Every classic car has stories to tell. I recently came across a 1966 Chevrolet Impala four-door sedan that, while wearing plenty of patina, still looked complete and well-kept for being 60 years old. The closer I dug, the more I learned about its history.
The fourth-generation Impala (produced for model years 1965-70) was an iconic, full-sized symbol of American pride. The full redesign in 1965 had brought extensive changes, so for 1966, the Impala was largely a carry-over with exception of the front fascia, beltline trim, and triple rectangular taillights in place of the previous circular-shaped versions.
Interior features included bench seats, red fabric upholstery, lap belts, manual-crank windows, and push-button radio.
The 1966 Impala could be ordered with a wide range of inline-six and V-8 options. I don’t have details on which one the car had (it was a V-8 for sure), but some notes on the car’s side window said that “turns over good.”
As much fun as I had admiring the Impala’s completeness, I was more intrigued by the stack of documentation inside the car. Sitting on the front seat was a “Car Owner’s Companion” envelope containing the manual and some records. According to the information there, the car was sold new by salesperson Jim Randall of Sacramento Motor Company in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The original owner’s name was Manuel Malone, and he lived just two miles away from the dealership.
Today, there’s virtually no trace of Sacramento Motor Co. I was able to find a picture of a matchbook on eBay (as seen below) with the address shown as 2300 N. Pennsylvania Ave (just a little off from the one listed on the owner’s booklets of 2600 N. Pennsylvania Ave. As it turns out, Pennsylvania Avenue was the original name for present-day White Sands Boulevard (which also carries U.S. Highways 54 and 70).
According to what I was able to find online, Sacramento Motor Company served as the primary hub for Chevrolet Sales and service beginning in the 1930s and through the early 1990s. It became Desert Sun GM in 1994 and was subsequently acquired by Casa Auto Group in 2022.
Today, in the same location, the business is operated under the name Casa Chevrolet GMC.
Now, a little tribute to the car’s original owner. I tracked down Malone’s obituary. He was 39 years old at the time of his car purchase — a lifelong Alamogordo resident who had served in the U.S. Army and fought in World War II. Malone spent a lot of later years attending to his grandchildren and to his yard (he was particularly proud of his pecan trees). He passed away in July 2015 at age 88.
We can tell something else, too: Malone sold the Impala quite some time before he passed, because his obituary said he lived his whole life in Alamogordo, and the car was wearing an Arizona license plate that expired in 2006. Alamogordo is about 500 miles from where the car sits today in Black Canyon City, Arizona at Desert Valley Auto Parts.
All of that information — gathered from just starting with some handwritten notes on an envelope and the almighty Internet. It’s amazing the kinds of car-stories that can be pieced together, and I like to think that Mr. Malone would be proud of me checking out his Impala in greater detail.
Cheers to a celebration of 60 years for your fabulous Impala, sir!
