The NHRA and AHRA may have been writing the rule books, but the game of one-upmanship between the factories at the dawn of the 1960s seemed to escalate with each passing weekend as one performance package after another issued from Detroit. In 1963 Chevrolet made a bold leap forward with the Z11 Impala, a lightweight match-racer that drew on the lessons of the recent past to dominate Super Stock and the fledgling A/FX class.
The Z11’s aluminum front end and bumpers and Spartan finish were standard practice for factory lightweights. What sets this car apart is the high performance 427 CI "mystery engine" scruntinzed as authentic by W-Block expert Phil Reed. On top of the engine sits an aluminum dual quad intake and carburetors as well as the distinctive Z11 air cleaner that drew air from the passenger-side cowl vent, the latter item so rare today that examples have sold for more than $40,000!
What a great, great car! Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteIf we could only afford it.:)
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