Impalas are cool for a number of car communities, but this one has importance to the car world as a whole because it’s connected to Paul Walker. The famous crash of 2013, which took the life of the Fast and Furious star also claimed his friend Roger Rodas. And this orange Chevy used to be his ride.
Walker is known for his love of Japanese cars, but he was clearly a Detroit fan too, personally owning a couple of Novas, a Chevelle Wagon, and a Bronco. Thus, we can’t imagine him not liking his friend’s low-rider, at least to some degree.
Cars have a way of bringing people closer. Miguel Garcia tells the story of not only the Impala but how his late friend Roger motivated him to improve and become an entrepreneur.
If you’re wondering about the plates, know that Walker and Rodas co-owned the Always Evolving Performance Shop and the Always Evolving racing team at the time of their death. Rodas, originally from El Salvador, acted as the actor’s financial advisor.
As far as the 1964 Impala is concerned, it’s nothing mind-blowing. Pop the hood and you won’t see an 800 hp LS swap. But the ZZ430 is quite interesting. If we’re not mistaken, this is an old limited-edition Chevy crate engine based on the short block assembly and making around 430 horsepower.
If it’s not about horsepower numbers, the exhaust still grabs your attention enough to notice the bright orange paint or the custom LED headlights. But the real magic is in the suspension department. The Impala has fully custom geometry and air ride from AccuAir, a company that sadly went under due to the global health crisis. They used to make these convenient but quite expensive self-leveling systems that were computer-controlled, so you didn’t have to worry about pressure.
And this has to be one of the weirder AutotopiaLA videos because the owner Miguel is a snake breeder and brought over a serpent that matches the color of the car. Yeah, we’d be freaking out too with that thing in the back seat.
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