A Forgotten 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS 396 With an Unexpected Engine Surfaces After 40 Years

A rare 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS 396 has emerged from long-term storage in Eugene, Oregon, and it carries an engine that technically shouldn’t have been available when it was built. Chevrolet phased out its legendary 409 cubic-inch big-block partway through the 1965 model year, replacing it with the new 396. In the standard Impala SS 396, that engine produced 325 horsepower. This particular car, however, left the factory near the end of the production run with the hotter L34 specification rated at 360 horsepower — a tune that wasn’t officially offered until the 1966 model year.

According to the seller’s information, the car also left the factory with air conditioning, and it retains its numbers-matching drivetrain, which pairs the big-block V8 to a TH-400 automatic transmission. For buyers who prefer to row their own gears, the seller is including a Muncie four-speed manual that could be swapped in place of the automatic. The combination of the L34 engine, factory A/C, and matching numbers is what makes this Impala SS stand out from more ordinary examples.

The car appears to have spent roughly four decades parked, and it was clearly recovered as a project rather than a driver. Oklahoma license plates suggest it may have come from that state at some point. The odometer shows just 60,000 miles, though the reason it was taken off the road isn’t known. Rust is present but apparently hasn’t overwhelmed the car; the trunk and floorboards are the areas most in question. The vehicle looks largely complete, and a collection of spare parts is said to be included in the sale.

Context helps explain why cars like this matter to collectors. Impala SS sales tapered off as the 1960s progressed, largely because buyers shifted their attention toward smaller, lighter performance machines — in Chevrolet’s lineup, that meant the mid-size Chevelle. The final Impala SS of that era arrived in 1969, and no 1970 model was ever built, which gives the earlier cars a distinct place in muscle car history.

This Impala is listed for $12,500 on craigslist in Eugene, Oregon. It is very much a restoration project, and anyone considering it should weigh the cost and effort of a full rebuild against the rarity of its unusual late-year engine combination. Left in its current configuration, the car offers plenty of material for conversation among enthusiasts.