out that the $2,597 base price ($28,200 adjusted for inflation) was pushing Chevy out of the bottom end of the market, making the recent introduction of the cheap, compact Corvair a sensible addition to the lineup.

With the 250 horsepower Turbo-Thrust big block V-8, the 3,840 pound test car managed to get to sixty from a standstill in 10.7 seconds and returned 12 to 17 miles per gallon over the course of testing.

The car in the photos was snapped with a Nikon Coolpix P7000 in Alliance, Ohio back in July of 2015.