22. Chevrolet Impala
Chevrolet always battled Ford in the full-size sedan market. So, in 1962 they took a gamble by introducing an elegant generation of the Impala that departed from the design standards of the day. Similar to the 1961 Lincoln Continental, the 1962 to 1964 Impala had a restrained, elegant style with straight lines. Also, it had the signature six taillights in the back and four headlights in the front. Chevrolet wanted to dominate the extremely lucrative full-size sedan market, so they equipped the Impala with everything they had. The new model featured five body styles, six engines including six and eight-cylinder units, three transmission choices, and a long list of optional equipment.
But there was one influential and innovative version, the Impala SS they presented in 1961. However, in 1962, the Impala SS returned in a new body style with the same engine, the mighty 409 V8 producing up to 409 HP. The car and the engine itself proved to be so iconic that the Beach Boys even had a hit single with the song, 409. Yet today, those ’62 to ’64 Impalas are quite popular. Luckily, Chevy produced them in large quantities. Most car fans consider those to be the best generations of Impalas ever. Thankfully, during its three-year model span, the design endured subtle changes without affecting the elegance and classic proportions of this timeless model.