Five seater Corvette Impala Concept

Lost Legend Even though it was first developed by Chevrolet in the mid-1950s, the ever-exposed Corvette is a two-seater muscle car. But that doesn't mean models with more than two seats were never developed. By looking at the habitual tendencies that are usually carried out in the development of car models at that time.

The 1956 Chevrolet Impala Concept (also known as XP-101) was the embodiment of what a Corvette as a five-passenger sports car could have been. (Picture from: ChevyHardCore)

It turns out that not only once, the Chevrolet's design crews toyed around with the concept of four or even five seats. And one of the results which consists of five seats is called the Chevrolet Impala Concept, and this project is known internally under the code name of XP-101 which is the result of GM stylists Carl Renner and Bob Cadaret starting in July 1955 and debuted at the 1956 GM Motorama in January 1956.

The Chevrolet Impala Concept’s exhaust pipes passed through the crossmember, and into a transverse-mounted muffler and the dual outlets from the muffler projected through the rear body panel. (Picture from: ChevyHardCore)

In the design of this concept car, the GM' designers incorporated key elements taken of the two-seater production Corvette in the Impala look, including the large Italian radiator opening at the front, which is filled with a chrome grille with 13 shiny teeth. So clearly, this concept car looks like the merging of two legendary American car styles into one beautiful car.

The Chevrolet Impala Concept sat on display at the 1957 Chicago Auto Show that shows the color of the car was changed to a bright blue. (Picture from: HeacockClassic)

Unlike many show or concept cars, the chassis of the Chevrolet Impala Concept appeared to be road ready. As you can see of the picture, the car’s exhaust pipes passed through the crossmember, and into a transverse-mounted muffler and the dual outlets from the muffler projected through the rear body panel.

The Chevrolet Impala Concept is powered by a tiny 265 cubic inch block coupled with two four-barrel carburetors with power of 225 horsepower. (Picture from: ChevyHardCore)

Furthermore the car featured with a tinted, wraparound futuristic-designed windshield with a panoramic view, that actually curved up and joined the pale blue-tinted, brushed stainless steel roof. While, its rear window was a wraparound style, and beltline took a decisive dip near the reverse slant C-pillars.

The Chevrolet Impala Concept's interior got a futuristic design touches, as you can see an airfoil-shaped padded bar protruding from the steering column, angling upward and flattening into a horizontal plane. (Picture from: ChevyHardCore)

The Chevrolet Impala Concept's interior got a futuristic design touches, as you can see an airfoil-shaped padded bar protruding from the steering column, angling upward and flattening into a horizontal plane. This padded bar spanned the width of the interior, and contained the various accessory controls and heater vents.

The interior's upholstery was a brilliant combination of a silver-blue vinyl and nylon material with a crosshatch pattern. (Picture from: ChevyHardCore)

Plus there's a feature that never really caught on, was the speed warning system that consisted of ten small light windows in the instrument panel. This system was designed to have each window light up progressively in brighter shades of red as predetermined road speeds were reached.

The Chevrolet Impala Concept was 74.4 inches wide, 53.7 inches high, and 202 inches long, and featured a wheelbase that spanned 116.5 inches. (Picture from: CarsThatNeverMadeItEtc)

The interior's upholstery was a brilliant combination of a silver-blue vinyl and nylon material with a crosshatch pattern. The front seat utilized a fold-down center armrest that housed a map case, and the rear seat passengers could make use of a fixed central armrest that contained the power window switches, courtesy light, and an ash tray. The car also saw the inclusion of seat belts and a sloping package tray as safety features. The car exuded style and the chrome-plated wire wheels with knock-offs made sure you noticed.

Several styling cues of the Chevrolet Impala Concept such as the reverse slant C-pillars were applied to the Impala introduced as part of the Bel Air series for the 1958 model year. (Picture from: MacsMotorCityGarage)

Unfortunately, there's not much information about the drivetrain, other than that a tiny 265 cubic inch block coupled with two four-barrel carburetors able to spew out power of 225 horsepower, then channeled out by a Powerglide transmission to drive its rear wheels.

Look at the reverse slant C-pillars as applied to the 1958 Chevrolet Bel Air Impala taken of Chevrolet Impala Concept' design. (Picture from: MacsMotorCityGarage)

The Chevrolet Impala Concept was 74.4 inches wide, 53.7 inches high, and 202 inches long, and featured a wheelbase that spanned 116.5 inches. Initially, the car’s color for a while was very close to Aegean Turquoise Metallic, a color which was an option on the 1958 Chevrolet cars, but there is a photo of the car at the 1957 Chicago Auto Show that shows the color of the car was changed to a bright blue. 

Unfortunately the Chevrolet Impala Concept never had much chance of becoming a production version, as it was quickly scrapped after the 1957 Motorama.😥 But, many design cues did help the car live on within following year Chevrolet models, such as the C-pillar with an inverted slope were later used in the 1958 Chevrolet Bel Air Impala. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | CHEVYHARDCORE | MACSMOTORCITYGARAGE | LAGAZETTEDHECTOR.FR ]

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