Great automotive intrigue occurred in the early 1960s when Chevrolet introduced a 409-based stroker displacing 427 cid specifically for racing, then decided to pull out of competitive motorsports. While Car Craft’s focus was still custom cars, Motor Trend got ahold of a new Z11-optioned 1963 Impala, apparently from Bruder Chevrolet, to test at the San Gabriel Drag Strip along with a Buick Riviera and Super Stock Dodge Dart. Jim Wright, MT tech editor, wrote a piece on two other Impalas—the 327 and the 408—in which he speculated that a new “425” production engine was rumored, never mentioning the Z11-optioned car in his midst. By publishing time, Chevrolet had already announced its intention to produce aluminum body panels and other lightweight parts for the dragstrip warriors plying the Impala to take advantage of new NHRA rules. This potent Z11 combo was run in 1963 by Sox & Martin, Dave Strickler, and others on the strip, while NASCAR’s Junior Johnson and friends tore up the raceways. More than 50 cars received the Z11 treatment, to one degree or another. Bel Air/Impala sales were at the top of the automotive sales charts at that time, with more than 500,000 units being produced. A stock Impala cost two-thirds of a Z11, which seems pretty reasonable today. With variants totaling in the millions, it makes a single-year model option of 50-something units a very scarce commodity.
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