Chevrolet Impala Z11, 1963 Impala Z11 | Conceptcarz.com - Pictures, Pricing, Information, Wallpaper, History

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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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This car is the very first factory light weight car built on the assembly line at Flint, Michigan Chevrolet Assembly. It's still not known how many of these cars were built - somewhere between 50 and 57 are the numbers commonly used. The owner believes there were 50 built, based on a shipping document from an engine plant showing 50 Z-11 engines shipped to the Flint Assembly Plant.

Zora Duntov and his group of engineers developed the 427 Z-11 engine and body package for drag racing. The Z-11 427 engine was the first 427 cubic-inch production engine offered by Chevrolet in a Regular Production Order (RPO) car.

The base price of a 1963 Impala was $2,774. Adding the price of the RPO Z-11 option of $1,240 brings the total price just over $4,000, not including destination charges, taxes, etc.

This car was raced by Ronnie Sox (of Sox and Martin Fame). It was used as their match race car and was billed as the 'World's Fastest Z-11,' turning low 11.20 ET's. It in fact was capable of times as fast at 10.80 ET in the ¼ mile and indeed was extremely fast for its day. The car has factory aluminum hood, fenders, bumpers, brackets and other components.

The 1950's Impala was big, very big. It actually began its life as a top option level of the Bel Air. Due to sales being so well for this body style, Chevrolet decided to create the Impala as its own model. Its styling has been termed 'bat-winged' due to the rear-styling of the vehicle. A variety of engines were available ranging from an inline-6 cylinder up to a triple carburetor, 348 cubic-inches V8 capable of producing 315 horsepower. A fuel injected V8 became available in 1959.
From the front of the car, the design was fairly normal for the 1950's era. Extensive amounts of chrome littered the front end. Two headlights, located side-by-side, were placed on each sides of the vehicle. A front grill was used to help keep the engine cool. View the car from the side and it becomes immediately clear that this is a big vehicle. The length of the vehicle could be extended an additional 11 inches by adding the Continental spare tire cover to the rear of the car. Viewing the car from the rear, the car quickly ends up in a league of its own, with only a few other vehicles such as the Cadillac Series 62 / DeVille having such a radical rear-end. The vehicle featured rear-fins that resembled cats-eyes. To top it all off, this car was not-only long, it was also very wide.

Drum brakes were used and due to the weight of the vehicle, tended to wear out rather quickly. The Impala came in three different body styles including a four-door sedan, two-door coupe, and a convertible coupe. Even though the vehicle weighed 3650 lbs, it could achieve a zero-to-sixy run in about 9 seconds. Top speed was in the neighborhood of 130 miles-per-hour.

Considered to be ‘the best selling full-size car in the U.S.,' in 1960 the Chevy Impala was designed and built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors.

Originating as a sports coupe, the Impala began as a dreamcar for the 1956 General Motors Motorama.
The name Impala originated from a southern African antelope known for its speed and prowess. Introduced in 1958, the Impala was developed by chief engineer automotive executive for General Motors, Edward Cole.
Michigan born, Cole was the son of a dairy farmer whose lifelong aspiration was to become an automotive engineer. Beginning as a lab assistant for the General Motors Institute, Cole worked in engineering before gaining recognition and becoming promoted to chief engineer in 1952. Cole eventually became president of Chevrolet in 1967.

Introduced with a trim package, the new sporty model was unique with its six taillights. Eventually becoming the ‘best selling car in the Chevrolet product line', in 1959 it became a separate model in both two and four-door versions. Within the second year of production, production reached 473,000 units.

Continuing for a decade as the best-selling automobile in the U.S. Impala broke the record for sales with over 13 million units sold. The Impala held this record until 1977 setting an ‘all-time industry annual sales record of more than 1 million units.'

Introducing the largest impala, the 1971 redesign set the standard that has yet to be topped remaining Chevrolet's top-selling model until the late 1970's.

The design of the Impala SS (Super Sport) became the model often credited for the beginning of the muscle car era.

During the 1973 energy crisis that rocketed the nation, the impact of high rising gas prices put a damper on the industry. Impala sales plummeted and the redesign of the Impala to meet changing demands. Minimized in length, becoming more narrow and taller in stature, the new Impala showcased ‘the new image of the full-size American car – smaller, lighter, more efficient.'

Over the decades, the Impala has continued to remain an American trademark, enhanced by its ability to evolve with the times.

Introduced during the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2005, the 2006 Impala came complete with a base engine, a 3.5 L V6 that produced 211 hp. A completely revised interior, the 06 Impala was selected by Fleet car of the Year by both Automotive Fleet and Business magazines.

Elizabeth Johnson

Drag Racer

NASCAR/Stock Car

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Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance	2006 Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance	2005 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

1963 Chevrolet Impala Z11
Year	1963
Make	Chevrolet
Model	Impala Z11
Body Style	Coupe
Engine Location	Front
Drive Type	Rear Wheel
Production Years for Series	1958 - 1972
Price	$4,014.00
Combined MPG	0.00

Performance
1/4 Mile	10.8 seconds.

Engine
Engine Configuration	V
Cylinders	8
Aspiration/Induction	Normal
Displacement	427.00 CU IN. \| 6998.5 cc. \| 7 L.
Horsepower	650.00 HP (478.4 KW)
HP / Liter	92.9 BHP / Liter
Fuel Type	Gasoline - Petrol

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1963 Chevrolet Impala Z11