In the early 1960s, intense rivalry among the American auto manufacturers began to manifest itself on the short dirt tracks and the high-banked oval speedway in the southern United States. Chevrolet was right in the thick of the battle when Junior Johnson debuted his Impala at the 1963 Daytona 500. Johnson's Impala quickly had the competition taking notice when he ran 165.183 mph in practice (fully 8 mph faster than the previous year's pole speed).
Powering the Impala was the legendary 427 'Mystery Motor' that featured a new design cylinder head (called the Porcupine as the angled valves and rockers 'stuck out every which way') and a four-bolt main block. Unfortunately, mechanical problems robbed Johnson and the Impala of victory when leading the 1963 Daytona 500. For most of the races that year, Johnson's Impala was on the pole and by the end of the season, Impalas had scored eight victories during their first and only year of competition.
Chevrolet had learned a valuable lesson from the 'Mystery Motor' program and applied what they had learned on the track back to the engine's design. Within a few short years, production Chevrolet 427 Mar IV big block engines would dominate a wide variety of racing venues throughout the world.
The current owner is The International Speedway Corporation, Daytona, Florida.
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