eBay searches for the Impala jumped 160 percent after the halftime show.
Carmakers spent untold millions advertising their futuristic cars during this year’s Super Bowl. But the surprise automotive hit of the big game was a vintage car that first rolled out of showrooms more than a half-century ago—a few years before the first Super Bowl in 1967. Three classic Chevrolet Impalas parked on the field shared the stage with the mega music superstars in the spotlight.
Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak, and Eminem put on a dazzling show that had hip-hop fans dancing. But car fans had their eyes on a trio of iconic 1963 and 1964 Chevrolet Impala lowriders next to the musicians and dancers.
Searches for the Impala on eBay Motors, the premier marketplace for classic cars and related parts, jumped 160 percent on Sunday compared to one day before. There was a 50 percent increase on the 1964 model and another 16 percent on the 1963 edition.
A Cultural Touchstone
Why is the Impala, specifically the ’64 edition, such an emblem of lowrider culture and west coast hip-hop? For nearly a decade, the biggest stars of the era repeatedly namechecked that model or highlighted it in their videos:
- Eazy-E in 1987 on Boyz-N-The-Hood: “Rollin down the street in my six-four.”
- Dr. Dre in 1993 (with Snoop Dogg) on the Grammy-award winning Let Me Ride: “Rollin’ in my six-four,” also “Rollin in my four with sixteen switches.”
- More from Dr. Dre on Still D.R.E. in 2001 with a ’64 Impala featured in the video.
- Ice Cube features a ’64 in his classic, It Was A Good Day video, from 1992, with the lyric “I gotta go ‘cause I got me a drop-top/and if I hit the switch, I can make the a** drop.”
- Skee-Lo, in 1995’s I Wish: “I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat/and a six-four Impala.”
Shoppers and enthusiasts thinking about a lowrider Impala responded to the cars on stage by plotting their own build. Searches for lowrider rims jumped 80 percent, while lowrider air ride suspension kit searches jumped 150 percent. An eBay search for 1964 Chevy Impala parts brings up more than 100,000 listings.
An Unsung Street Hero
Lowrider culture started with LA’s Hispanic youth in the 1950s. Lowriders rejected the high-speed hotrodding scene for a low-and-slow cruise.
They used castoff hydraulic rams from the Southern California aerospace industry to raise the suspension with a switch. The hydraulic rams were upgraded over the years—in some cases, to extreme levels, famously making cars bounce way up in the air.
The Impala lowrider is also ingrained into California rap culture.
Music fans rejoiced as the halftime show presented musicians they’ve idolized for decades. Meanwhile, classic car fanatics similarly cheered as an unsung hero of the street got much-appreciated attention during one of the biggest television events of the year.
