1965 · Chevrolet · United States
1965 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport: the record year
The record Super Sport year: 243,114 built, as the 409 gave way to the 396 mid-year.
United States · researched through 2026-09-22
The Classic Industries production chart lists 243,114 Impala Super Sports for 1965, a figure Wikipedia's fourth-generation Impala article independently repeats for the same coupe-and-convertible total, alongside a separate 2,828-unit count of 409 engines in the full-size line. Wikipedia's main Impala article separately states that the 409 was discontinued early in the model year and the 396 introduced in its place, matching Chevrolet's own regular-production-options list, which documents 396-cu-in engines rather than a 409 among its 1965 offerings.1,2,3
The 243,114 figure comes from a row Classic Industries itself labels "TOTAL" for 1965 rather than an unlabeled Super Sport row as in some other years, and this record's own production note adds that row as its own entry following the site's own total-row convention rather than treating it as a separate, independent count. The 2,828-unit 409 figure is itself labeled only "409" in a chart of all full-size Chevrolets, not the Super Sport specifically, so this record does not treat it as an SS-only number. Within the Super Sport total, the same chart splits production into roughly 239,500 V8 cars and 3,600 six-cylinder cars, and gives the convertible body at roughly 27,000, all three figures explicitly rounded in the source rather than exact counts. Broader context from the same chart gives 803,400 Impalas of all bodies and 72,760 full-size convertibles for the year; this record's own production note states that Classic Industries itself only believes the figures correct without factory verification, that the chart's rows mix series, body, and engine scopes and are not additive, and that the best missing primary source, the GM Heritage vehicle information kit's own production data, could not be retrieved due to a website access error.1
Car Life's March 1965 road test gives a base list price of $2,839 for the Impala SS Sport Coupe, specified as a six-cylinder car with Powerglide since the V8 itself was an extra-cost option; this record's own price note explains that by 1965 the Impala SS carried its own dedicated body and model numbers, 16637 and 16667, so this base figure is a genuine Impala SS price rather than a pre-SS body price inherited from a plain Impala. The same test car, fully equipped, priced out at $4,209 once fitted with the 250-hp V8, an automatic transmission, power brakes, power steering, power windows, air conditioning, an AM/FM radio and rear speaker, 8.25-14 whitewall tires, a tilt wheel, wire wheel covers, tinted glass, windshield washers, and anti-smog control, a roughly $1,370 gap between the base six-cylinder price and a well-optioned V8 example.4
No engine ratings are tabulated directly in this record for 1965; instead, six regular-production options from Chevrolet's own information kit document the engine and drivetrain choices available across the V8 series, including the Impala SS: the L30 327-cu-in V8 at 250 hp, the L35 396-cu-in V8 at 325 hp, the L78 396-cu-in V8 at 425 hp, the L77 four-barrel carburetor option, the N10 dual exhaust option, and the K66 transistorized voltage regulator and ignition.
Eight Super Sport bucket-seat interior trim codes are documented, though two of them, 802 and 845, are both described simply as "Ivory" without a distinguishing detail in the source beyond their different code numbers; the remaining six cover slate, black, blue, fawn, saddle, and red. This record's own interior note explains that the sport coupe and convertible share the same trim code wherever the source gives only one code for both bodies. Identification detail includes VIN digits 65 for the six-cylinder SS and 66 for the V8 SS, a model-number breakdown placing the Super Sport in the 165-16600 series with 16637 for the two-door sport coupe and 16667 for the two-door convertible, each seating four rather than five, and two suffix codes for the L78 396, IA for cars built with a three- or four-speed manual, a large four-barrel carburetor, and a special camshaft, and IG for cars built with Powerglide.5
Fact sheet · 1965 · United States
The numbers
1965 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport — The record Super Sport year: 243,114 built, as the 409 gave way to the 396 mid-year.
Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-22.
Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.
Key facts
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impala Super Sport1,2 Super Sport · sport coupe and convertible · not stated | 243,114 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impala Super Sport total production1,2 Super Sport · sport coupe and convertible · not stated Same figure and sources as the 'ss' row above; the Classic Industries chart's own row label for 1965 is 'TOTAL,' added as its own row per the site's total-row convention. | 243,114 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 409 V8 engines, full-size line1 all full-size (source row "409") · 409 V8 · not stated Row is labelled only "409" in a chart of all full-size Chevrolets; not an SS-only count. | 2,828 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Super Sport, V81 Super Sport · V8 · not stated Rounded in source. | 239,500 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Super Sport, six-cylinder1 Super Sport · L6 · not stated Rounded in source. | 3,600 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impala series, all bodies1 all full-size · not stated | 803,400 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Convertible, all full-size1 all full-size · not stated | 72,760 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Sport convertible1 Super Sport · convertible · not stated Rounded in source. | 27,000 | built, model-year | Reported |
Classic Industries says its chart is believed correct but has not been verified by the factory. Chart rows mix series, body and engine scopes and are not additive.
Best missing primary source: the GM Heritage vehicle information kit for this year (gm.com returned 403).
Prices when new
| Model | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Impala SS Sport Coupe, base list price (six-cylinder, Powerglide)4 | $2,839 | manufacturer list price per Car Life's specifications panel; V-8 engine itself listed as an extra-cost option, 1965-03 |
| Impala SS Sport Coupe, price as tested (250-hp V8, automatic and options)4 | $4,209 | list price plus extra-cost options on Car Life's test car, 1965-03 |
Prices are the nominal dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.
Options and packages
| Code | Option | Price | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
L30RPO |
327 cu in V8, 250 hp (V8 series 154, 156, 164 and 16600) | — | Not yet sourced |
L35RPO |
396 cu in V8, 325 hp (V8 series 154, 156, 164 and 16600) | — | Not yet sourced |
L78RPO |
396 cu in V8, 425 hp (V8 series 154, 156, 164 and 16600) | — | Not yet sourced |
L77RPO |
4-barrel carburetor (V8 series) | — | Not yet sourced |
N10RPO |
Dual exhaust (V8 series) | — | Not yet sourced |
K66RPO |
Transistor regulator and ignition (V8 series) | — | Not yet sourced |
Interiors
| Code | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
802 |
Ivory SS bucket-seat trim (sport coupe/convertible codes where two are given)5 | Not yet sourced |
805 |
Slate SS bucket-seat trim (sport coupe/convertible codes where two are given)5 | Not yet sourced |
815 |
Black SS bucket-seat trim (sport coupe/convertible codes where two are given)5 | Not yet sourced |
831 |
Blue SS bucket-seat trim (sport coupe/convertible codes where two are given)5 | Not yet sourced |
845 |
Ivory SS bucket-seat trim (sport coupe/convertible codes where two are given)5 | Not yet sourced |
856 |
Fawn SS bucket-seat trim (sport coupe/convertible codes where two are given)5 | Not yet sourced |
862 |
Saddle SS bucket-seat trim (sport coupe/convertible codes where two are given)5 | Not yet sourced |
879 |
Red SS bucket-seat trim (sport coupe/convertible codes where two are given)5 | Not yet sourced |
Identification
- VIN
- Registry: 1965 Impala SS VIN digits 65 = six-cylinder SS, 66 = V8 SS.5
- Impala Super Sport model numbers
- Series 165-16600 Impala Super Sport: 16637 two-door sport coupe and 16667 two-door convertible, each 4-passenger (the 16500 numbers are the six-cylinder versions).
- 396 engine suffix codes
- 396 cu in RPO L78: IA optional with 3- or 4-speed, large 4-bbl, special cam; IG optional with Powerglide.
Identification
Read a 1965 Chevrolet VIN
The VIN decoder runs in your browser and never sends the VIN anywhere. How the factory numbered this year's cars:
Same model year
Also in 1965
- Buick Riviera The Gran Sport arrived with the dual-quad Super Wildcat 425 and a 3.42 axle; 3,354 of 34,586 Rivieras had it.
- Buick Skylark Gran Sport, GS and GSX Buick's first Gran Sport was a Skylark option with the 401 'Wildcat' V-8 rated at 325 hp; a production tabulation counts 15,780.
- Buick Wildcat Second-generation B-body Wildcat on a 126-inch wheelbase in standard, Deluxe and Custom series; the 1965 total is disputed between published lineages.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The Malibu SS continued with 327 options, and late in the year RPO Z16 put a 375 hp 396 into 201 Chevelles.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova The 327 V8 appears in the source engine table; several body-style counts are unavailable. Enthusiast-compiled production: 122,800 cars; Super Sport 9,100.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS No factory Super Sport El Camino is documented for this year; the record carries the host El Camino production as context.
- Chrysler 300 letter series The last letter car: a slab-sided restyle on a 124-inch wheelbase, one 360 hp 413, no cross-ram, and an illuminated grille medallion; 2,405 hardtops and 440 convertibles.
- Dodge Coronet R/T and Super Bee The 1965 performance Coronets were competition-only Race Hemi lightweights, not showroom muscle cars, and even their number is published two ways.
- Ford Fairlane A restyled small-block Fairlane whose performance ceiling was the 271-hp K-code 289 High Performance V8, offered with the Sports Coupe.
- Ford Falcon Sprint The last Sprint moved to the 289 V8 and a new V8 front suspension; the club records 2,806 hardtops and 300 convertibles.
- Ford Galaxie A new full-size body with the LTD added above the Galaxie 500 XL; the 427 continued in Q-code (410 hp) and R-code (425 hp) form.
- Ford Thunderbird A mild update of the 1964 body kept the 300-hp 390 as the standard engine; production fell to 74,972.
- Mercury Comet and Cyclone The Cyclone was the performance Comet hardtop: vinyl roof, chrome wheels, bucket seats and console, tachometer and a 225-hp 289 as standard.
- Mercury Marauder and S-55 The last year of the first Marauder generation: 74,590 Marauder-roof cars across Monterey, Montclair and Park Lane, per mercurystuff.com.
- Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds The 4-4-2 package moved to a 400 cu in V-8 rated at 345 hp, the name was reread as 400 cubes, 4-barrel, 2 exhausts, and production rose to 25,003.
- Oldsmobile Starfire A 425 V-8, Turbo Hydra-Matic and a rarely ordered four-speed; 15,260 built.
- Plymouth Barracuda and 'Cuda The first full-year Barracuda introduced the Formula S package and the 235-hp 273 Commando, and production reached 64,596.
- Plymouth GTX, Belvedere and Satellite The Belvedere became Plymouth's intermediate line, with the bucket-seat, V-8-only Satellite hardtop and convertible at the top and the 426 Street wedge as its hottest regular-production engine.
- Pontiac Catalina 2+2 and Super Duty The 2+2 gained a standard 338 hp 421 and reached 11,521 cars, its best year.
- Pontiac GTO Ratings up to 335 and 360 hp, and GTO production more than doubling to 75,352.
- Pontiac Grand Prix New 121-inch body and a 333 hp standard 389; 57,881 built.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans The LeMans adds a four-door sedan and the four-barrel 326 is rated at 285 hp.
- Rambler and AMC Marlin AMC's six-passenger fastback, introduced in February 1965. Its best year was 10,327 cars.