Auto Archaeology YouTube channel has found a very interesting junkyard vehicle — a 1967 Chevrolet Impala SS convertible to be exact.
The car is sitting in Reedsburg Auto Salvage Yard, in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Our host mentions that while told that the car was a 427, it is actually a 396 with a four-speed transmission such as the one swapped into this 1962 Corvette.
A Very Green Muscle Car
Although the 396 engine is not what we can call environmentally friendly, the car is definitely green in its own way. The car has been sitting so long that all that remains of the convertible roof is the frame. Looking inside the car we can see the interior has been overrun by vines and flora but despite all this greenery, the interior still doesn't look as bad as one would expect. Sure, the sun visors are in horrible shape and the dash is somewhat faded and cracked, but those are the expectations, even for a car with a roof.
The leather steering wheel and instrument cluster seem in good shape, as do the center console and all the buttons that go with it. The vinyl on the bucket seats and doors looks like it has no major tears and one could possibly bring these back to life — providing you have some thread, cleaning products, elbow grease and a lot of patience.
The Big Block Engine That Powers The Muscle Car
Moving to the front of the car, we can see a tree that has quite literally shaped itself around the right front fender. The car seems to have sunk into the ground and is resting literally on the frame.
Looking under the hood we can see the original 396 engine which, when new, would have produced 325 horsepower. This was enough to propel the full-size, 3,800 lbs vehicle from 0-60 in an impressive 7.8 seconds. Although this engine is most likely seized, this is a numbers matching car and that in itself may be worth the effort.
An Extremely Rare Project Muscle Car
Done up correctly, this car could fetch upwards of $100,000. Our presenter tells us that the scrapyard is planning to dig out the car and sell it. There is no mention of where, when, or how much, but given the rarity of the car it will most likely fetch a pretty penny in the likely event of a bidding war.
This would make an absolutely great project car for someone willing to put in the time and money to get it back to its former glory. Is that person you?