Bitter experience has taught me this is the time to duck out of projects: once I get properly involved I have a rather terrible history of not giving up. The 500-mile pedalo around Scotland’s coastline in 2014 springs to mind. That also started with a passing remark…
Back to the Impala. There was quite a lot of content about the car online so I got reading. Early in 1961 Dan Gurney, at that time about to start his third Grand Prix season, realised he could probably beat the 3.8-litre Jaguars in the British Saloon Car Championship with a stock Chevrolet Impala SS. He duly ordered one off the production line in police specification (better brakes, stiffer springs, bigger shocks, a larger anti-roll bar and 15-inch wheels) with a 409-cubic-inch engine. It was one of the very first cars built that year and when he received the car in February he sent it to Bill Thomas and Bill Fowler who stripped the engine, checked all the clearances and reassembled it. They also used a Corvette anti-roll bar at the back and made air ducts for the front brakes.
Gurney took the car, with original bench seats, to Riverside where he broke the lap record by nearly a second. Satisfied with the performance he shipped the car to the UK, ready for its first race at Silverstone in May.
First practice was on May 4th and Gurney finished seventh on the timing sheets with a 2min 7.6sec after only completing five laps. Mike Parks, quickest in that session, was over three seconds faster. However, come the following day and second practice, Gurney was 1.2 seconds faster than second-placed Graham Hill. On pole, to his left sat Hill, Roy Salvadori and Parks. Behind sat Bruce McLaren and Ian Taylor all in Jaguars.
“The Saloon-Car Race,” commented Motor Sport magazine, “would have made mild history if Dan Gurney's huge 6.7-litre V8 carburettor-induced Chevrolet Impala hadn't lost a back wheel two laps from the finish, for it led all the way until this contretemps, in spite of G. Hill's efforts in a 3.8-litre disc-braked Jaguar. Both these drivers set new saloon-car lap records, Gurney leaving it at 91.15 mph. His huge car looked comparatively steady and its acceleration…