While we all remembers exactly where we were when the Impala was unvelied in 1958, many people are unaware that the concept of the Impala had been incorporated in previous Chevy cars as early as 1950. The Impala body was used as the high-end frame for the Chevrolet Bel Air, and sold so well that Chevy decided to make the Impala its own model starting in 1958. The legend was born...

1958-1959: A Legend is Born

In 1958 Chevy unveiled the Impala, officially supplanting the rest of the fleet as the largest Chevrolet automobile to date. Consumers loved it, and it wasn't long before the Impala became America's favorite car.

The Impala was perhaps best known for the six tail-lights adorning its rear. Sales were directly tied to the number of tail lights the Impala had...in 1959 the malentailed Impala sold dismally, becoming the black sheep of the family.

In 1959 Chevrolet foolishly ditched the sextuple tail-light configuration, assuming the finned exterior would carry the flagship vehicle. Sales dropped, the Chevy brass repented, and they wisely brought back the extra 4 tail-lights in 1960.