1971 Chevrolet Impala Sport Sedan: ’70s Green!
It’s well known among the three people who read my columns, and folks who get cornered frequently by me at parties (woe to them if they don’t care for classic cars, ha!), that I love the big, “Nimitz class” B- and C-body GM coupes, sedans, wagons and convertibles. They came to us from 1971 to 1976.
Whether a taxi-spec, six-cylinder Biscayne, a mid-range Delta 88 or a top of the line, creme de la creme Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham, all biggie ’71 GM cars were all new, sleek, and sharp. And Chevrolet was still the six-hundred-pound gorilla of GM, with myriad models, options, and colors. The mid-level model (and belle of the ball popularity-wise in full-size General Motors rolling stock), the Impala saw 475,000 units built for the year. And that’s not even including the wagons.
No fewer than twenty varieties of big 1971 Chevrolet were available, from the cheapest $3096 Biscayne six-cylinder Biscayne pillared sedan, to the $4134 Caprice Sport Sedan (Sport Sedan being Chevy-speak for the four-door pillarless hardtop), to the $4498 three-seat Kingswood Estate wagon—that sign of success in suburbia in the Year of Our Lord, 1971.
I’ve already written up the Caprice of this year, but back in July 2020 I was passing the John Deere combine factory in East Moline (I highly recommend the factory tour if you ever find yourself nearby) and spotted this Cottonwood Green ’71 Sport Sedan a stone’s throw away. I immediately veered to the curb and ran over, because I love these cars so much. And let’s face it: You don’t often see a 1971 anything just nonchalantly parked at the curb these days.
It was in somewhat weathered, but still remarkably solid, shape. The 1971 Impala Sport Sedan had a base price of $3813 and weighed 3978 pounds (road-hugging weight was a feature, not a bug, in the early ’70s). This was the most popular 1971 Impala model, with 140,300 sold. The most popular ’71 Chevy of all? The V8 Bel Air pillared sedan, with 348,534 of the $3,585 models produced. Likely a large portion were sold to various and sundry constabularies throughout the U.S.
Cottonwood Green was a very popular color this year, and not just for Impalas and Chevrolets. Greens were eminently popular at the time, especially light hues like this. I’ve seen them on everything, from Coupe de Villes to C10 pickups to Cutlass Supremes four-door hardtops.
Much like silver, white, and black are the darlings of new cars today, greens and browns were favored choices in the 1970s. Who could forget Barnaby Jones’s tobacco brown LTD coupe, or all the various and sundry Custom 500s, Galaxie 500s, and Country Squires in green, brown, or gold on The Streets of San Francisco? No, dropping by your friendly local Chevy dealer and ordering a new Impala or Caprice in Cottonwood Green was as acceptable as watching Columbo or going down to the local Showcase Cinemas to see The French Connection.
So, getting back to a warm summer afternoon in July 2020. I got my pics, hopped back in the Lincoln, and went on my way. The next time I drove past, the Impala was gone. I have no idea what happened to it but hope she got saved and spruced up.
The ’71 Chevys were very Cadillac-like, and I finally remembered my encounter with the ’70s Green Sport Sedan the other day when some models I bought from my friend Tom Beauchamp arrived in the mail. One of the four was a blue ’71 Impala Sport Coupe (a rare kit in itself), and I realized those Cottonwood Green Impala pics had been languishing on my computer for years. And here we are!
If you still harbor a hankering for more Nimitz Class ’70s Chevy Broughamage, have no fear! My buddy in Spokane, Jason Bagge, just acquired a maroon ’74 Caprice Classic coupe with the 454 V8, black vinyl roof and black interior. Once he gets it appropriately spruced up, I’ll be doing a column on it too.
So until next time folks, keep Broughaming on, always tip your bartender, and if you have a local supper club, please patronize it!
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These were and are nice cars! I’d just tidy this featured one up a bit and drive it and enjoy it as is. There is a 71 Impala convertible that I see fairly regularly in my neighborhood, I don’t know who owns it, but it appears to be in a little better
condition than your featured car but not by much, an older guy is always driving it and with the top down, he waves as he drives by and seems to be enjoying himself and that’s good enough for me, he’s keeping it on the road and seems to be enjoying it, and isn’t that what the old car hobby is supposed to be all about anyway? You don’t need an immaculate car to have a good time…
For the featured car I wouldn’t go crazy either, just a new grille and hubcaps would go a long way.
I read every one of your posts here. I have no idea how many readers you have but I think thousands is more accurate.
I must be reader #4, LOL. My Dad, after decades of second hand 9 passenger Brookwood wagons, finally got a NEW ’72 Impala Sport sedan in gorgeous “dark chocolate” brown with a cream interior. After 30 years on the road as a salesman, this was his first car with AC! We are so pampered today…great cars and great memories.
Hello, I love this article for I have a 1973 4 door hard top sedan Chevy Impala. It’s not as in great shape as this one in the article, but I am trying to restore it as best I can. Its slightly primer now but yo can see the green paint underneath it. If you have any references or know anyone who could possibly be of assistance, I would appreciate it. I am located in Orange County California and prices are high and parts are hard to find. Again thanks.
Cosmo Kramer? You left your lights on.
I love these Heavy Chevy’s. Cars that were built to pound pavement and run long miles in comfort. This is the kind of car you can drive cross country again and again.
My wife had a ’72 Impala identical to the one pictured when we were kids.
The thing was a rocket with a 400 SB!
Back in high school circa 1984… I had a 71 caprice 2 door with a 400 in it. It was burgundy with a black to and black interior. It had air shocks and fat set of craigars on it. I alway thought the trunk louvers were cool with the curved back window. I paid 250 bucks for it. Alot of fun memories made in that car.
They float well, but they were never my favorite looking GM land barges of the era.
Great article, but I have one correction. The blue scale model that you show is actually a 71 Impala Custom Coupe, not Sport Coupe. My dad had a 71 Impala Sport Coupe. The Custom Coupe has the “concave” rear window and the Sport Coupe does not. Everybody makes that mistake. Either way, great article.
You are correct, sir! The Sport Coupe had a ‘faster’ roofline. The Custom Coupe outsold it to the extent that it was only offered through 1974. My friend Matt Smith has a yellow ’74 Sport Coupe.
Great Timing, I just found a shop willing to take on the cosmetic restoration of my 1971 Catalina Freeway Enforcer. Looking forward to being able to drive it on Woodward ave during the Lights and Siren Parade!
When we were kids in the 80’s a neighbor and friend bought one of these. Two door with a 350. He ripped the motor/trans out and installed a 350 HP 396 with Muncie 4 speed. He christianed it “The Gator”. It was gold with a gold interior. Fun car.
I had that exact car in the darker, forest green color for awhile in about 1987-88. It had the 350 2bbl. As I recall, it drove great and it got me around quite well. It did fall victim to the GM nylon timing gear issue, though. The engine just quit on me all of a sudden on I-70 on the east side of Indy. I had to pull the water pump and timing cover off to put a new timing set in it after having it towed home from police impound. That was a bit of new experience as I was well-acquainted with working on Olds V8’s, but not the Chevy until then. That timing gear literally had no teeth on it by the time she quit on me! I don’t recall what finally did the Impala in, but I do remember liking it while I had it.
A bit off topic, but I have 1972 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham. 4 door pillarless hardtop. Green body, saddle tan vinyl top, tan brocade interior, rim-blow steering wheel. 440 – 727 drivetrain, 57k miles, pretty much optioned out. One of the most fun and comfortable cars I’ve owned. Did I mention ICE COLD a/c?
In summer 1971, I was in HS drivers’ ed class. We started the summer with a white 1970 Impala four-door hardtop, then switched mid-summer to a 1971 Impala sedan in this very same green! I far preferred the 1970; the 1971 seemed mushy and soft, and the steering was not nearly as sharp. The throttle response seemed better in the 1970 also, even though both were 350’s, and the transmission shifting seemed quicker and more positive. And to my eyes, the crisp 1970 looked much better than the curvy 1971. Same for the 1970 Buick and Olds, as vs. their 1971 models: the newer ones just didn’t look nearly as good. My opinion on those cars has not changed over the years.
We also twice drove (by choice – it was not required) a 1971 Super Beetle that the HS had, to learn to drive a manual transmission; I am thinking that such is not an option in most drivers’ ed classes nowadays!
My parents bought a new 71 Kingswood wagon when I was not quite two years old. They kept it for 13 years, so many memories. Very basic car, no roof rack, no 3rd seat, no AC, but it did have the 402 big block/4bbl with the TH400 trans. Ascot blue (I think) blue interior. First car I ever drove, almost cried when a guy gave them $950 for it in 1984 and drove away. It was pristine at 110k miles, never wrecked or even dented. They replaced it with a new 84 suburban that was actually a few inches shorter and fit in the garage better!