So you want to write about the 1967 Impala in Supernatural
Some notes on the Impala for writers:
1. The Impala an automatic transmission. PRNDL is on the steering wheel. No stick/manual shift, sorry! Also no power steering.
2. The engine mentioned in the show (when Dean travels back in time) is a 327 small block (known as the “Mighty Mouse”) which was one of the factory standard engines for a 1967 Impala. Hero 1 (the car used for beauty shots) has a 502 big block. These are both V8 engines. V8 engines, for those who haven’t driven one, are very loud and like to go. The car will start moving forward when you remove your foot from the brake. It’s a little intimidating but fun af.
I usually write Dean as upgrading to the 502 in season 2 when he rebuilds the Impala, but as they use a variety of cars (and I think all but Hero have 350s, anyway) for different shots, you could ignore the 502, swap the 327 out at another point in the series, or even say Dean dropped in a 350 for a while. All could be “canon” to either show-used cars or the show’s script.
3. The Impala has factory air (meaning it came standard with the car from the factory and was not added later). It’s obviously not as good as contemporary a/c but there’s no reason to assume John (a mechanic) and then Dean wouldn’t keep it functioning. Two circular vents on the dash, one narrow one over the radio. Hero has factory air; some of the other cars used in shooting have fake air vents to match with Hero.
4. The gas cap is under the license plate. You functionally refuel through the butthole. If you’re used to driving more contemporary vehicles, it’s probably going to make you giggle a little bit the first time you have to gas up. I apologized to my car (a ‘68) the first time.
5. The seats are vinyl, not leather. Easier to clean, lucky for them!
The Impala is the midgrade car, w/ the Caprice as the luxury, the Belaire as the lower end personal use car, and Biscayne as the economy (used for fleet cars like taxis and police cars). This means same body, wildly variable amenities: different door panels, seat material (fabric or vinyl, but never leather as standard), trim, etc. Several of the “Impalas” used in filming are rebuilt Caprices, as are many fan-built tribute cars!
6. Baby is a four-door hardtop (aka “non post” or “no post” car) vs the sedan (“post car”). The biggest difference is when you roll down the front and back seat windows in a hardtop, you have two unbroken open spaces, one on each side, and in the sedan, you have a divider between front and back windows.
Hardtop only has trim on the window edges, with no post. Roll the windows down, and nothing remains.
The sedan has trim on the “post” breaking the window spaces into four separate windows. Roll the windows down, the trim is still visible. YOu can see how the window trim is thicker all the way around.
7. The Impalas used on the show have two different types of interior door locks, the ones that look like a big chrome nail and the anti-theft lock with no cap. Both are canon, so you can have someone break in with a coat hanger or not if you’d prefer. Hero has the nail-style locks.
8. The exterior paint color used on the Impala is called Tuxedo Black. It’s still available from classic car shops, so yes, Dean is very well using Tuxedo Black when he rebuilds the car in seaosn 2.
9. Those cool corner lights are unique to the ‘67.
10. The back seats have almost no space under them. The bench rests directly on the rise from the floorpan. If something goes missing, it’s under the front seats, not the back ones!
11. The trunk is huge. Like “hold 6+ people” huge. The weapon box is a separate piece built and installed into the trunk, giving the apperance of a small space, but trust me. Huge.
12. Speaking of huge, the Impala is over 17 feet long and 6 feet wide. Are you very, very good at parallel parking? I am not. Is Dean very, very good at parallel parking? Possibly, but he’d probably look for a parking spot he could drive or back straight into.
13. This is the dashboard of the Impala. The vinyl covered, padded bit is the dashpad. Remember, this car doesn’t have airbags. Better to whack your head on padding than nothing. The guages and such are all part of the instrument cluster. Two two round things and one long thin thing are the factory ac vents.
14. Does the Impala have seat belts? Yes! In 1967, lap-only seat belts were standard in Impalas. Dean and Sam may very well be using seat belts that buckle across their laps. One hopes.
They look like this. Standard model is NOT retractable.
So, uh, that’s my “I hyperfixate on the Impala and also I own a 1968 Impala four-door hardtop so I’ve had plenty of chances to futz around with this stuff myself” guide to writing about the Impala. Hopefully it helps you get some details right. I’m NOT a car expect, but I know THIS car (and my own car) pretty well. If you have any other questions about the Impala, shoot them my way!
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