1961 Chevrolet Impala SS 409

A steal at only $53.80, the SS package was offered on any Impala. It included the Super Sport trim inside and out, chassis reinforcements, power brakes with metallic linings, stronger springs and shocks, spinner-type wheel covers, and one of Chevy's earliest uses of narrow-band whitewall tires. The dashboard gained a Corvette-type passenger grab bar, and the steering column got a 7,000-rpm tachometer.

Only Chevy's toughest V8s were offered with the SS kit. The available 348-cid engines ranged from a four-barrel with 305 bhp to a tri-carb with 350. The other alternative was the 409. Basically a larger-displacement 348, its upgrades included a wilder camshaft, forged aluminum pistons, a wilder camshaft, and 11.25:1 compression ratio. A single four-barrel carb graced the aluminum manifold. When it was said and done it made 360 raw bhp. "She's real fine, my 409," sang the Beach Boys, and a legend was born.

Chevy made 491,000 Impalas for 1961. Of those only 453 had the SS package and of those, just 142 got the 409. But word spread quickly in the enthusiast community. Here was a blue-collar Chevy V-8 with 409 lb-ft of torque and the ability to do mid-15 second quarter-miles with the standard 3.36:1 rear axle and required four-speed manual transmission.

The SS badge would adorn great Chevys into the early 1970s before disappearing on an extended hiatus. The 409 engine survived through 1965. It would eventually produce as much as 425 bhp and be offered even in stripper Bel Airs and Biscaynes. But a basic design traced to a late-1950s truck engine and incompatibility with serious performance hop-ups doomed it in an era of modern high-performance engines.

All told, the 409 went into just 43,775 cars, many of those relegated to grocery haulers and four-door passenger cars. That its reputation outshines its production numbers shows how much impact the 409 had on muscle's early days.

Stats:

Wheelbase: 119.0 in.
Weight: 3700 lbs.
Production: 142
Price: $2,900

Engine: Only V-8
Displacement: 409 CID
Fuel system: 1x4 bbl
Compression ratio: 11.25:1
Horsepower @ rpm: 360 @ 5800
Torque @ rpm: 3,600

0-60 mph: 7.8 seconds
1/4 mile (sec @ mph): 15.8 @ 94.1

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