1974 CHEVY IMPALA SPIRIT OF AMERICA. Thanks For Looking!This is a very limited-edition Spirit of America package that. 1974 Impala Spirit of America VERY.

• 1978 Chevy Impala
• 1974 Impala Convertible
• Virgin America Airlines

Curtis Barbour recently finished restoring his 1960 Impala, in time for a very special occasion. We'll let Curtis take the story from here: “I wanted to share with you the project I recently completed after five years of work. It is a 1960 Impala, almost identical to the one I owned when I met my wife. My goal was to have it ready for our 50th wedding anniversary, and I am happy to say it will make the trip on December 23, 2017. This entry was posted in and tagged, on December 19, 2017 by Gary. May 26-29 Only! Summer is the best time to enjoy you classic Chevy, and we can help you get it ready to go with savings from, and.

Save $25 on any order of $200 or more. To get your savings, simply give your sales representative the promotional code MEMORIALDAY when you call. Or enter it in the promo code box on the checkout page when ordering online. Excludes shipping. Limit one use per customer. May not be combined with any other offe r. This entry was posted in and tagged, on May 26, 2017 by Gary.

I spotted this Nova while rolling down Catalina Avenue in Redondo Beach, California. While you don’t need to know I was in Redondo Beach, I did want to slide in the fact that I can drive over and cruise Catalina Avenue anytime I have a spare 40 minutes. (Not bragging, just saying) Still, the location is significant- We all know California’s climate is friendly to sheet metal, but the UV energy here does no favors to vehicle finishes. This Nova shows the impact of our California sun in the faded black-out paint around the window frames, as well as the disintegrating red and blue body striping. This picture of the wheel center caps also shows the effects of UV radiation.

The cap pictured on the right was the only one left still displaying it’s red and blue background. But enough of the California climate- Let’s look at the features of this 1974 Nova. The internet tells me that in 1974 the “Spirit of America” trim package was offered on the Vega, Nova, and Impala.

You can also find a few images of El Caminos with this package, but there is an online debate regarding the authenticity of Spirit of America Camino. Some feel any El Caminos so offered were modified at the dealerships, rather than factory built models. This internal Chevrolet sales info brochure for Spirit of America models does not show an El Camino version, so I lean towards dealer built. I also find it interesting that Chevrolet did not offer a Chevelle or Camaro version. Did some market research establish that intermediate and pony car buyers shunned patriotic trim packages?

I’m guessing we’ll never know the answer to that question In the case of the Nova, the package was based on the 2 door hatchback (which had been introduced the year before). The exterior changes included subtle red and blue stripes on the sides, roof, hood and trunk.

With tasteful Spirit of America shields adorning the fenders and trunk lid. The grille and window frames included black out paint, and vinyl covered the front of the roof. For unknown reasons, Chevy designers avoided using red or blue on the roof (and exterior mirrors), instead choosing black as a third accent color. Finally, the package added styled steel wheels with an eagle’s head displayed in each center cap.

That year, Chevy sold 14,463 Novas with the Spirit of America trim, representing 3.7% of 1974 Nova production, but a healthy 18% of all Nova hatchbacks. Inside, the Spirit of America Nova included white seats and interior panels, red carpet and seatbelts, and a black instrument panel. The package also added red, white, and blue accents on the horn pad and door panels.

A look at our interior reveals a couple of interesting things. First off, a look through the driver’s window reveals another Curbside Classic headed south on Catalina Avenue.

Some may get excited at such sightings, but for me it’s just another day in Redondo Beach. More importantly, notice that this interior is missing the red carpet and the unique three color trim pieces on the door panel and horn pad. While this shot does not show it, the seatbelt webbing is also black, not red.

Hmmm, it could be that we’re looking at a phony Spirit of America! A closer look also reveals that two exterior panels include mounting holes for normal Nova badging, further evidence that the car may not be all that it seems. Is it a fake? Hard to say, but here are the arguments it is a genuine Spirit of America: 1) The exterior parts are all complete, and appear to be original. The black out paint, black exterior mirrors and black vinyl roof all match the spec sheet.

2) Carpets wear out, and trim gets damaged. The dash and seats are the right color combinations, and the door panel reads “Custom,” correct for the Spirit of America package. 3) Spirit of America Novas are worth about 15% more than a Nova Custom, so cloning a Spirit of America hardly seems worth the effort. You have my permission to argue clone versus fake all day. I’m leaning towards the real thing, if only because this car is a hatchback.

Almost 20% of ’74 hatches came with the Spirit of America package, so if you find a ’74 hatch it’s often decked out in red, white, black and blue. Maybe a few panels have been replaced or repaired on this car, but I think it rolled out of the factory as a fully dressed Spirit of America. Before finishing up, I should also note that both Ford and Chrysler offered Red, White, and Blue trim packages around the same time. Ford offered the Sprint Package for the Pinto, Maverick and Mustang in 1972. Celebrating the 1972 Munich Olympics, the cars came decorated with red and blue shields on their quarter panels, emblazoned with “USA”. Two years later, Dodge offered this “Hang 10” package on the 1974 and ’75 Dart.

Also using white body paint with red and blue graphics, it celebrated the California Surf scene, rather than US pride. I’ve seen a Hang 10 Dart in the flesh, but it was at a Colorado Dodge dealer back in 1975, rather than on the streets of Redondo Beach. Looking back in time, selling a surfing car in Northglenn, Colorado seems somewhat ironic. But maybe not as ironic as selling a Spirit of America Nova in California. Given the wordly sophistication and imported car tastes of the California native, the cheesy “I love America” message, combined with the blatant “Buy American” vibe seems more appropriate for Detroit or Des Moine. Still, the blue and goldenrod plates establish the car’s California credentials.

Six digit blue plates were issued up until 1980, so the car has been in state for at least 33 years. However, this patriotic Nova is packed with one thing Californians always go for- The biggest engine available! Well, that’s all I have for the Spirit of America Nova. While you enjoy it’s patriotic bunting, I’m headed out to search for that Hang 10 Dart. I had a neighbor with the Spirit of America Mustang and used to see it every morning on my walk to elementary school. Is that bondo on the rt rr fender lip? It is also possible that this is a dealer modification Maybe had a white unit they helped move off the lot by putting on this exterior trim Since the interior seems to deviate so much As to the open holes in the sheet metal, some how it just seems like GM to me that rather than running a special lot of stamping s without the holes, somebody got the smart idea to develop a special filler to fill in the badging holes and it disintegrated over the years; the partially filled fender hole would seem to support this theory.

My father had a white ’74 Bel-Air wagon and this car was so devoid of exterior ornamentation, with its window surrounds painted white, it reminded me of an ice cream truck It was very ‘fleet-looking” Maybe the subject Nova was a white fleet unit dressed up not by a dealer, but rather by some other enterprising individual Last theory is that this is a factory production car produced at the end of the run when not all interior trim pieces were available. Rather than scrap or send the excess special trim pieces to Parts & Service (I don’t know which route GM took with factory excess parts – maybe Mikey can answer this from the perspective of GM Canada.). Okay.Adding, or removing, a hole during a press run is a simple process. The press shuts down for 5 mins. Tne resident Tool and Die man simply removes or adds the hole punch to the one of the dies.

The trick is to make sure you keep them separated. End the end of the model run used to be a nightmare. Too much material?

It used to get shuffled around for about a year,then get sent to parts and service. Not enough stock? Unles it was something crucial like a transmission. The car went to reject.

Where it sat until stock was available. ” Just In Time” came into play in the early nineties. After about a year of growing pains. J.I.T wiped out a lot of “empty bins” and overstock problems.

Sorry, as a child I never saw one of these in the late 70’s/early 80’s in Des MoineS. You correctly note the California climate is much more conducive to celebrating this period of Americana now than in the majority of the Midwest, and vehicles trimmed like this one have long since disappeared from the typical Des MoineS street scene and culture of those interested in engaging in current fads of vehicle art and customizing. Factory pin striping on any surviving or restored iron is the best add-on vintage feature you’ll likely see here.

Any local enthusiast under 40 here would probably be inspired by seeing one of these in the rolling museum of your state, however. BTW, the Beretta behind it in the photo is also largely extinct in the Midwest.

As a child I remember accompanying an uncle on a late night excursion to a Chevy dealer to look at cars without interference from the salesmen. This must have been late 1974, because one of the cars he was considering was the Spirit of America Vega and we gave it a good lookover on the brightly lit lot. The special edition made an impression on me, it’s the only vehicle I recall from that excursion. He eventually bought a 75 Monza, it was silver and also had some sort of decal package on it though it wasn’t America-themed but more of a sport-edition thing. I can remember these. I guess Chevy decided to try to pump up the volume on the slower moving units in anticipation of the Bicentennial. Guess that is why the Malibu and Camaro were not offered with the package, Probably this package also appealed to an older customer base also, which the Malibu and Camaro I would guess attracted customers more in their 30s.

I remember thinking the Impala was particularly sharp looking at the time. Have not seen any of these in years, I think the Impala probably had the highest survival rate here in the Deep South. I suspect that the Spirit of America cars were the ones that Chevy needed help moving. Chevelles, Montes, Camaros and Corvettes were probably all moving fairly well even in recession-plagued 1974 America.

Impalas were probably moving slowly, Vega was having its reputation catching up with it, and the Nova hatchback was not really that popular, as I recall. I do remember some of these out and about back then.

My guess on the panels with holes is that there may have been a collision repair somewhere along the way. If Chevy built special panels without holes, those surely would have been hard to find later. Also, I bet a dealer really eager to make a sale could have swapped out the red trim pieces for black if a customer really didn’t want the car with red carpet and seatbelts. It’s possible that this is a very early release SoA Nova where all the holes, red carpeting/seatbelts, and other idiosyncrasies necessary for that specific model hadn’t yet made it to production. I can’t really feature a dealership going to all the trouble to convert a non-SoA Nova.

In addition to the decals, there’s the white interior, black vinyl half-top, and black rearview mirrors. Did the driver’s side have the fender holes, too? If not, then I’d go with the idea that it’s a collision repair where the body shop either couldn’t get the correct fender/hood of a low production package, or simply used non-SoA parts. As to the missing red interior pieces, I’d chalk that one up to being late in the model run when some of the red pieces just came up short. Missing just one of the pieces would result in an obvious mis-match, so GM just began using standard Nova pieces for everything in the interior. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise to learn that the red pieces only existed in the literature, and none of the production cars had any of that stuff, at all. California carries plates forward at the time of sale, unless the new owner wants to update to a current plate (because the old plates were faded, they wanted new personalized plates, or just preferred the new color scheme).

But plates cannot change from car to car, UNLESS the car’s model year matches the years that California offered black plates. If so, Cali offers a Year Of Manufacture (YOM) program which allows an owner to scare up an existing set of black and gold plates, and put them on a car which matches the correct date range. Some classic car enthusiasts don’t like the program, because it allows folks to bring in out of state cars, and represent them as California born and bred. The program does NOT apply to blue and gold plates, so the ones on this 1974 date have been on it since the days of blue plates.

Sacramento just passed a law that may open things up across the board. If enough folks sign up, three classic plate color combinations will be available for any car. However, the plates will use reflective paint, offer seven digits, and probably will use screen printing for the “California” script, rather than embossing the state name into the sheet metal. So people will still be able to tell the blue plates on my car are original, rather than a new issue of the old plate colors. In California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii, the plates stay with the car. For example: If you have, let’s say, a ’63 car, the plates originally issued with that car can stay on that car. You aren’t mandated to get new plates unless the old/current ones are damaged, unreadable, etc.

At least in California/Oregon and I believe Washington State. Hawaii allows only the current “rainbow” plates issued in 1993. I love the old Hawaii Plates. Green/white were the first that said “Aloha State” (1961-68); Yellows 1969-75. IINM, the hatchbacks first appeared in 1973. When I was a kid, my parents had a ’73 Pontiac Ventura hatchback. They bought it new in the fall of 1972 and owned it until late 1978.

It was dark brown and had a 350 in it. I remember that we would always look at other 2-door Venturas we saw to see if they were hatchbacks, and they hardly ever were. Several years after they sold the Ventura, around 1984, we spotted it in a supermarket parking lot. It initially caught our eye because we noticed a dark brown first-generation Ventura hatchback, and there simply couldn’t have been too many like that on the road at that point (this was in Massachusetts).

We were able to use other clues to identify it as being definitely the same car they had once owned. IIRC, X-body hatchback production was far higher in 1973 than in any other model year. Either there was an initial burst of sales due to novelty, or GM overproduced them that first year, then realized they weren’t selling, and cut back. I believe that the hatchback continued all the way to the end of RWD X-body production in 1979, but towards the end some variations were produced only in very small numbers. What a shock to see this morning! I owned a 1974 Spirit of America Nova from ’83 to ’87. Not because of any patriotic fervor, just a sudden desire for some Detroit iron around me every day.

I’d been driving a ’65 VW bug, and got T-boned coming home from work on the TV Highway in Beaverton by an old man in a Datsun coming out of the Safeway parking lot. Somebody had stuck some damned flyer under his windshield wiper which he didn’t see until he was pulling out of the parking lot. He reached around to get it and his foot slipped off the brake onto the gas. So he was going maybe 10 when he hit me.

But it pushed me a lane over and that VW folded up like a paper cup. The baby seat strapped in next to me got filled with shattered glass. Thank heavens it was otherwise empty. That shook me up pretty good and ended my desire for wispy little cars. I didn’t have a lot of money and my best friend, who was driving an E-Type at the time, offered me his old beater Nova for $700.

It ran great, but it was rusty around the fender wells from having spent its first winter in Wisconsin. The striping and the paint were badly faded, and the vinyl was already peeling.

By the time I traded it in, you had to lift that long door to get it to latch, and the headliner was falling all around. In true beater fashion I stuck it back up with an office stapler, which didn’t work very well.

The massive hatchback opened up a huge cargo space. Its mile-long weatherstrip leaked pretty bad. Mine didn’t have a radio, so I stuck a plastic Radio Shack AM/FM on the floor between the seats.

1978 Chevy Impala

No floor shifter like this car, mine had a column shift. No little holes near the trim either. This car looks exactly like mine must have looked in Wisconsin, but those little holes and the floor shift with no console don’t look right. Given how badly my Nova’s paint was faded after less than ten years in the Oregon sunshine, either this car spent 40 years in a garage or it’s been nicely repainted. Maybe with a little trim removed and a few decals added. Hey, why not have a little fun? It’s no crime.

This Nova was my one and only American V8. Small block 350 with Turbo-Hydramatic, so strong, so smooth. In spite of its vague steering, weak brakes, silly handling and thirst for gas, what a sweet cruiser. I just loved that car. Spirit of America indeed. Can relate to your story very much.

My first car was a 74 spirit Nova. Was 16 and bought used by my mother for my birthday in 78. Loved that car. Did install dual exhaust, new Firestone 70’s and Crager rims. Had an old 8 track my Grandfather gave to me along with house speakers I laid on the “floor” in back. Later upgraded to Pioneer SuperTuner and mounted Jenson speakers. Living in Michigan at the time, yes started to rust, especially in the back.

Also had to put weight in the form of 6 – 50lb salt bags in the back as the traction was really poor in snow and ice. Just have great memories of football games, beer cruising and girls in the back (though not that roomy). It finally did pretty well rust out and traded it in 83 for another white 79 Nova (think I got about $300 for it). No comparison from a quick 350 V8 to 250 V6! Just wish I would have had the effort to keep it in good condition. Now that I live in the south, I think this is probably just about the ideal car for me.

Maintenance guy at the apartments where I first lived in 1981 had one of these and it was probably the most functional car I ever saw for that type stuff. Cavernous rear.

Think I would rather do with less than a 350. My own nova was a 68 manual with a 230. A hatch would have been good but the 350, not so much.

I once rented a rwd toyota hatch that might have been the best of all. When I lived in virginia the rear hatch on my 78 olds starfire was a rust magnet and made a new place to leak on a daily basis. Might be a reason they aren’t so popular.

I still think hatchbacks are great and I’m probably one of a handful that do. I spotted the hatch on the Nova before anything else. I had one hatch (83 accord) in a dangerous situation. Loaded with a batch of AC gear and drove it north from Conroe on I-45. It had been raining but stopped.

The front wheels lost traction at freeway speed every time it hit a wet spot. Needless adventure in my opinion. The nova would have been a lot better there.

Rwd is a better answer in such a situation but sadly not very available. “Bi-Centennial kitch” indeed. Anyone who was around back then recalls just how saturated everything was with 1976 getting near. While I thought Chevrolet offered the nicest-looking (yeah, I know, I’m biased toward Chevy and I admit it) vehicles in the patriotic theme, during those years, all of that stuff got old real quick and I would never buy a car decked out like that.

If I had a real job in those days, a Nova is most likely the car I would have bought. However, I was still in school and drove a very nice 1972 Nova. @MikePDX: I had the Pontiac Ventura version of this (’74 or ’75)–i.e., the hatchback, not the red-white-blue package. Yes, it was surprisingly cavernous, with fold-down rear seat, but the damn bathtub-sized weatherstrip leaked; I had to keep a couple of disposable aluminum trays (otherwise suitable for roasting a turkey) underneath the lower corners to catch the rain leaks. That said, it got me where I was going, and hauled my stuff, and paid off OK when I finally parted it out.

1974 Impala Convertible

I remember the guy who finally gave me $125 to drive off with what was remaining (minus hood, doors, hatch and exhaust)–ah, sweet nostalgia! If you think a surf car in Colorado is ironic, try this one.

A hang 10 I found in Stockholm, Sweden in the summer of 2012. According to the regestry it’s model 1975 and it was first registerd in Sweden in 1975-03-27. It has 5 prewious owners (inkluding dealers) and is not registerd as a private import (i.e.

It’s imported by the official agent) but the system has changed since then so it might be anyway. My 1971 Camaro came to Sweden in the 80-ies and is definitly a private import but the registry sais it’s not. My mom had a ’74 Nova Custom hatchback. Bought it in October ’74 for $3100. Only option it had was AM radio, was a base V6. Took that car everywhere, it was indestructible. We’d put the back seat down and it had plenty of room for me to sleep during long drives.

The rear windows actually rolled down about 3/4 of the way. No A/C, but had vent pulls under the dash that would bring in fresh outside air that cooled you pretty quick.

Virgin America Airlines

The only problem I recall with it was a failed shock which happened driving through the Poconos. She sold that car for a pretty decent amount of $$ in ’82 to a guiy who I’m pretty sure modded the hell out of it. I’m sure the V6 was the first thing to go. Would love to have that car back. One funny memory- the car had a warning buzzer with a sensor in the seat to fasten your seat belt. A guy at the dealer told my mom it could be disconnected. Mom handed him a $10 and it was quickly taken care of.

I think you mean “straight six”. As Chevys had only the 250-I6. GM would buy back the Buick V-6 (owned and tooling stored by AMC who obtained it when they purchased Kaiser Jeep) in 1974. But wouldn’t show up until 1975 MY. Interesting true story: GM’s Ed Cole went along with two other top GM engineers and an attorney, driving to AMC’s Detroit Headquarters in a GM engineering ’73 Buick Apollo with a refurbished/rebuilt ’60’s 225 Buick V-6 (this was an engineering test mule as the Apollo only had the Chevy 250 I6 or the Buick 2-bbl/4-bbl V-8s then). AMC had properly stored all the V-6 tooling as it preferred to use their in-line 232 and 258 sixes.

This trip/purchase happened sometime in early 1973 as the V-6 was needed (a compact engine) that would fit in the engine bay of the Starfire/Skyhawk. (engine bays were designed for the Vega Four or the stillborn GM wankel). I worked in the service department of a Chevrolet dealership in 1974 and I never saw a “Spirit of America” El Camino and I know of no dealer program to “create” one.

That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t done somewhere, I just know the large volume dealership where I worked was not involved in such a program. The “Spirit of America” models in dark blue (Impala) didn’t look half bad in my estimate but the white ones were far more common and I didn’t care for them. I believe that blue was not availablle for the Nova or Vega.