Chevrolet is, without a doubt, one of America’s premier car brands.
The General Motors sub-division is responsible for some of America’s best-ever cars.
Interestingly, Chevrolet once had a 10-second car that has been long forgotten.
And no – it is not the car that you think it might be.
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Cruisin’ down the street in my ’64 – Impala ruled the drag strip
We’re willing to bet that you definitely didn’t see that coming.
No, it isn’t the Corvette; nor is it the Camaro – and it was well before the emergence of the Chevelle SS.
Yes, the Chevrolet Impala is the car that once dominated the 10-second race for the brand.
Back in the early 1960s, full-size flagship cars still dominated the streets.
And in that time, it was the Chevrolet Impala that served that purpose for General Motors.
In 1963, Chevrolet decided to kick it up a gear – and offered some absolutely ridiculous hardware.
For a brief moment in time, Chevrolet offered the Impala with an engine called the Z11 package.
And this mammoth monster turned the Impala into a four-wheeled Hurricane on the roads.
Z11 engine package – craziest engine package ever?
In case you’ve never heard of the Z11, allow us to fill in the blanks for you.
This 427 cubic-inch V8 was purpose built for Super Stock drag racing.
The engine came with a taller deck, 13.5:1 compression and factory aluminum heads.
Despite ‘officially’ being rated at 430bhp, many people consider the output to be closer to 500bhp.
The rest of the Z11 Impala came with an aluminum hood, fenders and bumpers.
It also came with a reinforced chassis and heavy-duty suspension.
The close ratio, four-speed manual gearbox was purpose-built for drag performance.
Z11 Chevrolet Impala was incredibly rare
Unfortunately, Chevrolet never had any intention of mass-producing the Z11 variant.
In fact, just 57 units ever got made – with most being directly shipped to racing teams.
By 1964, the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), began cracking down on lightweight drag cars.
This meant that, only for a matter of months, the Z11 Impala got to thrive on the drag strip.
It is thought that, of the original 57, just a handful of Z11 Impalas have survived today.
Sadly, few cars like the Z11 Impala have ever been made – or probably ever will be made.
If you have ever been lucky enough to see one in the wild, then watch it and drink it in.
Because you will probably never see anything like it ever again.
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