1979 Chevrolet Impala

The 1970s was a very transitional period in the North American marketplace, as consumers and automakers reluctantly shifted their focus away from high horsepower machines to safer and more fuel efficient vehicles. Escalating oil embargos and new safety regulations changed the landscape of the automotive community, and the Impala - like most other vehicles - was redesigned once again in 1977 to comply with the changing demands. They became shorter in length, taller and narrower than in prior years. The US population agreed with the changes and made it (once again) the most popular vehicle in terms of sales for 1976. Motor Trend called the redesigned 1977 Impala/Caprice their Car of the Year.

The 1979 Impala was available with either 6- or 8-cylinder engines and were available as a Sport Coupe, Landau Coupe, Sedan, and a 6- or 8-passenger Station Wagon. The Landau body styles had a vinyl roof, wheel opening moldings and body side pin striping. Pricing began at $5,500 for the Sport Coupe and rose to $6,240 for the 8-passenger Station Wagon.

Changes for 1979 included slight changes to the front and side. In the front was a ladder-style grille with wide, squat openings. The park and signal lamps were updated and positioned into the bumper. The rear side marker lamps were restyled and now had grid detailing. In the front were quad rectangular headlamps and the 250 CID inline six-cylinder engine remained the base powerplant. Station Wagons were given a standard 305 CID two-barrel V8.

Chevrolet offered new body colors for 1979 including greens, browns, and soft blues.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2014