1972 Chevrolet Impala

The 1972 Chevrolet Impala was positioned above the Bel Air and below the Caprice. Body styles included a sedan, 2-door hardtop coupe, 4-door hardtop sedan, custom coupe, convertible, and a 6- and 9-passenger station wagon. The best-selling body style was the formal-roof Custom Coupe, and this would be the final year for the Impala convertible. 6,456 examples of the convertible were built in its final year, earning it the fourth place spot in regards to industry sales, right behind the Corvette's 6,508 units sold, and head of the Mustang's 6,401 examples.

The sedan was priced at $3,370 with the six-cylinder engine and $3,700 with the V8. The hardtop coupe was $3,385 with the six and $3,720 with the V8. The four-door hardtop sedan had a factory base price of $3,770, the Custom Coupe listed for $3,765, the convertible at nearly $4,000, the six-passenger wagon at $4,060, and the nine-passenger version adding an additional $100.

Chevrolet's base six-cylinder engine was an overhead-valve six-cylinder unit displacing 250 CID and offering 100 horsepower. The base V8 unit was a 350 CID with overhead valves and delivering 165 brake horsepower. The inline-six was standard for the four-door sedan and Sport Coupe body styles, and from 1973 through 1976, the 350 2-barrel V8 became the standard engine. The six-cylinder cars came standard with a three-speed manual transmission. The V8 had standard Turbo Hydra-Matic transmissions. Optional engines included the 350, 400, 402, and 454 cubic-inch V8.

All engines were designed to run on unleaded gasoline beginning in 1972.

Standard features included a concealed antenna located in the windshield, a cigarette lighter, a lighted locking glove box, a center dome light, a power ventilation system, and armrests. Other interior features included an inside hood release, floor carpeting, vinyl-trimmed pattern cloth upholstery, a deluxe steering wheel, foam rubber front seat cushion, luggage compartment light, three-point safety belts, and wood-grained instrument panel accents. Mechanical features included power steering, and power front disc and rear drum brakes.

The convertibles had an all-vinyl interior with carpeted lower door panels.

The Impala was part of Chevrolet's lineup from 1958 to 1985, 1994 to 1996, and 2000 until 2020. It was a full-size vehicle and one of the best sell American-made automobiles in the United States. The 1972 model year was part of the fifth major generation of styling first introduced in 1971 and continuing through 1976. The redesigned B-body would be the largest car ever offered by Chevrolet, and the high-performance big-block V8 was still offered in the form of the Turbo-Jet 454 with 365 hp, however, power decreased as the years progressed due to stiffer emission regulations and a new horsepower rating system.

In the front, the grille extended below the bumper, both forming a soft 'V' in the center. The egg-crate-type grille was flanked on either side by dual round headlights enclosed in square bezels. Parking lights were on the body corners, on the outside edge of the headlights. The hood panel bulged at the center and wore Chevrolet block lettering on its front edge. Power disc brakes were now standard on all full-size Chevrolet vehicles, as did Astro-Ventilation, concealed wipers, a heater and defroster, cigarette lighter, center dome light, armrests, a locking glove box, and a hidden antenna (located within the windshield).

New federal mandates for 1973 meant the Impala received a larger, shock-absorbing front bumper to comply with 5-mile-per-hour impact protection. New taillights were positioned in the conventional rear bumper, and the convertible was moved to the well-equipped Caprice Classic series.

Not including station wagon sales, Chevrolet produced approximately 597,500 Impala vehicles for 1972, a dramatic increase over the circa-427,700 examples produced a year earlier.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2018