Classic Cars : Classic Nation

65 Impala… SS or not SS, that is the question…

These days, many people are trying to immitate SS models of cars to make them look like Super Sports. People do this with Nova’s, Chevelle’s, Camaro’s and Impala’s. It is getting very tough to tell what cars are an SS model and which ones are not. For $50, I can get the SS emblems for my car, which could turn any non SS into an SS look-alike. But, there are a few things that give the non-SS away. On a 65 impala SS, rocker molding was not included on the SS models from the factory (although it was put on a handful as an option).

The 1965 impala SS came from the factory without a mirror on the passanger side (the SS mirror is also more sleek on the driver side). Obviously, the “Chevorlet” script emblem that is situated on the grill on non-SS models has been replaced with a Supersport block lettering emblem in the same location (there is also Super Sport script on the fenders and just below the trunk molding). For impala’s with original wheels, the SS versions had a different hubcap with a three bar spinner in the center, sporting the smooth, red, SS letters. There were many interior differences as well but we will just stick to exterior. With all of these differences, you can usually weed out many of the imposters, but to be 100% sure, you would have to check the cowl tag. SS models were designated as such on these tags.