​Back in Black

The number 13 has been popping up quite a bit lately, and it isn't even time for Halloween. Ive spotted the number on 3 car plates this morning, I unknowingly stopped the microwave 13 seconds early, and I sat down to start writing at 1:13pm (13:13). So obviously I started thinking about the '67 (6+7=13) Impala hardtop on the TV series Supernatural. It just seems fitting, given the horror and fantasy elements of the show, and the fact that brothers Sam and Dean Winchester are in a constant run of bad luck. But so many blogs, convention halls, and fan sites have been dedicated to Dean's Impala, 'Baby', that a Supernatural post has always felt like low-hanging fruit. However, given the time, the microwave, and the fact that I just googled the series and saw that it is entering its 13th season this fall, I have this one nagging, oogie-boogie thought that just need to get out there.

The '67 Impala 4-door B-pillar. (B = a scrunched together 13)

I spent years working in a collision center and one of the key things that I look for in any car design is a weak point. The Impala seemingly has a very big one dead-center on either side.

The most striking design feature of the '67, aside from the curvier Coke bottle profile, is the illusion of a two-door coupe in a four-door sedan. To achieve that look, the Impala's B-pillar doesn't extend from the floor all the way to the roof. My initial thought is that these two tough guys carry a trunk full of guns, knives, stakes, and monster-hunting gear to protect themselves and fight evil, only to meet their certain end getting t-boned by a Kia.

It took some research, because safety and security aren't necessarily the sexiest ideas for a couple of rugged demon hunters, but I found that the Impala has a heavily reinforced L-shape pillar that actually improves side-impact collision outcomes as compared to the two-door. The visual effect is remarkable – with the windows rolled down and the lack of quarter glass, the Chevy feels like an immense, luxurious coupe. It is a sturdier and safer play on the classic Cadillac cruisers of the '50s.

Given the number of times that Sam and Dean have had to dive into the car for a quick getaway or hot pursuit (13?), it's no wonder that the open-yet-rock-solid design of the Impala is a natural fit. In a show that so often centers around hunting monsters in the dark, there is no bigger beast than 'Baby'.

-Trey Fennel

Coco #51 Black & Red