WHAT MAKES THE ‘64 IMPALA A LOWRIDER LEGEND?

Text by Matt Boyd Image Courtesy of the Historic Vehicle Association

The 1964 Chevy Impala is without question the quintessential lowrider platform, but how did that come to pass, and why that particular model and year? The answer is a mix of technical, aesthetic, and economic reasons. From a technical standpoint, the 1959-64 Impala featured an X-frame chassis, a design that is both strong and easy to work on. More importantly, the coil spring/control arm suspension at all four corners is ideal for installing airbags or hydraulics, allowing the radical changes to ride height that has defined lowrider car culture from the beginning to be accomplished without difficult or expensive modifications. That X-frame chassis was discontinued in favor of a perimeter frame in 1965.

But why the ’64 in particular? Well, starting in 1961 the Impala was redesigned with a lighter, slightly more compact body style, and for each successive model

year the lines got smoother and less ostentatious. Shedding weight helped from a technical standpoint, but even more influential were the progressively cleaner lines and the more restrained use of chrome and other ornamentation. After all, lowriders are as much about artistic creativity as anything else, and the flatter sides and broader expanses of unblemished sheetmetal on the 196364 cars offered the best canvas on which to realize the builder’s own unique vision, which is no doubt why some of the earliest and most famous lowriders—cars like the legendary Gypsy Rose—were built from them.

And lastly: raw numbers. In the late

1960s, as the lowrider look was coming to prominence in the custom car scene, early‘60s Chevys were plentiful and relatively cheap. 1964 represented the high-water mark for Impala production, with more than 880,000 sold in that year, so that particular model year was among the easiest to find and afford. So the ’64 Impala represents a convergence of sorts, where the engineering, the styling, and the economics all come together to create the ideal lowrider platform.