The 1964 Chevrolet Impala seems to have ingrained itself into pop culture just as much as it has in classic car culture. The 1964 model year is part of the third generation of the Impala, a car that originally started out as a family car but soon evolved into a muscle car and one of the most popular at that. Even in 2022, the Impala finds itself as popular as ever, while also holding its value impressively on the classic car market.

This is despite there being more valuable and perhaps interesting muscle cars out there. And while they aren’t the rarest muscle cars out there, 1964 Impalas are still very much collector's gems. What has perhaps helped is how easy these cars are to modify, something we will look at later. That lack of rarity should not detract from what has always been a great car, and one that will probably be a collector's gem for many years to come.

9 The Cars Unique Body And Stance

For 1964, Chevrolet took the Impala and gave it a bit of a redesign. What came out was a more rounded, softer-looking car that appealed to the masses.

The car would become a high-end, prestigious part of Chevrolet’s lineup, and to this day it is often seen as the quintessential model of the Impala. This is before you factor in that glorious V8 engine, too.

8 It Is Easily Customizable

Part of what has helped this generation of Impala stay so popular is its easy customization levels. These cars would become the status symbols of many in the late 20th century, and of course, Tupac would have his own custom 1961 Impala.

The large trunk meant well-equipped hydraulics systems could be fitted, plus many would take the exterior look of the Impala to whole new levels.

7 Passenger Comfort Was Unrivaled

While it qualified as a muscle car, the Impala did not skimp on passenger comfort. It was launched in 1958 with an x-frame, making it longer and lower than a lot of previous Chevrolet models.

As it was initially seen as a family car, this meant the Impala comfortably seat five passengers, and the cabin was massive for what was, in reality, a muscle car.

6 Holds Its Value Nicely

Despite there being more exotic and rarer muscle cars available now, the Impala does hold its value well. Part of this is down to the fact they are in such high demand, meaning the value stays up and unless it’s a wreck, they can go for solid sums of money at auctions.

But unlike some muscle cars, the value doesn’t skyrocket so for many, they are quite an affordable classic muscle car.

RELATED: Home-Built 1968 Impala Is A Custom Beauty That Took Seven Years To Finish

5 The Low-Rider Culture

It would be wrong to talk about the Impala without talking about its low-rider culture. Low-riding has been part of American car culture at least since the 1950s, and the Impala is almost a symbol of that culture.

It was already lower than many cars available at the time, and various hip-hop artists of the 1990s would simply add to that culture and elevate the status of the ’64 Impala.

4 The 409 V8 Engine

The beating heart of the Impala is its 409ci V8 engine. And boy, what an engine it is. It produces 425 hp, and naturally, it is a big block engine with Carter AFB 2X4-barrel carburetors.

Smaller block engines such as the 283ci 195 hp V8 engine were available, but it's this larger, heavier, and louder V8 that typified the Impala.

RELATED: This Street-Legal 1964 Impala Lowrider Took A Decade To Build

3 Super Sport And Convertible Versions Available

It is perhaps the fact both a convertible and Super Sport (SS) version of the Impala was available that helped increase the car's popularity. Convertible versions of the car are incredibly elusive in 2022, but the magical SS version is the one that many people crave.

That SS treatment added an optional appearance package for the car, whilst also beefing up the chassis and other mechanical components.

2 A Pioneering Muscle Car

Whilst initially conceived as a family car, it's arguable that the Impala was a pioneering muscle car. The fact it was a relatively affordable car for its time helped to drive muscle car culture's popularity.

Plus, a muscle car with the space and practicality of a family car is something that few models can claim to have. The Impala was in some ways ahead of its time.

RELATED: Here's The Best Feature Of The 1964 Chevrolet Impala

1 Its Place In Popular Culture

Perhaps another factor that helps the Impala be so great is its role in popular culture. Dr. Dre, of course, showed of a 1964 Chevrolet Impala, that appeared in the music video for “Still D.R.E”.

Making a car such as the ’64 Impala, so mainstream, is only going to help its cause. It's for this reason, and all those above, that means the 1964 Impala is a truly great car.

Sources: Heacock Classic, Concept Carz, Hemmings, Motorious, Chevy Hardcore, Mecum