Hired by Harley Earl in 1951 to head up the Chevrolet’s designs, gifted and talented Clare MacKichan’s creative juices started flowing immediately. He had a hand in the styling and development of early Corvettes. By the time he came on board, the 1953-1954 full-size cars were pretty much completed so he added a few suggestions to give Chevy a modern and up-to-date look. Upon taking charge of his team in late 1951, his main goal was looking forward to 1955 and beyond. For over three years, MacKichan worked tirelessly with a group of equally talented stylists, model builders, and automotive artists and the end product of their work was the stunning 1955 Chevrolet. Evolutionary facelifts were provided for 1956 and 1957; all of these were iconic American cars from the 1950s. As soon as the 1955 models went into production, as well as wrapping up little details for the following two seasons, he took dead aim for the next totally new Chevrolet proposed for model year 1958. Rallying his team to looking to the future with what MacKichan declared a “Sculpturamic” school of thought, the stunning new 1958 Chevrolets delivered on all fronts. In addition to a redesigned, lighter weight frame, bigger, more powerful engines and numerous other innovations, the most important thing for many consumers was the sheet metal styling and here Chevrolet achieved its goals. Up front, under the new quad headlights’ grouped pair at the top of the front of the fenders immediately captured one’s attention. Below was the massive front bumper paired up with a totally new concept in Chevy styling for the chrome surround and grille. With the parking and turn lights paired up below the headlights, the 1958 Chevrolet was set apart from any previous model before or would be after. Flowing lines exuding speed, and a gullwing rear-end design completed the picture accented with bright trim wherever possible. To celebrate this new look, Chevy introduced a new luxuriously appointed top-line series, the stunning Impala. Offered exclusively as a two-door Sport Coupe and with their only full-size convertible this year, Impala would become legendary. But 1958 was a year of turmoil in the automotive world, Despite the rakish new designs and increased performance, a steep recession saw sales off by vast amounts seeing a drop of nearly 20-percent in sales, or just under 300,000 units. This outstanding 1958 Impala convertible was assembled at GM’s Van Nuys, California plant and it retains its original styling cues just as MacKichan and his team had intended. In addition to all-new looks and chassis, the new 348-cubic-inch Turbo Thrust V-8 engine was released with 250 HP. But for those looking for the ultimate in performance came the Super Turbo Thrust, with 9.5:1 compression ratio and rated conservatively at 280 HP. Open the hood of this black beauty and you see that performance stuffed under the hood, backed by the then-new Turboglide automatic transmission. This awesome combination delivered plenty of tire-twisting torque to the back wheels to satisfy anyone’s need for speed. As you gaze for a little longer under the hood you will find the rare and hard-to-find original air cleaner along with other accessories that include power steering, power brakes, as well as an original windshield washer system. Upgrades for this car are the 12-volt alternator charging system that has been added for more reliable lighting and operational stability and a tilt steering wheel. Chevrolet promoted their new Impalas as being outfitted with a new Luxury Lounge interior. Starting with the stunning bright trimmed door panels to the mid-century modern inspired fabrics, Chevy lived up to their claim with comfort and style that was on a par with contemporary cars of the day that cost so much more. With tri-tone striped inserts encased in correct style black vinyl bolsters, the seats invited up to three passengers in the front and back to come experience the ultimate in a “low-priced” car. The exterior appearance is what really catches one’s eye. Finished in its original Onyx Black, complemented with a matching black soft top, this exudes pride in ownership. Extras include the spinner wheel covers with wide whitewall tires, all of the basic Impala trim including the rear quarter panel “pitchforks,” the Impala name with the famous crossed flag emblem, proper fitting fender skirts and, the icing on the cake, a factory-original continental rear tire mount. Mechanically, we were told that this Tri-Power Impala has been recently serviced and is in excellent running condition. Long admired for its one-year-only styling, and powerful Sculpturamic design, this Impala will fit the bill for the most discerning of automotive enthusiasts.