A rare 1962 Impala SS convertible with dual-quad 409 power resurfaces after nearly two decades away.
Back in 1962, ordering the legendary 409/409 engine cost buyers an extra $484—a serious bargain for the performance it delivered. At least that’s how collectors saw it years later. In fact, when one example sold at auction in 2009, experts suggested the next sale price might eventually start with a “7” or even an “8.” Looking at today’s collector market, that prediction might actually have been a little conservative for this striking 1962 Impala 409 convertible equipped with dual four-barrel carburetors.
During the early 1960s, Chevrolet ruled Detroit’s sales charts, and the Impala sat comfortably at the top of the brand’s full-size lineup. It easily outsold its siblings, the Bel Air and Biscayne. But what really gave the model its mystique was the Super Sport badge combined with the mighty 409-cubic-inch big-block V8.
The Impala itself first appeared in 1958 as a premium trim level for the Bel Air. It didn’t take long for Chevrolet to realize its potential, turning the name into a standalone model line. By the middle of the decade, the Impala had become one of the most successful cars in American history, famously surpassing one million units sold in both 1965 and 1966.
Two key ingredients helped shape that legacy: the arrival of the Super Sport (SS) package and the introduction of the 409-cubic-inch V8. The engine made its debut on December 17, 1960, though production numbers were modest at first—only 142 units that year.
Demand exploded almost immediately. In 1961, Chevrolet built more than 15,000 examples, and production peaked near 17,000 units in 1963. The 409—about 6.7 liters in displacement—was part of a remarkable engineering era for Chevrolet. Over roughly a decade, the company introduced several legendary big-block engines, including the 348, 409, 396, 427, and eventually the famous 454.
By 1964, the 409’s run began to slow, with around 8,900 units produced that year. Production wrapped up in 1965 after roughly 2,800 final blocks rolled out. On February 16 of that year, the 396 V8 officially replaced it on the assembly line, bringing the 409’s remarkable chapter to a close.
Throughout all these mechanical changes, the Impala remained a major symbol of America’s booming car culture. In 1962 alone, Chevrolet built about 922,000 full-size cars, and roughly 705,000 of them were Impalas.
Buyers could choose from six different body styles. Options ranged from the traditional four-door sedan and two station wagon variants—six-passenger and nine-passenger—to the highly desirable two-door Sport Coupe, the convertible, and the four-door Sport Sedan hardtop.
Record-keeping at the time wasn’t nearly as precise as collectors might like today. Chevrolet celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1961, but the company didn’t make a huge marketing push around it. In fact, the special Anniversary Gold paint option wasn’t widely offered until the following year.
The real excitement surrounding the 409 engine came from pop culture as much as from the racetrack. The Beach Boys famously immortalized the engine in their song “409,” helping cement its place in American muscle-car lore. With 409 horsepower, dual four-barrel carbs, a four-speed transmission, and Positraction, the big Chevy was built to challenge rivals like the Pontiac 421 Super Duty, Ford’s 406, and the Chrysler 413 Max Wedge.
What could make a car like that even better? In the early ’60s, the answer was simple—take the roof off. A bright red convertible with a matching red interior, a gleaming white shifter ball, and polished air cleaner sitting above those dual carburetors represented peak Chevrolet performance style in 1962.
That’s exactly what the example shown here delivers. It also carries about 86,104 miles on the odometer. This particular 1962 Impala SS 409/409 convertible has clearly been well cared for over the years. The car was previously evaluated by Hagerty specialists before it crossed the block at an RM auction in Monterey in 2009, where it sold for $52,000.
After the buyer’s premium was added, the final price came to $57,750. Nearly seventeen years have passed since then, and the car has reportedly received careful maintenence during that time.
Back in 2009, the Hagerty valuators described it this way: “Very well done paint, all brightwork is good except the headlight surrounds and grille, which show some road wear. Very nicely fitted top. Clean interior professionally finished with only light wear visible.”
If those minor flaws are still present today, they’re hard to spot. It’s possible the car received a refresh ahead of its next auction appearance in Houston this April. The red ragtop is scheduled to cross the auction block again on the 10th, and there’s a good chance the first digit of the final price could now be a 1, not the “7” or “8” predicted years ago.
One frustration for collectors is that Chevrolet—like most Detroit automakers at the time—focused far more on building and selling cars than tracking detailed production statistics. Because of that, it’s difficult to determine exactly how rare this particular configuration might be.
What we do know is that nearly 78,000 full-size Chevrolet convertibles were built in 1962. Meanwhile, the Super Sport package—available only on the Impala—proved extremely popular, attracting more than 99,300 buyers that year.