I'm older then both of this fellows and drove our Twilight Torquoise 61 Impala during high school. It was a cool car in the early 60s and wish I still owned it. The Pontiac was and remains a very cool car and seeing both of them at shows brings back fond memories of my youth. Which one is better? It's like a preference for different roses. If you like roses, it hardly matters. Both cars are classics in my book. I am thankful they are still around.
I got my drivers license at age 16 on the family (also turquoise) 1961 Impala. Although it had a 283 with Powerglide. As I recall, my parents bought it new for about $3K (their first new car). Mom, dad, and I all drove it, since it was the family car. We managed to keep it going until we traded it at about 140,000 miles for a '67 Impala. That old 2-speed transmission was really slipping by then - although AAMCO rebuilt it. Never a problem with a 283, although the 327 had more inspiring performance. As I recall the 409 was a bored and stroked 348. Good times.
My dad bought his very first brand new car from Yank Chevrolet, Vineland, NJ in 1961. I was born in 1949, so at age 11, I was deep into the high performance craze and was trying to get dad to order either a 348 Tri Power or the all-new 409/360. We ended up with the lip top Belair with the inline stovebolt-6 in Seafoam Green Regardless, I still loved our family's first new car and thanks dad for letting me control the gas pedal hundreds of times. It was a powerglide, too. And as for Bill's comment, I hope you are still around as I'm pushing 74 now and I liked your philosophical approach to "which is better, the Chevy or the Pontiac." (p.s.- in my garage right now are a 1994 Trans Am with 16,600 original miles; a '98 Z28 Camaro with a crate LS6 from the Corvette Cadillac CTV line, a 2008 GMC Envoy inline-6; a '80 AMC Concord with the 258-inline 6 and a '72 Challenger with a .40 over 440 with Hughes Torkflite and 3500 converter. I also own a 230-inch S&W rear engine dragster with a 489 big block just sitting at my friends garage for about 10-years!
I was of that impressionable age 10, 11, 12 years old when these cars came out. It was an amazing experience every fall when they introduced the new models. Every year we saw fantastic style changes.
I had a '61 Impala SS with a 348 back in the '70s. And you're right, in mid '61 they came out with the "409". Interesting thing is....I wrote to Chevrolet when I owned my SS and asked them how many were actually built (giving them my Vin number) and they couldn't tell me....they said they didn't know, and I think I still have that letter! They also mentioned that the SS was also available as a "dealer option" (in that the dealer could put the badging, interior door handle and front "gold" plastic Chev emblem on it to make it a Dealer SS car). Wish I could tell you more, but that's all I know....I finally sold it to a guy in Indiana and it was the "Honduras Maroon you see in the video above. Sure wish I still had it, but you can't keep them all. DARN!!
The 1961 Ventura standard engine was a 303 hp 389. Optional for $90 was a 318 hp 389 Tri-Power. Next was a 333 hp 389 4 bbl with hotter cam. Top of the line factory installed engine was 348 hp 389 Tri-Power. The 333 and 348 hp engines had 4 bolt mains. Dealer installed components gave you 368 hp. 421 crate engine was available from Dealer.
I must be younger than you my first new car was a 76 trans am paid 6 grand I was 18..why did it seem so much easier to come up with $6k in 1976 than it is to shell out $50k today?
they were not magnesium .... aluminum .. 56 Mercedes Gull wings had optional magnesium wheels and the option cost was something like $4000 .. huge coin at the time ! The 8 lug wheels are beautiful and did do a beter job of slowing the car down than the standard drums
Once you drive a wide track, you never want anything else. The one I used was a Star Chief 4 door, but still it had all kinds of leg room and handled like a dream.
Back in 1967, I had a 1958 Chevy Impala with a 348 engine with a three-speed manual transmission. I worked in an automotive electrical and carburetor shop, so I picked up a Muncie 4 speed transmission with a Hurst shifter and a three-duce manifold with three Rochester 2GC carburetors. With the help of my boss, we rebuilt and installed both the transmission and the three duces, tuned it with the shop's Sun Analyzer, state of the art, at the time. The car ran beautifully with plenty of power for such a large car. Me and friends would run each other's cars on our "Reasearch Parkway" (empty Industrial Park" strip of road. I would best some 389's at times. That 58 Chevy was a sleeper, looking like a boat. Ah, such wonderful memories our kids will never experience today.
In 1961, this body style for Chevy was great, everybody wanted one. We use to raise the front up and lower the rear, good radio and we use to have a Reverba-tone that we installed on it, perfect sound use to echo through the car then.
It's the Pontiac Ventura for me. The body lines are a bit more subdued than the Chevy. The wheels and tires filling the wheel well on the Pontiac makes such a big difference in the overall look. And 8 lug wheels.....I mean c'mon, who doesn't love the 8 lug wheel. I'd be happy and proud to own either one, but if I had to choose it would be the Pontiac all the way.
The '61 SS 409 had a Borg-Warner T-10 transmission, not a Muncie. The Muncie M20-21 came out in 1963, and the M22 "rock crusher" arrived in early 1965 on the last 409s.
When I went to have my ‘63 SS409 transmission rebuilt, the guy took a glance at it and ordered Muncie parts because of the aluminum case. When he went to work on it, he discovered it was an aluminum case Borg Warner T-10 - he had never seen one that wasn’t cast iron. It even had the bow tie cast into the rear extension.
I had a '61 Bel Air 4 door, with a 235 straight 6, and a 3 on the tree. I paid $425 for that car in the mid '80s. For its day it was an economy car. It got 20mpg. The thing about it was it was so clean. It looked like it had just left the showroom. I regret selling it. It had so much space on the inside. The trunk was huge, and it had this wrap around rear window that was incredible!
I have a friend . He actually was my older brother friend. Then we became friends. He had a 65 gto 389 4 speed. He was a machinist. He would rebuild it every monday. Because rod knock. I asked why. He replied i want to show this big block will wind up to 8,000 rpm. I asked what gear he smiled.... hell all of them all weekend. That car was wicked fast
My history as a young guy: In 1961, I bought a 1961 Chevrolet Byscane, a salesman type car and I intended it to be a ‘Sleeper’. 348 CI, 350 HP 4 on the floor. I raced it and did ho-hum. Next year, sold the 1961 350 and bought an Impala 409 HP, 409 CI and fast as hell. More trophies but not long into the season, Dodges and Plymouths showed up and beat the Hell out of us. Next year 1963 I did ok, but in the Fall the US Army grabbed me in the draft. So I ended up selling the Impala and driving a crappy damn Ford Pinto...which was affordable to someone making $37 a month.
All Pontiac engines from the 287 through the 455 (ex. the SD-455) were all the same size. All they did was change the bore and stroke to make all those different displacements. One of the great things about Pontiacs is how easy it is to swap cylinder head's. They're all interchangeable with the exception of the Super Duty 455 of '73 and '74. They did come in 2 different main journal sizes however. The 421, 428, and 455 had larger main's. Great review, thanks! Love muscle car history.
My Grandpa had a brand new 1961 Oldsmobile Super 88 & man that was a beautiful car. I still remember that beautiful red color all metal dash with those chrome elliptical gauges.
exactly, besides, ac/dc wouldnt be known until the late 70s, when we would be plegued with underpowered government cars. these cars would be during the time of the beach boys and roy orbison
@@bobgipson7851 You could technicly call them a mid size block. But then Oldsmobile blocks were sorta the same way where they raised the deck height to make room for the longer strokes and such which made them look like a big block.
326,350,389,400,455 are some.I had a 350 that blew the back out of header gasket as their was not a stud at the rear of the head to tighten it up properly.I thought I blew a rod with the metal on metal noise,noticed the flame at night to my relief.These engines kicked in at 60 mph.My first car was a 70 LeMans clocked at 140,Firebirds were clocked at 160.I grew up at one of the best times,up to 1972,automobiles had style(IMO).
I'm a guitar player and my 1st car was a 1961 Chev Biscayne. I have owned an Epiphone SG but I love my American Fender Strat. Thanks for the video. The Red '61 Chev is amazing.
@@MostlyBuicks I have and it would be hard to get that pride and skill when you are trying to go as fast as possible nd while there are so many time limits and stuff. Agreed.
@@jimmypopp2695 Yes you are making widgets. You are not working in a custom restoration shop! One might be proud that he make it through the day with no injuries!
@@MostlyBuicks That is the point. I have worked those types of jobs in the past and was just happy to still have all my fingers at the end of the shift. I worked in a box shop when I was 18 and loved it but I worked three shifts sometimes. We were not allowed to do that but every once in a while we could. Also Those cars were not that valuable when they were made. I do not think many people had the foresight to Know that they were going to be worth 100,000 or more on 40+ years. I am restoring a 1991 Ford ranger and it is eaten badly by the tin worm.
That '61 Impala Bubble Top is my second favorite car, all-time!! Love the Bonneville, though!! I started seriously playing guitar in 1961! And good on you guys for being into guitars, too!! I am blessed to own a 1964 custom shop SG Standard reissue ... what a fine axe! "She's real fine my four - OH- nine!!"
Great vid. Love the guitar bit (just got an Epi LP Jr the other day). I didn't stick around for the Pontiac. How Chevrolet went thru the TRI 5, and beyond to the '61 was amazing.
The second car I owned, got it ‘63... licensed as a Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe... 6 cylinder, 3 speed. My brother borrowed the car for 8 months... he returned the car with a curled front end a no oil in the engine. We fixed the body and put a used 283 V8. Drove that car for the next 5 years, sold it when I got married. I loved that car and still do.
It's funny I have owned many cars from 4 bangers to 455 V8 and you said the Ventura ran a 1/4 mile in 15.2 and that was quick in 1961 I had a 2005 Accord with a 2400 vtec that did quarter in 15 flat crazy
I remember seeing those cars for sale "used" a couple years old for $300 or $400.. Good lord, you'r bringing back memories. Where's the Drive Inn? Aw, let's just go to the beach. Ohh, Whittier Blvd, Saturday night! Ya, I was there, a teenager having the time of my life.
Pureley aesthetically, it's the Chevrolet, hands down, for me. I'm 68 so I was only a kid, but I remember these cars. Not the SS specifically, but certainly the body style, when new. Of course I was a weird kid; my favorite car in the early sixties was the rapidly fading Studebaker Hawk.
Get this! I was in Navy boot camp in 1961 at Great Lakes in Illinois and one of the guys in my company was my friend. On his birthday his father had a brand new 1961 Chevy SS 348 4 speed convertible white with red interior delivered to him on the base. Don’t ask me how he pulled that off? Plus he got us each a 8 hour pass on the weekend so we went driving around with the top down, the car to me seemed very fast.
JUST A NOTE TO SAY, PONTIAC NEVER HAD A SMALL BLOCK ENGINE. ALL OF PONTIAC'S DIFFERENT CUBIC INCH'S SHARE THE SAME SIZE ENGINE BLOCK AND HEADS DEMENCHINS
I always loved those 1961 Chevy Sport models in Red.. On the front grille, I wasn't that much impressed but the side and back was what I really liked the looks of.. I didn't start buying cars until I got a 1966 Ford "7 Litre" in 1967.. I had that car for 10 years.. Didn't realize that car was a collectors item also, when I sold it for only $500 ... kicks self in back side..
Funny, I just found your channel, and on this vid at min 11:47, yep that's me at Donut Derelicts in HB in my shell tone ivory 389 - 348 HO Tripower Ventura
I remember sitting in the back seat with my cousin in my uncle's 61. Leaning back as a nine year old you could look straight up thru the rear window which at the time was so cool, beatnik cool, not today's cool.
I agree George; especially this particular '61 Impala featured here. Styling-wise, it's often an overlooked Impala overshadowed by (what I feel is) the less attractive model. Regardless, it wasn't an easy task transitioning the Chevy into the '60s away from the '50s (which the '60 model still was). They cleverly and beautifully blended the fresh with the familiar. For example, the front end (grill and headlights) were very similar to the '59. In the back they retained the horizontal 'branching out' look from the center of the '59 too, but the "fins" were now a slight "ridge" that wrapped around the sides with beautiful decoration. The triple taillights were in the tradition of the '58 and '60. The windshield (like all of GM) were conventional except for the slight curve at the bottom. So to sum it up, the '61 definitely looked like a '60s model but with understandable ties to the '50s as the final 'fade-out' model of that look. On a final note, I really like all of the '61 GM divisions offerings except for Oldsmobile. That wasn't a good year, but the '62 Olds was/is gorgeous.
When I was very young, my mom had a 1961 Pontiac Ventura bubble top in Florentine blue. You showed a picture of one and it reminded me of how I used to think it was the most beautiful shade of blue ever on a car.
Decisions decisions! Neither one of these cars would break my heart if they were sitting in my driveway. But if I had to choose I go with the Impala. 61 is one of my favorite years for that model. I love how GM made them different every year. The 61 has a very unique look among them. Give me one with the 409.
I love both of these cars, but I give the Impala an edge. That's because my folks had the '61 Impala SS 409 when I was 9 years old! I remember what a nice car it was, and remember it being really fast. My dad liked how it drove, but not the gas mileage, which I believe was around 8 or 9 mpg in the city. He once said that it had automatic turn signals: they came on whenever you passed a gas station!
Both amazing cars !! But did anyone know the 409 couldn’t keep a rearend so they all used Pontiac 9.3??? Just bought a 61 bubbletop Catalina. Learning all this stuff as i go. I’d take a 61 imp if I could find one but you can’t disagree the ponchos were sexy!!
try it with the standard 6 cylinder - what a slow poke ..the 283 got better mileage than the 6 , more torque and did not have to work as hard . GM should never ever have put a 6 banger in the impala [ or Bel-Air or Biscayne ] serious under powered
John Jenniges I had a 62 Impala SS 409 CI 409 HP as my first car in 1971 in mint condition 50,000 miles for $350 ! I wish I knew then what i know now i would have kept it!
@LF X there were but the 6 should have remained in the chevy 2 .. Putting a 135 hp 6banger in a 3500 lb car was dumb decision . a 195 hp 283 and a powerglide trans were not very agile either but at least you could pass someone if you had to !
It's interesting where you got your SS numbers. When I owned my '61 SS back in the early '80s I wrote GM to find out how many were built (no internet back then). They wrote me back saying they didn't know because they had no record or statistics on them! I believe I still have that letter. Some folks have said it was also a "dealer option" where they could put the badges and interior "grab bar" on the car. I don't know for sure on that, but I do know that GM said they had no actual numbers for the '61 Impala SS.
Curt Brennan The 61 SS was a production option. The totals likely included all Impala 2dr coupes, likewise for convertibles. I can’t imagine any 4drs being produced but l also believe it was possible. Please, anyone call me out if I’m not correct.
You should have compared the 348 with the dealer added McKeller cam option, which brought it up to 368 hp and possibly could have made this a dead even match up. One of the very few early 60s (muscle cars I always wanted but could not find the right one when I was looking...One of my favorite all time American cars, a 1961 Ventura loaded up, as posted in your vid with the options and engine you mentioned!
For me, I *LIKE* the '61 Impala body style--even today. Modern cars ALL look alike, no personality. If presented with a new Impala and a new '61 Impala, I'd take the '61. I think they were beautiful in their day, and I still think so!
I HAD a '61 Chevy, a guy had started to turn into a drag racer; 409 rear end and Borg-Warner Rock Crusher close ratio 4 speed; fun car. He had not yet upgraded from the 283 2bbl and 7" clutch. I got over my hot rod yearnings and discovered girls, so traded the hot rod in for a '62 Chevy with 283 and Powerglide, and bench seats vice buckets. Wish I had kept the '61.
My first car in 1969, I was 17, was a 1961 Pontiac Ventura with a 389 tri-power!! I paid $200, took me 3 months to save for it, my part time job after school paid $37 a week and I had to buy liability insurance first, that was $168 a year. Gas was 28 cents for regular and Amoco hi-test was 34-36cents.
Personally, I prefer the Chevy 1959-1960. I think that the Impala 1961-1962 looked somewhat like the Mercury Comet of that same era, or even the Plymouth Belvedere as well. A smaller shorted nose front end with a stretched out back design kind of car. It was still very stylish and very futuristic for its time though! Thank you. Johnny, Montréal, Canada.
I too like the 1961 Pontiac Ventura better than the Impala. Would enjoy seeing the 1961 Impala 409 go up against the 1961 Ventura with their newest SD 421 setup! 1961 was a great year for General Motors Styling! The 1961 Buick Invicta and 1961 Oldsmobile Starfire were Hot too! Even the 1961 Cadillac had the sharpest look ever! 1961 was a great year for the Ford Thunderbird and the unbelievably awesome Lincoln Continental Convertible with those Suicide rear doors!
We had a 63 catalina wagon with 421SD,,we as kids got to drive with pops all the time ,,think i was 8 the 1st time got to 100 in her,,, ahh the good old days,,,We had it til i was almost 21yr old and drove away when we sold her ,, pops loved his Pontiac's
I keep watching this video.Two very nice cars,no losers here,but if I had to choose and being a Pontiac guy,I still would take the '61 Chev.In my opinion,one of the nicest cars ever,love the front grill(I used to like the '60 but this grew on me)
Re the Chevy SS - no Muncie 4-spd in 1961. The only GM factory available 4-spd for passenger cars back then was a Borg Warner T-10. The Muncie 4-spd wasn't available until the middle of the 1964 model year.
I think the 63 Corvette came with Aluminum Muncies and maybe some early 409s. My 62 Vette came with the BW T-10 four speed. My 65 327/365 Vette I used to own came with the Muncie Rock Crusher 4 spd. Which was usually reserved for race cars and bigger block High Performance vehicles. Aluminum case 4 speeds didnt come in passenger cars until nearly the mid 60s, instead, they were heavy cast iron with maybe the exclusion of 409S.
My first car was a 1966 Pontiac Grand Prix, my ex smash it up while I was in Boot Camp, but between these cars I would like to own the Chevy with the bubble top, their both are classic cars with style.
I was a teenager in the 60's so I vividly remember these cars. I agree with a previous comment that the Pontiac big block is a better comparison. My answer is....put either one in my driveway and I will weep tears of joy.
No Pontiac Big or Small blocks. They were all based on the same engine, from the original 287 to the 455, there was a journal size change in I believe 1961. Otherwise all the parts fit.
I read what some have said about different hub caps and lowering the vehicle and etc. Yes, I can appreciate the 61 chev or 61 pontiac as long as it looks similar to the original. I understand it's costly and hard to find parts. So, I still support non-stock classic cars regardless.
I owned a 61 pontiac ventura, two tone coco brown and tan. 389, 4bbl. Slim Jim Trans, beautiful car until an elderly gentlemen ran a stop sign and t-boned it and bent the frame, could not be saved, not with an 18 year olds bank account. Sold for scrap. Funny think about the slim jim trans, it shifted automatically after 55mph. Since mine was an automatic the shift on the column moved when this happened on the hi-way. It initially scared me. Also had issue with leaking trans fluid, mom had mechanics look at it and blamed it on my driving. I went to the local dealer and said it was a know issue. sold me a 5 dollar dipstick line and it resolved the issue. 2 weeks later when the car was in top running condition is when I got t-boned.
being a vintage guitar collector and guitar tech for a rock band the SG is a lot thinner than a Les Paul but the drawback to the 60s SGs was the neck joint and the fact the neck is a lot thinner and not very strong. My 65 SG is notorious for the truss rod not staying adjusted. My 80 Les Paul custom is solid as a rock.Don't think I have made a truss rod adjustment on it in years. I have worked on late 50s Les Pauls too and they are rock solid guitars.
As another already said, the 389 was not a small block. No one bought the Ventura in 1961. No one ever considered a Pontiac of any model as a really cool car until the GTO arrived. It was Chevy vs Ford all the way. You can’t argue with me on this , because I was a teenager in 1961. A hardtop Chevy was the only car to have. If you had a 409 you were king. The first car I had in college was a brand new 1967 SS 396 Impala. The SS Chevelles were maybe a little cooler but not by much. Of course the Corvette was the coolest of all, but at a whopping $6,000 it was out of my price range.
Pontiacs 421 super duty would smoke a 409 every time it was gm’s bad engine in that era only a 413 ram wedge mopar could keep up with the super duty sometimes my neighbor had a strip only 409 it was radical big cam gearing etc and it couldn’t even get in the 12’s he ran 13 flat @ 107 no better a trailered race car nonetheless the 409 never impressed me
I had a 61 Impala tag top. One of the last 300 produced before the first SS. IT WAS A SHP 348 TRIPOWER putting out advertised HP. IT DYNOTUNED @ 396 HP. 4 GEAR Borg Warner T-10 tranny. 11 1/2 or 12 inch clutch disc with a 3 finger pressure plate. I believe, but am not.positive that the block Prefix was FH. Been a long time! It was a screamer. Might have had 373 gears with a aftermkt Detroit locker rear.
The 1961 Chevy Impala SS 409 is rare, it came only with one four barrel Carter AFB carburetor... The black one with red and white interior shown here is exactly like the car I learned to drive in except mine only had the 283 ci V-8.
I was born in 52’ and I was old enough to see all this stuff first hand. What a decade the 60’s was. I love the 409. So unique looking. You couldn’t confuse it with anything else. That was when G.M. still had pride in what they produced. I didn’t care too much for the boy next to you dissing the 61’ Chevy. What can he wrap his head around? The Pontiac Atztek?
I own a '61 Catalina. It's a car that is very, very hard to find in this day and age. To me it has that classic Pontiac styling. The grill is very similar in shape to the '77/'78 Trans Am and the Pontiac, especially the Catalina wasn't nearly as busy with all the trim as the Impala.
My first car was a 1961 belair flat top , that was the car where the roof protruded over the rear glass/ so the sentinel favorite is the “61 impala ss but both are beautiful !!
I like 2 door classic cars. I've just never understood the reason why some prefer 2 doors over 4 doors. I would love to hear reasons for this. Is a 2 door easier to restore than a 4 door?
My 61 bubble top is my first choice if I could go back and have any car I have owned in my past. I have had a road runner and a barracuda too. I converted my 61 to manual transmission and switched the 283 out for a 396.
I love Pontiac, always will. In my own opinion the Impala SS had its big deal with the 1964 model. Sentimental reasons mostly, was my Dad's favorite and his first new car purchase.
I'm older then both of this fellows and drove our Twilight Torquoise 61 Impala during high school. It was a cool car in the early 60s and wish I still owned it. The Pontiac was and remains a very cool car and seeing both of them at shows brings back fond memories of my youth. Which one is better? It's like a preference for different roses. If you like roses, it hardly matters. Both cars are classics in my book. I am thankful they are still around.
I had one also. Nice car.
i agree. maybe less comparing and more appreciation.
I got my drivers license at age 16 on the family (also turquoise) 1961 Impala. Although it had a 283 with Powerglide. As I recall, my parents bought it new for about $3K (their first new car). Mom, dad, and I all drove it, since it was the family car. We managed to keep it going until we traded it at about 140,000 miles for a '67 Impala. That old 2-speed transmission was really slipping by then - although AAMCO rebuilt it. Never a problem with a 283, although the 327 had more inspiring performance. As I recall the 409 was a bored and stroked 348. Good times.
Tough to choose, but leaning towards the Poncho. Three dueces carburation was the bomb in 61.
My dad bought his very first brand new car from Yank Chevrolet, Vineland, NJ in 1961. I was born in 1949, so at age 11, I was deep into the high performance craze and was trying to get dad to order either a 348 Tri Power or the all-new 409/360. We ended up with the lip top Belair with the inline stovebolt-6 in Seafoam Green Regardless, I still loved our family's first new car and thanks dad for letting me control the gas pedal hundreds of times. It was a powerglide, too. And as for Bill's comment, I hope you are still around as I'm pushing 74 now and I liked your philosophical approach to "which is better, the Chevy or the Pontiac." (p.s.- in my garage right now are a 1994 Trans Am with 16,600 original miles; a '98 Z28 Camaro with a crate LS6 from the Corvette Cadillac CTV line, a 2008 GMC Envoy inline-6; a '80 AMC Concord with the 258-inline 6 and a '72 Challenger with a .40 over 440 with Hughes Torkflite and 3500 converter. I also own a 230-inch S&W rear engine dragster with a 489 big block just sitting at my friends garage for about 10-years!
61' was a great year. The whole different era back then was great classic cars and great music. A great time for a kid to be growing up.
Me too.
I was of that impressionable age 10, 11, 12 years old when these cars came out. It was an amazing experience every fall when they introduced the new models. Every year we saw fantastic style changes.
Dad drove one of these with 4 doors for 35 years. Served him well.
I had a '61 Impala SS with a 348 back in the '70s. And you're right, in mid '61 they came out with the "409".
Interesting thing is....I wrote to Chevrolet when I owned my SS and asked them how many were actually built (giving them my Vin number) and they couldn't tell me....they said they didn't know, and I think I still have that letter! They also mentioned that the SS was also available as a "dealer option" (in that the dealer could put the badging, interior door handle and front "gold" plastic Chev emblem on it to make it a Dealer SS car). Wish I could tell you more, but that's all I know....I finally sold it to a guy in Indiana and it was the "Honduras Maroon you see in the video above. Sure wish I still had it, but you can't keep them all. DARN!!
The 1961 Ventura standard engine was a 303 hp 389. Optional for $90 was a 318 hp 389 Tri-Power. Next was a 333 hp 389 4 bbl with hotter cam. Top of the line factory installed engine was 348 hp 389 Tri-Power. The 333 and 348 hp engines had 4 bolt mains. Dealer installed components gave you 368 hp. 421 crate engine was available from Dealer.
I can't possibly make a choice. These are both awesome automobiles.
I had A 61 lMPALA 2 DOOR Hardtop with the 348 c.i. engine and straight shift - great car - one of my all time favorites. Paid $2100 for it brand new.
The tripower Chevy 348 could have 350 HP... the tripower Pontiac 389 at 348 HP...
I must be younger than you my first new car was a 76 trans am paid 6 grand I was 18..why did it seem so much easier to come up with $6k in 1976 than it is to shell out $50k today?
My stock 1957 Chevy Bel Air stick power pack used to eat the 1959-61 348 Impalas!
Sweet. 👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
CC Knoxville 👍👍👍👍👍
Don’t forget the Pontiac Wide Track (wider than Chevy) and the 8 lug hubs with the real magnesium wheels, only found on Pontiacs.
they were not magnesium .... aluminum .. 56 Mercedes Gull wings had optional magnesium wheels and the option cost was something like $4000 .. huge coin at the time ! The 8 lug wheels are beautiful and did do a beter job of slowing the car down than the standard drums
Once you drive a wide track, you never want anything else. The one I used was a Star Chief 4 door, but still it had all kinds of leg room and handled like a dream.
Yes! The wide-track!
We had the 1960 Pontiac Bonneville sedan Very comfortable loads of room for passengers 😃😁🤩
David Gold For owning today I’d buy 61 Pontiac Bonnie is a Beauty 🤩🇺🇸
Back in 1967, I had a 1958 Chevy Impala with a 348 engine with a three-speed manual transmission. I worked in an automotive electrical and carburetor shop, so I picked up a Muncie 4 speed transmission with a Hurst shifter and a three-duce manifold with three Rochester 2GC carburetors. With the help of my boss, we rebuilt and installed both the transmission and the three duces, tuned it with the shop's Sun Analyzer, state of the art, at the time. The car ran beautifully with plenty of power for such a large car. Me and friends would run each other's cars on our "Reasearch Parkway" (empty Industrial Park" strip of road. I would best some 389's at times. That 58 Chevy was a sleeper, looking like a boat. Ah, such wonderful memories our kids will never experience today.
In 1961, this body style for Chevy was great, everybody wanted one. We use to raise the front up and lower the rear, good radio and we use to have a Reverba-tone that we installed on it, perfect sound use to echo through the car then.
Man I wish I could find that reverb atone today GM should bring it back. That makes you music sound cool as hell!
@@MrBackslider1 I don't think it was put out by GM, it was a radio they bought in the stores I believe.
It's the Pontiac Ventura for me. The body lines are a bit more subdued than the Chevy. The wheels and tires filling the wheel well on the Pontiac makes such a big difference in the overall look. And 8 lug wheels.....I mean c'mon, who doesn't love the 8 lug wheel.
I'd be happy and proud to own either one, but if I had to choose it would be the Pontiac all the way.
The '61 SS 409 had a Borg-Warner T-10 transmission, not a Muncie. The Muncie M20-21 came out in 1963, and the M22 "rock crusher" arrived in early 1965 on the last 409s.
Right ON!
When I went to have my ‘63 SS409 transmission rebuilt, the guy took a glance at it and ordered Muncie parts because of the aluminum case. When he went to work on it, he discovered it was an aluminum case Borg Warner T-10 - he had never seen one that wasn’t cast iron. It even had the bow tie cast into the rear extension.
The Pontiac has by far, exceptional styling that was WAY ahead of it's time.
I had a '61 Bel Air 4 door, with a 235 straight 6, and a 3 on the tree. I paid $425 for that car in the mid '80s. For its day it was an economy car. It got 20mpg. The thing about it was it was so clean. It looked like it had just left the showroom. I regret selling it. It had so much space on the inside. The trunk was huge, and it had this wrap around rear window that was incredible!
My first car Was a 61 bubbletop, 283 w/ powerglide.Wish I had it now!
I prefer the Pontiac , I've owned 5 different models , 👍 thumbs up to Pontiac
I prefer the Chevy....I've had at LEAST a dozen different 1960s-70s models over the past 30 years.
I have a friend . He actually was my older brother friend. Then we became friends. He had a 65 gto 389 4 speed. He was a machinist. He would rebuild it every monday. Because rod knock. I asked why. He replied i want to show this big block will wind up to 8,000 rpm. I asked what gear he smiled.... hell all of them all weekend. That car was wicked fast
My favorite of the early 60s muscle cars, was the 1962 Impala SS. The 1961 was great, too. '61 409 was so fine! Pontiac a close 2nd!
WOW! some of those '61 Impalas are just beautiful! Never thought much about the '61, my brother had a '62 Impala convertible.
My history as a young guy: In 1961, I bought a 1961 Chevrolet Byscane, a salesman type car and I intended it to be a ‘Sleeper’. 348 CI, 350 HP 4 on the floor. I raced it and did ho-hum.
Next year, sold the 1961 350 and bought an Impala 409 HP, 409 CI and fast as hell. More trophies but not long into the season, Dodges and Plymouths showed up and beat the Hell out of us. Next year 1963 I did ok, but in the Fall the US Army grabbed me in the draft. So I ended up selling the Impala and driving a crappy damn Ford Pinto...which was affordable to someone making $37 a month.
The 409 is one of my all time favorites. Still remember the QB 425 hp and the 430 hp QM Z11 mystery motor
The mystery motor was a Mark II 427, the Z11 was a punched out 409. Big difference.
Just ran across your channel and subscribed! Lots of good stuff!
I use to have a 1960 Pontiac Bonneville convertible, such a beautiful car with the 389 high performance engine. Loved that car.
All Pontiac engines from the 287 through the 455 (ex. the SD-455) were all the same size. All they did was change the bore and stroke to make all those different displacements. One of the great things about Pontiacs is how easy it is to swap cylinder head's. They're all interchangeable with the exception of the Super Duty 455 of '73 and '74. They did come in 2 different main journal sizes however. The 421, 428, and 455 had larger main's. Great review, thanks! Love muscle car history.
Correct. FYI: For future ref: head's = no apostrophe please (should be "heads") main's = no apostrophe please (should be "mains") Thanks!
@@jackmehoff4613 Ken are you a school teacher? You are 100% correct.
I was born in 59. So I love these cars. My folks had older rigs. Loved em too.
Great pod, I own a 1970 Ford Torino got convertible but love the old GM fleet.
My first car was a 1961 2 door Impala bubble top with a 283 engine with a power glide transmission. I paid $1950 for it in 1963.
What’s the difference between hardtop and bubbletop
I had a 62 impala hardtop comvertable.
@@nsphoenix6660286 Great big back glass made it a dome or bubble top.
the 283 with the air cleaner off was the coolest sound i had ever heard up till then. owned an impala 1960 in 69. 283. rev fast sound great.
GrimReefer- bubble top was the shape of the rear window.
My Grandpa had a brand new 1961 Oldsmobile Super 88 & man that was a beautiful car. I still remember that beautiful red color all metal dash with those chrome elliptical gauges.
It's not about AC/DC, it's about an iconic car!
exactly, besides, ac/dc wouldnt be known until the late 70s, when we would be plegued with underpowered government cars. these cars would be during the time of the beach boys and roy orbison
The 389 was not a small block. Pontiac used the same block no matter what the cubic in size was.
Right on John. Pontiacs were not small or big blocks they were just pontiac v8s.
yes.from 326cid,to 455 cid.1955 on.
@@bobgipson7851 You could technicly call them a mid size block. But then Oldsmobile blocks were sorta the same way where they raised the deck height to make room for the longer strokes and such which made them look like a big block.
john kendall even the ole 350 is a big block
326,350,389,400,455 are some.I had a 350 that blew the back out of header gasket as their was not a stud at the rear of the head to tighten it up properly.I thought I blew a rod with the metal on metal noise,noticed the flame at night to my relief.These engines kicked in at 60 mph.My first car was a 70 LeMans clocked at 140,Firebirds were clocked at 160.I grew up at one of the best times,up to 1972,automobiles had style(IMO).
I learned how to drive on a 1961 Chevy Impala two-door standard shift 283 shift on the column black with red interior love that car
I had 2 door bubble top 61 Impala with a 283 with power pack heads and OMG 3 on the tree with O/drive. Great car!
I'm a guitar player and my 1st car was a 1961 Chev Biscayne. I have owned an Epiphone SG but I love my American Fender Strat. Thanks for the video. The Red '61 Chev is amazing.
Think of the guys on the production line building all these great cars
God bless them all
There pride and skill....unbeatable
Have you ever worked in a factory? It is a grind. People generally are bored out of their skulls.
@@MostlyBuicks I have and it would be hard to get that pride and skill when you are trying to go as fast as possible nd while there are so many time limits and stuff. Agreed.
@@jimmypopp2695 Yes you are making widgets. You are not working in a custom restoration shop! One might be proud that he make it through the day with no injuries!
@@MostlyBuicks That is the point. I have worked those types of jobs in the past and was just happy to still have all my fingers at the end of the shift. I worked in a box shop when I was 18 and loved it but I worked three shifts sometimes. We were not allowed to do that but every once in a while we could. Also Those cars were not that valuable when they were made. I do not think many people had the foresight to Know that they were going to be worth 100,000 or more on 40+ years. I am restoring a 1991 Ford ranger and it is eaten badly by the tin worm.
@@MostlyBuicks OMG do you make humbuckerpickups? That is awesome if you do. nice meeting you my friend.
One of my favorite Chevys as a kid! 62 was my all time favorite.
That '61 Impala Bubble Top is my second favorite car, all-time!! Love the Bonneville, though!! I started seriously playing guitar in 1961! And good on you guys for being into guitars, too!! I am blessed to own a 1964 custom shop SG Standard reissue ... what a fine axe! "She's real fine my four - OH- nine!!"
Great vid. Love the guitar bit (just got an Epi LP Jr the other day).
I didn't stick around for the Pontiac.
How Chevrolet went thru the TRI 5, and beyond to the '61 was amazing.
My uncle's body fender man owned a '61 SS Impala 348. I rode in it plenty of times when I was 13-14 in 1972-73. years old.
Pontiac. My second car was a 1961 Pontiac Bonneville. Paid $1300 in 1965. Really nice ride. Traded it for a 1966 GTO in 1968. I miss both of them.
66 goat my fav GTO
The second car I owned, got it ‘63... licensed as a Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe... 6 cylinder, 3 speed. My brother borrowed the car for 8 months... he returned the car with a curled front end a no oil in the engine. We fixed the body and put a used 283 V8. Drove that car for the next 5 years, sold it when I got married. I loved that car and still do.
It's funny I have owned many cars from 4 bangers to 455 V8 and you said the Ventura ran a 1/4 mile in 15.2 and that was quick in 1961 I had a 2005 Accord with a 2400 vtec that did quarter in 15 flat crazy
Beautiful cars. I'd take either. In Canada the Pontiac used Chevy engines until about 1970. My uncle had a 61 Pontiac Laurentian with a 409.
2020? Love both of them.. .. Had a 65 bel air when I was a kid. 1984.. Had 25 thousand original miles on it. 3 on the tree 6 banger..
I remember seeing those cars for sale "used" a couple years old for $300 or $400.. Good lord, you'r bringing back memories. Where's the Drive Inn? Aw, let's just go to the beach. Ohh, Whittier Blvd, Saturday night! Ya, I was there, a teenager having the time of my life.
63 Chevy Impala Z11 lightweight vs. 63 Pontiac Catalina 421SD lightweight. The last factory GM drag cars before the 1963 racing ban
Swiss Cheese Catalina all day long, or how about a 421SD 63 Tempest.
@@dewelrivera3305 Right on. Really the 421 SD Tempest was the last. Pontiac only built 6 of em I think
Pureley aesthetically, it's the Chevrolet, hands down, for me. I'm 68 so I was only a kid, but I remember these cars. Not the SS specifically, but certainly the body style, when new. Of course I was a weird kid; my favorite car in the early sixties was the rapidly fading Studebaker Hawk.
Get this! I was in Navy boot camp in 1961 at Great Lakes in Illinois and one of the guys in my company was my friend. On his birthday his father had a brand new 1961 Chevy SS 348 4 speed convertible white with red interior delivered to him on the base. Don’t ask me how he pulled that off? Plus he got us each a 8 hour pass on the weekend so we went driving around with the top down, the car to me seemed very fast.
JUST A NOTE TO SAY, PONTIAC NEVER HAD A SMALL BLOCK ENGINE. ALL OF PONTIAC'S DIFFERENT CUBIC INCH'S SHARE THE SAME SIZE ENGINE BLOCK AND HEADS DEMENCHINS
glad someone else has it right
The '61 Pontiac Ventura is one of the, if not the best looking full size American cars of that era.
I always loved those 1961 Chevy Sport models in Red.. On the front grille, I wasn't that much impressed but the side and back was what I really liked the looks of.. I didn't start buying cars until I got a 1966 Ford "7 Litre" in 1967.. I had that car for 10 years.. Didn't realize that car was a collectors item also, when I sold it for only $500 ... kicks self in back side..
Funny, I just found your channel, and on this vid at min 11:47, yep that's me at Donut Derelicts in HB in my shell tone ivory 389 - 348 HO Tripower Ventura
Great guitar talk and video in general. :)
I remember sitting in the back seat with my cousin in my uncle's 61. Leaning back as a nine year old you could look straight up thru the rear window which at the time was so cool, beatnik cool, not today's cool.
I think the impala looks better. GM is definitely my favorite. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I agree George; especially this particular '61 Impala featured here. Styling-wise, it's often an overlooked Impala overshadowed by (what I feel is) the less attractive model. Regardless, it wasn't an easy task transitioning the Chevy into the '60s away from the '50s (which the '60 model still was). They cleverly and beautifully blended the fresh with the familiar. For example, the front end (grill and headlights) were very similar to the '59. In the back they retained the horizontal 'branching out' look from the center of the '59 too, but the "fins" were now a slight "ridge" that wrapped around the sides with beautiful decoration. The triple taillights were in the tradition of the '58 and '60. The windshield (like all of GM) were conventional except for the slight curve at the bottom. So to sum it up, the '61 definitely looked like a '60s model but with understandable ties to the '50s as the final 'fade-out' model of that look. On a final note, I really like all of the '61 GM divisions offerings except for Oldsmobile. That wasn't a good year, but the '62 Olds was/is gorgeous.
Correction: I meant to say in the 2nd sentence the '62 was less attractive than the '61. Sorry for the omission.
@@bobpierce115 BIG TIME but the Pontiac got better.It's hard to be nicer than a '61 Chevy.
When I was very young, my mom had a 1961 Pontiac Ventura bubble top in Florentine blue. You showed a picture of one and it reminded me of how I used to think it was the most beautiful shade of blue ever on a car.
Decisions decisions! Neither one of these cars would break my heart if they were sitting in my driveway. But if I had to choose I go with the Impala. 61 is one of my favorite years for that model. I love how GM made them different every year. The 61 has a very unique look among them. Give me one with the 409.
Pontiac had a 1961 Ventura Super Duty 421 Sport Coupe that was amazing as well; underated at 409 horses.
I love both of these cars, but I give the Impala an edge. That's because my folks had the '61 Impala SS 409 when I was 9 years old! I remember what a nice car it was, and remember it being really fast. My dad liked how it drove, but not the gas mileage, which I believe was around 8 or 9 mpg in the city. He once said that it had automatic turn signals: they came on whenever you passed a gas station!
Both amazing cars !! But did anyone know the 409 couldn’t keep a rearend so they all used Pontiac 9.3??? Just bought a 61 bubbletop Catalina. Learning all this stuff as i go. I’d take a 61 imp if I could find one but you can’t disagree the ponchos were sexy!!
My 1st car was a 1961 Pontiac Ventura! Good Car!
Impala and the 409 does it for me. Born in 1961. My Dad has a picture of me on the trunk of his Biscayne.
I had one 1961 mine had a 283 CI it was a dog with a 2 speed automatic. it had a hard time making up a hill
try it with the standard 6 cylinder - what a slow poke ..the 283 got better mileage than the 6 , more torque and did not have to work as hard . GM should never ever have put a 6 banger in the impala [ or Bel-Air or Biscayne ] serious under powered
John Jenniges I had a 62 Impala SS 409 CI 409 HP as my first car in 1971 in mint condition 50,000 miles for $350 ! I wish I knew then what i know now i would have kept it!
@LF X there were but the 6 should have remained in the chevy 2 .. Putting a 135 hp 6banger in a 3500 lb car was dumb decision . a 195 hp 283 and a powerglide trans were not very agile either but at least you could pass someone if you had to !
John Jenniges, LOL, back then they were known as “Power Slides” not Power Glides!
One of Chevys nicest cars over the years. Cheap, reliable and easy to maintain under the shade tree.
I had a 409 4 speed '61 car. The 4 speed transmissions were weak, though.
It's interesting where you got your SS numbers. When I owned my '61 SS back in the early '80s I wrote GM to find out how many were built (no internet back then). They wrote me back saying they didn't know because they had no record or statistics on them! I believe I still have that letter. Some folks have said it was also a "dealer option" where they could put the badges and interior "grab bar" on the car. I don't know for sure on that, but I do know that GM said they had no actual numbers for the '61 Impala SS.
Curt Brennan The 61 SS was a production option. The totals likely included all Impala 2dr coupes, likewise for convertibles. I can’t imagine any 4drs being produced but l also believe it was possible. Please, anyone call me out if I’m not correct.
You should have compared the 348 with the dealer added McKeller cam option, which brought it up to 368 hp and possibly could have made this a dead even match up.
One of the very few early 60s (muscle cars I always wanted but could not find the right one when I was looking...One of my favorite all time American cars, a 1961 Ventura loaded up, as posted in your vid with the options and engine you mentioned!
For me, I *LIKE* the '61 Impala body style--even today. Modern cars ALL look alike, no personality. If presented with a new Impala and a new '61 Impala, I'd take the '61. I think they were beautiful in their day, and I still think so!
...EXACTLY!...but when people "modernize" the look of them, they lose much of that personality :(
I HAD a '61 Chevy, a guy had started to turn into a drag racer; 409 rear end and Borg-Warner Rock Crusher close ratio 4 speed; fun car. He had not yet upgraded from the 283 2bbl and 7" clutch. I got over my hot rod yearnings and discovered girls, so traded the hot rod in for a '62 Chevy with 283 and Powerglide, and bench seats vice buckets.
Wish I had kept the '61.
My first car in 1969, I was 17, was a 1961 Pontiac Ventura with a 389 tri-power!! I paid $200, took me 3 months to save for it, my part time job after school paid $37 a week and I had to buy liability insurance first, that was $168 a year. Gas was 28 cents for regular and Amoco hi-test was 34-36cents.
Personally, I prefer the Chevy 1959-1960. I think that the Impala 1961-1962 looked somewhat like the Mercury Comet of that same era, or even the Plymouth Belvedere as well. A smaller shorted nose front end with a stretched out back design kind of car. It was still very stylish and very futuristic for its time though! Thank you. Johnny, Montréal, Canada.
I too like the 1961 Pontiac Ventura better than the Impala.
Would enjoy seeing the 1961 Impala 409 go up against the 1961 Ventura with their newest SD 421 setup!
1961 was a great year for General Motors Styling!
The 1961 Buick Invicta and 1961 Oldsmobile Starfire were Hot too!
Even the 1961 Cadillac had the sharpest look ever!
1961 was a great year for the Ford Thunderbird and the unbelievably awesome Lincoln Continental Convertible with those Suicide rear doors!
We had a 63 catalina wagon with 421SD,,we as kids got to drive with pops all the time ,,think i was 8 the 1st time got to 100 in her,,, ahh the good old days,,,We had it til i was almost 21yr old and drove away when we sold her ,, pops loved his Pontiac's
GOD BLESS Y'ALL!!!! I LIKE BOTH THE CHEVY AND THE PONTIAC!!!!!!!! BOTH HAVE GREAT LOOKS!!!!! GREAT!!!!!
I'd probably take the SS409 just because of how rare they are. Only 142 of them built in 1961. 62 was the first year of the really great 409 cars
I keep watching this video.Two very nice cars,no losers here,but if I had to choose and being a Pontiac guy,I still would take the '61 Chev.In my opinion,one of the nicest cars ever,love the front grill(I used to like the '60 but this grew on me)
Re the Chevy SS - no Muncie 4-spd in 1961. The only GM factory available 4-spd for passenger cars back then was a Borg Warner T-10. The Muncie 4-spd wasn't available until the middle of the 1964 model year.
I think the 63 Corvette came with Aluminum Muncies and maybe some early 409s. My 62 Vette came with the BW T-10 four speed. My 65 327/365 Vette I used to own came with the Muncie Rock Crusher 4 spd. Which was usually reserved for race cars and bigger block High Performance vehicles. Aluminum case 4 speeds didnt come in passenger cars until nearly the mid 60s, instead, they were heavy cast iron with maybe the exclusion of 409S.
My first car was a 1966 Pontiac Grand Prix, my ex smash it up while I was in Boot Camp, but between these cars I would like to own the Chevy with the bubble top, their both are classic cars with style.
I was a teenager in the 60's so I vividly remember these cars. I agree with a previous comment that the Pontiac big block is a better comparison. My answer is....put either one in my driveway and I will weep tears of joy.
No Pontiac Big or Small blocks. They were all based on the same engine, from the original 287 to the 455, there was a journal size change in I believe 1961. Otherwise all the parts fit.
I read what some have said about different hub caps and lowering the vehicle and etc. Yes, I can appreciate the 61 chev or 61 pontiac as long as it looks similar to the original. I understand it's costly and hard to find parts. So, I still support non-stock classic cars regardless.
I am a Chevy guy, having a 68 Impala myself, but gotta go with the Pontiac here. That grill and the 6 pack put it over the top.
Impala SS is the best looking and performing car hands down!
I owned a 61 pontiac ventura, two tone coco brown and tan. 389, 4bbl. Slim Jim Trans, beautiful car until an elderly gentlemen ran a stop sign and t-boned it and bent the frame, could not be saved, not with an 18 year olds bank account. Sold for scrap. Funny think about the slim jim trans, it shifted automatically after 55mph. Since mine was an automatic the shift on the column moved when this happened on the hi-way. It initially scared me. Also had issue with leaking trans fluid, mom had mechanics look at it and blamed it on my driving. I went to the local dealer and said it was a know issue. sold me a 5 dollar dipstick line and it resolved the issue. 2 weeks later when the car was in top running condition is when I got t-boned.
being a vintage guitar collector and guitar tech for a rock band the SG is a lot thinner than a Les Paul but the drawback to the 60s SGs was the neck joint and the fact the neck is a lot thinner and not very strong. My 65 SG is notorious for the truss rod not staying adjusted. My 80 Les Paul custom is solid as a rock.Don't think I have made a truss rod adjustment on it in years.
I have worked on late 50s Les Pauls too and they are rock solid guitars.
As another already said, the 389 was not a small block. No one bought the Ventura in 1961. No one ever considered a Pontiac of any model as a really cool car until the GTO arrived. It was Chevy vs Ford all the way. You can’t argue with me on this , because I was a teenager in 1961. A hardtop Chevy was the only car to have. If you had a 409 you were king. The first car I had in college was a brand new 1967 SS 396 Impala. The SS Chevelles were maybe a little cooler but not by much. Of course the Corvette was the coolest of all, but at a whopping $6,000 it was out of my price range.
The Gibson SG stood for Slim Guitar,I know how original.I owned a couple,good biting sounding humbuckers,pickups. Borrowed from 1957 Les Paul.
For several years the Chevy 409 held the Record in the Stock 1/4 mile...
You mean the Pontiac 421... th-cam.com/video/gNg569agwiU/w-d-xo.html
Pontiacs 421 super duty would smoke a 409 every time it was gm’s bad engine in that era only a 413 ram wedge mopar could keep up with the super duty sometimes my neighbor had a strip only 409 it was radical big cam gearing etc and it couldn’t even get in the 12’s he ran 13 flat @ 107 no better a trailered race car nonetheless the 409 never impressed me
I had a 61 Impala tag top. One of the last 300 produced before the first SS. IT WAS A SHP 348 TRIPOWER putting out advertised HP. IT DYNOTUNED @ 396 HP. 4 GEAR Borg Warner T-10 tranny. 11 1/2 or 12 inch clutch disc with a 3 finger pressure plate. I believe, but am not.positive that the block Prefix was FH. Been a long time! It was a screamer. Might have had 373 gears with a aftermkt Detroit locker rear.
Putting out advertised 350 HP
The 1961 Chevy Impala SS 409 is rare, it came only with one four barrel Carter AFB carburetor... The black one with red and white interior shown here is exactly like the car I learned to drive in except mine only had the 283 ci V-8.
Good looking bubble top! Thanks!
Without a doubt, I love the 61 Chevy ! I’ve been an impala fan since 1978. First car was a 63 impala 2 door hardtop.
I was born in 52’ and I was old enough to see all this stuff first hand. What a decade the 60’s was. I love the 409. So unique looking. You couldn’t confuse it with anything else. That was when G.M. still had pride in what they produced. I didn’t care too much for the boy next to you dissing the 61’ Chevy. What can he wrap his head around? The Pontiac Atztek?
Very beautiful amazing car beautiful look
1961 First year for Super Sport!! I recall seeing my first one at Dan Steakley Chevrolet in Belton TX!!
I own a '61 Catalina. It's a car that is very, very hard to find in this day and age. To me it has that classic Pontiac styling. The grill is very similar in shape to the '77/'78 Trans Am and the Pontiac, especially the Catalina wasn't nearly as busy with all the trim as the Impala.
61' bubble top' was The Best looking Impala Ever (IMO) ! 409/ 4spd is my dream !
My first car was a 1961 belair flat top , that was the car where the roof protruded over the rear glass/ so the sentinel favorite is the “61 impala ss but both are beautiful !!
I like 2 door classic cars. I've just never understood the reason why some prefer 2 doors over 4 doors. I would love to hear reasons for this. Is a 2 door easier to restore than a 4 door?
Jed Clampett The two doors looks cooler And Iz a sport model
No. 4door cars bring less money, theyre less desireable.
I like the Poncho best. But if you gave me either I'd be happy. Both are beautiful designs.
I love both of them equally.
My 61 bubble top is my first choice if I could go back and have any car I have owned in my past. I have had a road runner and a barracuda too. I converted my 61 to manual transmission and switched the 283 out for a 396.
Both good cars performance wise about the same looks I will go with the Pontiac
61 used a Borg Warner T-10 tranny. The last 300 348s built just before the SS had a shoe. Advertised @350hp with tripower. Mine dynatuned ,@396 HP,
Having been born in '61, I'm amused by the styling of cars clothing, furniture and music of that era.
I love Pontiac, always will. In my own opinion the Impala SS had its big deal with the 1964 model. Sentimental reasons mostly, was my Dad's favorite and his first new car purchase.