Convertible-look roof
The sport coupe's roof looks like a raised convertible top, not the 1961 bubbleback.13
Class of '62 · Chevrolet Impala · 1962 body · third generation
1962Chevrolet Impala
A convertible-look roof on the sport coupe, the new 327, the 409 in two versions, an Impala wagon, and the Super Sport as a trim package.
The year in brief
The sport coupe got the «convertible roof» shared with GM's other B-body hardtops, and the 2-door sedan was dropped; the Impala name replaced Nomad on the top wagons.13
The 327 replaced the 348, in 250- and 300-hp versions, by Consumer Guide's and Over-Drive's account, and the 409 came with 380 or 409 hp; 1962 was the 235 six's last year, by Wikipedia's account.2345
A full-width aluminum-and-chrome panel held the triple-unit taillights; Impala wagons had dual-unit taillights.3one source
The story of the year
«409»
The Beach Boys released «409» in 1962, a song about this Chevrolet's engine.34
The top 409 had two four-barrel carburetors and 409 hp, option 587; the single large four-barrel version gave 380 hp, option 580.2one source
The Super Sport became a trim package for the sport coupe and convertible, option 240, with any Impala engine. Its price is disputed: $53.80 by Over-Drive, which is both chains' price for 1961, and $156 by Consumer Guide.456
Consumer Guide counts 99,311 Super Sport hardtops and convertibles.1one source
How to spot a 1962
What tells it apart from a 1961.
Full-width rear panel
A full-width aluminum-and-chrome panel holds the triple-unit taillights.3one source
No 2-door sedan
The 2-door sedan is gone from the Impala line.1one source
Impala wagons
The top wagons are Impalas, not Nomads.1one source
Production17one source
About 704,900 cars, by group of models; ≈ marks our arithmetic on rounded totals.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Sport sedan (4-door hardtop) | Impala | 176,077 |
| Group total | 176,077 | |
| Convertible | Impala | 75,719 |
| Group total | 75,719 | |
| Sport coupe and 4-door sedan | Impala | ≈453,100 |
| Group total | ≈453,100 | |
| Total | ≈704,900 | |
Only the sport sedan and the convertible were Impalas alone in 1962 (the Bel Air had a sport coupe, and GM's 1962 list has no Bel Air sport sedan). The 704,900 total is Consumer Guide's, rounded to the nearest 100 and without the wagons; the last row is our subtraction (about 453,100). It includes 99,311 Super Sport hardtops and convertibles. One source.
Engines234
6 engines. Chevrolet's regular production option number from GM's own lists: numbers in 1961–62, letter codes from 1963; «Std.» is a standard engine. The VIN shows only six or V8.
Gross ratings and option numbers from GM's 1962 power-team and option pages. The 327 replaced the 348 by Consumer Guide's and Over-Drive's account, and the 235 six had its last year by Wikipedia's.
Price when new1one source
Base retail prices in 1962 dollars, before options.
Factory prices from Consumer Guide's table; Over-Drive's sheet has the same. One source.
Colors2one source
15 factory colors. The color names come from one source2one source; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Tuxedo Black900
Surf Green903
Laurel Green905
Silver Blue912
Nassau Blue914
Twilight Turquoise917
Twilight Blue918
Autumn Gold920
Roman Red923
Coronna Cream925
Anniversary Gold927
Ermine White936
Adobe Beige938
Satin Silver940
Honduras Maroon948
GM's list of solid exterior colors with paint codes for the 1962 Impala. The two-tone combinations are left out. No source we have gives the number of cars per color, so the counts are empty.
Reading the VIN2one source
A 1962 VIN has 12 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
21847F1000262one source · An example built from GM's code tables, not a real car's VIN: a 1962 Impala V8 sport coupe, the 26th car of the year at Flint, after GM's own example of a Biscayne V8 (model 1269).
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 2 | Model year (1962) |
| 17 · 18 | Series: Impala six · Impala V8 |
| 35 · 39 · 45 · 47 · 67 · 69 | Body style (35 4-door station wagon, 6-passenger; 39 4-door sport sedan (hardtop); 45 4-door station wagon, 9-passenger; 47 2-door sport coupe (hardtop); 67 2-door convertible; 69 4-door sedan) |
| A · B · F · G · J · K · L · N · O · S · T | Assembly plant (GM's list for all Chevrolet passenger cars, not only those that built Impalas) |
| 100001 → | Unit number, counted at each plant for all series together |
Where to find it: Stamped on a plate attached to the left front body hinge pillar.2one source
Questions about the 1962
How many 1962 Chevrolet Impalas were made?
About 704,900, by a total rounded to the nearest 100. The production table on this page shows which rows are exact and which are our arithmetic on the rounded total.17one source
How can you tell a 1962 Impala from a 1961?
Four signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: convertible-look roof; full-width rear panel; no 2-door sedan; impala wagons.13
What engines did the 1962 Chevrolet Impala have?
Six engines, from the 235 cu in six to the 409 cu in V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.234
How much did a 1962 Chevrolet Impala cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: 4-door sedan, six $2,662; 4-door sedan, V8 $2,769; Sport coupe, V8 $2,776; Sport sedan, V8 $2,841; Convertible, V8 $3,026.1one source
What colors did the 1962 Chevrolet Impala come in?
General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) lists 15 factory colors.2one source
Where is the VIN on a 1962 Chevrolet Impala?
Stamped on a plate attached to the left front body hinge pillar.2one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1962, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Open
The 1962 Super Sport package price
Our ruling: Unresolved, leaning to $156. Over-Drive's $53.80 is the 1961 price in both chains (Consumer Guide's Super Sport article and Over-Drive's own 1961 sheet, about $54), so it looks carried over from 1961; Over-Drive's 1962 sheet also says both «any Impala» and «Sport Coupe and convertible». GM's kit has no price list. Both chains agree on $161 for 1963.
What each source says (4)
- $53.80, for the sport coupe and convertible5one source
- $156, a trim package with any Impala engine4one source
- $53.80 for the 1961 package4one source
- about $54 for the 1961 package6one source
Settled
The Super Sport's option code in 1962: 240 or Z03
Our ruling: 240 in 1962. GM's own 1962 option list prints «Super-sport … 240 … 17-1847, 67» (read off the page image), and its 1963 list prints Z03, when Chevrolet moved to letter codes; Over-Drive also gives 240. Wikipedia's «from 1962» has no source.
What each source says (3)
- Option 240 (1961 and 1962); Z03 in 1963289one source
- Option Code 240 in 19625one source
- RPO Z03 from 1962 to 19633one source
Sources
- 1958-1965 Chevrolet Impala HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1962 Chevrolet Passenger Car – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · read 2026-10-11
- Chevrolet Impala Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1962 Chevrolet Full Size Cars Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1961 Chevrolet Full Size Cars Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1962 Chevrolet Full Size Car Production Figures Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1961 Chevrolet Passenger Car – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1963 Chevrolet Passenger Car – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · read 2026-10-11
Keep going
Three more years.
1961Chevrolet ImpalaThe first Impala on the new 1961 body: trimmer and boxier, a one-year 2-door sedan, and the first Super Sport, with the new 409 from mid-year.About 491,000 built
1963Chevrolet ImpalaSquared-off styling, a new 230 six, three versions of the 409, the 427 Z11 for racing, and 153,271 Super Sports.About 832,600 built
1964Chevrolet ImpalaThe last of the third generation: the Super Sport became its own series, the taillights sat in a body-colored panel, and the 409 topped out at 425 hp.About 889,600 built (disputed)See the whole third generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1961–1964.