Chevy Enthusiast via Hooniverse: The 1994 – 1996 Impala SS Buyers Guide


Taking the everyday Caprice and transforming it into a performance-oriented street brawler seemed outrageous, but this was the 90’s after-all.


Chevrolet was rediscovering it performance heritage: With the recently introduced fourth generation Camaro, the outgoing Corvette ZR-1, and the yet-to-be-introduced Corvette C5, performance was now back at the Bowtie Division. The last Impala 22 was a 1969 edition, and as the 70’s dawned, a performance version of the full-size Chevy was deemed unnecessary. That all changed in November of 1992, when Chevrolet showcased a modified version of the then-new Caprice at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, and called it the Impala SS.

Yes there are many stories on how the Impala SS was created, what engine it was equipped with, and how it became somewhat of a cult classic. However, I dive into the Design and Evolution of the bad-ass Impala, what the popular options were, and what to look for if you ever desire to purchase one.

There are specific milestones with this model and they are:
– November of 1992: Impala SS Concept introduced at SEMA
– February of 1994: First Impala SS produced in Arlington, Texas on February 14th.
– September of 1994: Dark Cherry and Gray-Green Metallic offered.
– September of 1995: Analog gauges and standard floor shift installed.
– December 1996: The last Impala SS produced on December 13th.

If you want to read the entire article, as well as an alternative I exposed, just go to the AMOS Web Site using this link. It really is a great read, even if I do say so myself.

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  1. tenbeers Avatar

    Good articles. I lurve these cars so much, always trolling craigslist and autotrader for a clean, reasonably priced '96.

  2. dukeisduke Avatar
    dukeisduke

    A friend's brother owned a '96 model, in gray-green metallic, the only year with a floor shift. It was really roomy inside. He later traded it for a POS Taurus. The 1996 B-Body cars were the last passengers cars built in Arlington; then they switched to full-size SUVs. Today they build the Tahoe, Yukon, and Escalade, along with a small number or Suburbans and Tahoe XLs (overflow from the primary plant in Silao, Mexico).

  3. P161911 Avatar

    Great article, but everyone always says these cars got the Corvette LT-1, they didn't as far as I know they got the Z-28/Trans-Am LT-1. The Corvette LT-1 has 4-bolt mains, the F-body LT-1 has 2-bolt mains. That the only real difference. I'm pretty sure that GM doesn't even acknowledge a difference in these two engines outside the service manuals. It always sounds better to say something else has The Corvette Engine. A 4-bolt main crate motor costs about $300 more than a 2-bolt one. The merits are of course debatable. But there IS a difference.

  4. CommanderHeinz Avatar
    CommanderHeinz

    My friend's dad actually has one of these. He doesn't drive it much since he got his Corvette, though. It's a nice green/blue color, and is in pretty good condition. I'd love to get my hands on it, but I don't think he's selling it.

    1. wayne Avatar
      wayne

      I have a 96 Chevy impala clean trying to sell

  5. debora Avatar
    debora

    Selling green car impala ss v8 ,96' in Miami . Rangel911@gmail.com

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