1968 · Chevrolet · United States
1968 Chevrolet Impala SS and SS427: an option again
Super Sport becomes an option again (RPO Z03): 36,432, plus 1,778 SS427 (RPO Z24).
United States · researched through 2026-09-22
For 1968 the Super Sport reverted to being an option rather than a separate series, documented by the Impala SS Registry as RPO Z03, available on the Impala 16447 custom coupe, 16467 convertible, and 16487 sport coupe, with 36,432 installed across those three bodies for the year. A second, more aggressive option, RPO Z24 SS427, added 1,778 more cars on the same three body styles, a much smaller population than the plain Z03 option alongside it.1
The Z03 and Z24 figures sum to 38,210, and Wikipedia's fourth-generation Impala article independently gives that same 38,210 total, though this record's own production note is careful to point out that Wikipedia does not itself present the figure as a sum of the two registry options, it simply happens to match. Context figures from the Classic Industries chart give 711,000 Impalas of all bodies and 24,730 full-size convertibles for the year; this record's own production note flags that the best missing primary source, the GM Heritage 1968 Chevrolet vehicle information kit's own production data, could not be retrieved due to a website access error, so this record's Z03 and Z24 figures rest on the registry alone rather than being cross-checked against a factory document.2,3
Engine data for 1968 is thinner than in some other years: this record's own engine note states plainly that no 1968 rating was found in any fetched source for the L36 427, leaving that entry blank aside from its displacement, while a second 427, the L72, is documented at 425 hp and described by Wikipedia as available across both the 1968 and 1969 model years. Chevrolet's own power-team combination table is unusually detailed for the year's transmission and axle pairings: a heavy-duty three-speed with a 2.41:1 low gear for the L35 396 and L36 427, on a standard 3.31 axle; a four-speed with a 2.52:1 low, also for the L35 and L36 on the same 3.31 axle; a close-ratio four-speed with a 2.20:1 low, restricted to the L36 only, offered with a 3.31 standard axle, a 3.73 special axle, or Positraction at 4.10, 4.56, or 4.88; Powerglide for the L35 on a 3.07 standard axle; and Turbo Hydra-Matic for both the L35 and L36 on a 2.73 standard axle. This level of documented detail on axle and transmission pairing stands out against the otherwise empty paint, interior, specification, and identification sections of this same record for the year.4
Beyond the Z03 and Z24 options themselves, Chevrolet's regular-production-options list documents four more engines and one further option: the L73 327-cu-in V8 at 250 hp, the L30 327-cu-in V8 at 275 hp, the L35 396-cu-in V8 at 325 hp, the L36 427-cu-in V8 at 385 hp, and the N10 dual exhaust option. An unpublished lead notes a claim, repeated in listing journalism but seen only as a search snippet and never confirmed against a citable source, that roughly 600 L72-equipped vehicles were built across all GM B-bodies in 1968; this record does not carry that estimate as a fact, since the article behind it was not itself read in full. No paint colors, no interior trim codes, no specifications, no identification detail, and no performance-test data were found in an accessible documented source for the year, leaving this record's coverage limited to the production, engine, transmission, and option data already described.1
Fact sheet · 1968 · United States
The numbers
1968 Chevrolet Impala SS and SS427 — Super Sport becomes an option again (RPO Z03): 36,432, plus 1,778 SS427 (RPO Z24).
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
- Z03 36,432; Z24 SS427 1,778.1
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| RPO Z03 Super Sport1 Super Sport · custom coupe 16447, convertible 16467, sport coupe 16487 · not stated | 36,432 | sold, model-year | Reported |
| RPO Z24 SS4271 SS427 · custom coupe 16447, convertible 16467, sport coupe 16487 · 427 · not stated | 1,778 | sold, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impalas with a Super Sport option (Z03 or Z24)2 SS · not stated Equals the registry Z03 + Z24 figures; Wikipedia does not state it as a sum. | 38,210 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impala series, all bodies3 all full-size · not stated | 711,000 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Convertible, all full-size3 all full-size · not stated | 24,730 | built, model-year | Reported |
Best missing primary source: GM Heritage 1968 Chevrolet vehicle information kit (403).
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| L36 · 427 V84 427 cu in | optional | Not yet sourced | |
| L72 · 427 V84 427 cu in · 4-barrel | 425 hp (SAE gross) | optional (1968-1969 per Wikipedia) | Not yet sourced |
Ratings are the manufacturer's advertised figures under the standard shown (SAE gross before 1972, SAE net after). They are not dyno results, and gross and net ratings can't be compared directly.
Transmissions
| Transmission | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy-duty 3-speed (2.41:1 low) | 396/325 L35 and 427/385 L36; standard axle 3.31 | Not yet sourced |
| 4-speed (2.52:1 low) | L35 and L36; standard axle 3.31 | Not yet sourced |
| 4-speed close-ratio (2.20:1 low) | L36 only; 3.31 standard, 3.73 special, and Positraction 4.10, 4.56 and 4.88 available | Not yet sourced |
| Powerglide | L35 (3.07 standard) | Not yet sourced |
| Turbo Hydra-Matic | L35 and L36 (2.73 standard) | Not yet sourced |
Options and packages
| Code | Option | Price | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
Z03RPO |
Super Sport1 | — | 36,4321 Reported |
Z24RPO |
SS4271 | — | 1,7781 Reported |
L73RPO |
250-hp Turbo-Fire 327 V8 (V8 series 154-156-164-16600) | — | Not yet sourced |
L30RPO |
275-hp Turbo-Fire 327 V8 | — | Not yet sourced |
L35RPO |
325-hp Turbo-Jet 396 V8 | — | Not yet sourced |
L36RPO |
385-hp Turbo-Jet 427 V8 | — | Not yet sourced |
N10RPO |
Dual exhaust (V8 series) | — | Not yet sourced |
Identification
Read a 1968 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 1968
- AMC AMX AMC's two-seat AMX arrived mid-year on a 97-inch wheelbase. The enthusiast production table counts 6,725 cars, two-thirds of them with the 390.
- AMC Javelin AMC's first pony car, launched in September 1967 as base and SST hardtops. Production of the two combined was about 55,000.
- AMC Rebel and Rebel Machine Now badged AMC, the Rebel came in 550, 770 and SST trims and could be ordered with the 315-hp 390. It is host-car context for the 1970 Machine.
- Buick Riviera Record Riviera sales of 49,284, including 5,337 with the GS handling option.
- Buick Skylark Gran Sport, GS and GSX On the new 112 in two-door body the GS 400 was joined by a GS 350 hardtop, and a dealer-installed Stage 1 package arrived for the 400.
- Buick Wildcat 73,561 Wildcats with the 430 V-8.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The restyled Chevelle kept SS 396 as its own series and added an SS 396 El Camino: 62,785 SS 396s in three bodies.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova SS engines per the source: L48 350, L34 396 and L78 396. Enthusiast-compiled production: 183,552 cars; Super Sport 5,571.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS The first factory Super Sport El Camino: a separate SS 396 model, 13880, built 5,190 times.
- Dodge Charger The redesigned 'Coke bottle' Charger and the new R/T multiplied sales roughly sixfold over 1967.
- Dodge Coronet R/T and Super Bee The redesigned Coronet kept the 440-powered R/T and added the budget Super Bee coupe, a 383 car with an optional Hemi.
- Dodge Dart GTS, Swinger and Demon The new Dart GTS brought a 275 hp 340 or a 300 hp 383, and in February Dodge released 80 Hurst-completed LO23 Hemi Darts for Super Stock drag racing; GTS production was not reported separately.
- Ford Fairlane The restyled intermediate split into Fairlane, Fairlane 500 and the new Torino series; the Fairlane 500 fastback shared the Torino GT body and the 428 Cobra Jet arrived on April 1, 1968.
- Ford Ranchero GT The Ranchero GT carried Torino GT trim; 1,669 GTs were built, per reference-site counts in the Standard Catalog lineage.
- Ford Thunderbird The new 429 Thunder Jet V-8 arrived as the Thunderbird's optional engine at 360 hp.
- Ford Torino Torino arrived as the new top series of the restyled Fairlane line, the Torino GT fastback became its volume performance car, and the 428 Cobra Jet was added on April 1, 1968.
- Mercury Comet and Cyclone The Cyclone moved to the new Montego-based intermediate; the fastback outsold the notchback hardtop by about ten to one, and the 428 Cobra Jet arrived mid-year.
- Mercury Cougar The year of the 427 GT-E, the mid-year 428 Cobra Jet, and the XR7-G, with production down to 113,741.
- Mercury Marauder and S-55 Neither the S-55 nor the Marauder model appears in the sources for 1968; no performance full-size Mercury production figure was found.
- Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds The restyled 4-4-2 became its own series, the W-31 small-block arrived, and Hurst built the first 455 Hurst/Olds: 515 cars in the tabulation.
- Plymouth Barracuda and 'Cuda The new 340 arrived in the Formula S alongside the 383, and Plymouth issued a competition-only Hemi Barracuda under order code BO29.
- Plymouth GTX, Belvedere and Satellite The GTX became its own model on the restyled 1968 intermediate body, still with the 375-hp 440 standard and the Hemi at $605, and outsold its first year.
- Plymouth Road Runner Plymouth added a stripped Belvedere-based coupe and hardtop with a special 335-hp 383 as standard and the 426 Hemi as the only engine option, and sold 44,599 of them.
- Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am The first full season: the six grew to 250 cu in, the 326 gave way to a 350, and output rose to 107,112.
- Pontiac GTO A new 112-inch-wheelbase body with an Endura nose, the sport coupe dropped, and 87,684 built.
- Pontiac Grand Prix The last full-size Grand Prix: 31,711 hardtops, with a 390 hp 428 HO at the top.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans The new two-door body arrives, and a 350 HO replaces the 326 HO.