1956 Corvette Impala
Five-passenger Luxury Sport
By David W. Temple
A Corvette-like dream car graced
a turntable at the five venues of the 1956 GM
Named for the agile African
antelope, the fiberglass experimental car designed by Bob Cadaret and Carl
Renner had a 225hp Super Turbo-Fire V-8 engine coupled to a two-speed
Powerglide. The V-8 was modified with a 9.25:1 compression ratio and a
high-lift camshaft. Spent exhaust exited through a dual set of pipes passing
through the driveshaft tunnel and into a transverse mounted muffler with dual
outlets projecting through the lower rear body panel.
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Styling of the Corvette Impala
foretold that of the Chevrolet Impala which debuted for the 1958 model year. In
fact, at one point the toothy grille was proposed for use on the new model, but
was abandoned due to cost considerations. Even so, the integral bumper and grille
theme was kept. Other styling features of the Corvette Impala included a tinted
“Panoramic” wraparound windshield curving up into the pale blue-tinted brushed
stainless steel roof, a wraparound rear windshield, beltline dip near the
reverse slant C-pillars, and chrome-plated wire wheels with knock-off hubs. All
of these – with the exceptions of the wire wheels and the brushed stainless
steel roof – were adopted for the production car. Its nose emblem was very
close to the production type used for the 1958-60 Corvettes, but with the name
“Corvette Impala” embossed circumferentially around the crossed flags.
A unique, air-foil shaped, padded
cornering bar (or strut) emerged from the steering column, angled upward before
transitioning into a horizontal component extending across the entire width of
the interior.
To learn more about the 1956
Corvette Impala and other cars related to the GM Motorama get a copy of my new
book, “Motorama: GM’s Legendary Show & Concept Cars.” Just click the book
cover image at far right or click the link here: http://www.amazon.com/Motorama-Legendary-Show-Concept-Cartech/dp/1613251599/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_img_1
