Body-colored taillight panel
The taillights sit in a body-colored panel under an upside-down U of aluminum trim.3one source
Class of '64 · Chevrolet Impala · 1964 body · third generation
1964Chevrolet Impala
The 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.
The year in brief
The Super Sport became a series of its own, models 1347/1447 for the sport coupe and 1367/1467 for the convertible, with bucket seats and a console.234
An upside-down U of aluminum trim sat above the taillights, which were set in a body-colored panel; all full-size wagons had single vertical taillights.3one source
The 1964 Impala is a staple of lowrider culture, by Wikipedia's account.3one source
The story of the year
Super Sport, the series
By Consumer Guide's table, 119,166 Super Sports were built: 99,751 sport coupes and 19,415 convertibles (our sums of its six and V8 rows).1one source
Over-Drive gives only estimates, about 165,000 sport coupes and about 18,000 convertibles, so the count is an open ruling.4one source
The Super Sport could have any power team from the six to the 409.4one source
How to spot a 1964
What tells it apart from a 1963.
Vertical wagon taillights
Every full-size wagon has one small vertical taillight lens on each side.3one source
Super Sport as a model
Super Sports are their own series, with bucket seats and a console as standard.34
Production15one source
About 889,600 cars, by body; ≈ marks our arithmetic on rounded totals.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Sport coupe | Impala | 342,541 |
| Impala Super Sport | 99,751 | |
| All sport coupes | 442,292 | |
| Sport sedan (4-door hardtop) | Impala | 200,172 |
| All sport sedans (4-door hardtop) | 200,172 | |
| Convertible | Impala | 62,482 |
| Impala Super Sport | 19,415 | |
| All convertibles | 81,897 | |
| 4-door sedan | Impala | ≈165,200 |
| All 4-door sedans | ≈165,200 | |
| Total | ≈889,600 | |
Consumer Guide's rows. The Impala total without Super Sports (770,400) and with them (889,600) are rounded to the nearest 100 and exclude the wagons; the 4-door sedan row is our subtraction (about 165,200). The Super Sport rows add Consumer Guide's six and V8 figures (our sums, 99,751 and 19,415). Over-Drive's sheet gives the body-style totals for all 1964 sport coupes (442,292) and convertibles (81,897), from the same chain as Consumer Guide. One source; Over-Drive's own Super Sport estimates differ, see the ruling.
Engines2one source
7 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 codes from GM's 1964 power-team page (its OCR reads the last code as «L8O»).
Price when new15one source
Base retail prices in 1964 dollars, before options.
Factory prices from Consumer Guide's table. Over-Drive's sheet differs on the sport coupes and the V8 convertible; see the ruling.
Colors2one source
15 factory colors. The color names come from one source2one source; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Tuxedo Black900
Meadow Green905
Bahama Green908
Silver Blue912
Daytona Blue916
Azure Aqua918
Lagoon Aqua919
Almond Fawn920
Ember Red922
Saddle Tan932
Ermine White936
Desert Beige938
Satin Silver940
Goldwood Yellow943
Palomar Red948
GM's list of solid exterior colors with paint codes for the 1964 Impala (the Super Sport page has the same). 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 VIN23
A 1964 VIN has 12 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
41847F1000262one source · An example built from GM's code tables, not a real car's VIN: a 1964 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 |
|---|---|
| 4 | Model year (1964) |
| 17 · 18 · 13 · 14 | Series: Impala six · Impala V8 · Super Sport six · Super Sport 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 · C · F · G · J · L · R · S · T · U · Y | Assembly plant (GM's list for all Chevrolet passenger cars, printed as «only basic designations shown», so it may be incomplete) |
| 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 1964
How many 1964 Chevrolet Impalas were made?
About 889,600 by the count we use: 442,292 sport coupes, 200,172 sport sedans (4-door hardtop), 81,897 convertibles, ≈165,200 4-door sedans. The sources disagree on the total; the ruling on this page explains which figure we show and why.15sources disagree
How can you tell a 1964 Impala from a 1963?
Three signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: body-colored taillight panel; vertical wagon taillights; Super Sport as a model.34
What engines did the 1964 Chevrolet Impala have?
Seven engines, from the 230 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.2one source
How much did a 1964 Chevrolet Impala cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: 4-door sedan, six $2,671; 4-door sedan, V8 $2,779; Sport coupe, V8 $2,786 or $2,947 (open ruling); Sport sedan, V8 $2,850; Convertible, V8 $3,025 or $3,035 (open ruling); Super Sport coupe, V8 $2,947 or $2,776 (open ruling); Super Sport convertible, V8 $3,196.15one source
What colors did the 1964 Chevrolet Impala come in?
General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) lists 15 factory colors.2one source
Where is the VIN on a 1964 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 1964, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Open
1964 Super Sport production
Our ruling: Unresolved, leaning to Consumer Guide's 119,166, because it gives figures row by row while Over-Drive calls its own figures estimates. Over-Drive's body-style totals for all 1964 sport coupes (442,292) and convertibles (81,897) come from the same chain as Consumer Guide, so they do not confirm either count.
What each source says (2)
- 119,166: 99,751 sport coupes and 19,415 convertibles (sums of its six and V8 rows)1one source
- about 165,000 sport coupes and about 18,000 convertibles, as estimates4one source
Open
1964 prices: the sport coupes and the V8 convertible
Our ruling: Unresolved. Over-Drive's sport-coupe block looks shifted: its regular sport coupe carries Consumer Guide's Super Sport prices, and its Super Sport rows carry the 1962 sport coupe's ($2,669 and $2,776). We show Consumer Guide's figures with Over-Drive's beside them. The convertible is a separate disagreement: Over-Drive's $3,035 keeps the V8's usual $108 over the six-cylinder convertible (our arithmetic), Consumer Guide's $3,025 does not.
What each source says (2)
- Sport coupe $2,678 (six) and $2,786 (V8); Super Sport coupe $2,839 and $2,947; V8 convertible $3,0251one source
- Sport coupe $2,839 (six) and $2,947 (V8); Super Sport coupe $2,669 and $2,776; V8 convertible $3,0355one source
Settled
Were all 200,172 sport sedans of 1964 Impalas?
Our ruling: Yes. GM's 1964 model list has no Bel Air sport sedan (Bel Air models 1611, 1635, 1645 and 1669 only), and Consumer Guide lists the 200,172 as Impala hardtop sedans. Over-Drive's own production sheet lists only the Impala against the 200,172, so its fact sheet's remark about a Bel Air version is a lone slip that does not fit GM's list.
What each source says (4)
- No Bel Air sport sedan in the 1964 model list2one source
- 200,172 Impala hardtop sedans1one source
- Sport sedan production combined with the Bel Air's4one source
- Production sheet lists only Impala models 1739/1839 against the 200,172 sport sedans5one source
Sources
- 1958-1965 Chevrolet Impala HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1964 Chevrolet Passenger Car – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · read 2026-10-11
- Chevrolet Impala Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1964 Chevrolet Full Size Cars Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1964 Chevrolet Full Size Car Production Figures Over-Drive Magazine · 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
1962Chevrolet ImpalaA 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.About 704,900 built1963Chevrolet 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 builtSee the whole third generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1961–1964.