Impala

Name	Impala / Metallicar
Actor	1967 Chevrolet Impala
Dates	April 24 1967 -
Location	Travels widely
Occupation	Transport, home
Episode(s)	All episodes except 2.07 The Usual Suspects, 2.18 Hollywood Babylon, 4.12 Criss Angel Is A Douchebag, 4.17 It's A Terrible Life, 4.22 Lucifer Rising, 5.18 Point of No Return

History

Three days later another car rolled off that same line. No one gave two craps about her, but they should’ve. Because this 1967 Chevrolet Impala would turn out to be the most important car...no, the most important object in pretty much the whole universe. – Chuck, 5.22 Swan Song

A car before the Impala being constructed

This car was originally bought and used by Paul, and was sent to a small car-lot dealership in Lawrence, Kansas when he died of a heartattack. He used it while transporting Bibles around the world, as he was "getting folks right for Judgement Day".^{5.22 Swan Song} Later owed by John Winchester, then it later became Dean's car, affectionately dubbed the Metallicar by fans. It is first seen in the aftermath of Mary's death, John sits with his sons on the hood of the car while his house burns. John later gave the car to Dean, although the exact date of this is unknown. In a strange twist of fate, it is actually Dean who convinces John to buy the car, instead of a VW van, when he travels back in time to 1973.

Kripke had always wanted the boys to drive a muscle car, because growing up his favourite TV shows all had signature cars:

“Whether it was ‘Knight Rider’ or ‘Magnum P.I.’ or ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ - all of these shows always had a character that was a car, and I always really responded to that.” ^Source

However an Impala was not his first choice:

"When I was originally writing the show I wanted to give the guys an American muscle car. My first choice was a '65 Mustang.
"My neighbour said it has to be a '67 Impala, because you can put a body in the trunk.

"He says, 'You want a car that, when people stop next to it at the lights, they lock their doors'.^Source

At Comic Con in 2007 when asked why Sam had not driven the Impala in Season Two, Jensen answered "Because it's my car", followed by Eric Kripke reinforcing it with "Yeah, it's Dean's car!

It is common Fanon to have characters refer to the car to as "the Impala" in Fanfiction, but it wasn't until 2.01 In My Time Of Dying that it was called thus in Canon (by Sam).

Impala Information

Sam, Dean & the Impala

• For the origin of the car's nickname see Metallicar
• The car is a 1967 Chevrolet Impala. Chuck says the Impala rolled of the assembly line in Janesville WI on April 24, 1967. April 24 is Eric Kripke’s birthday.
• Her first owner was Sal Moriarty, who bought her for $3999, and drove around in her giving Bibles to the poor. This is another reference to Jack Kerouac's "On the Road", a huge literary influence on Eric Kripke. The main characters in "On the Road", two young men driving around the country are Sal (Paradise) and Dean Moriarty.
• John Winchester bought her from Rainbow Motors in Lawrence, Kansas in 1973.
• The Impala's license plate , until 2.20 What Is and What Should Never Be, is KAZ 2Y5 and they are Kansas plates.
  • After episode 2.20 the license plate is CNK 80Q3 (Ohio)
  • In the alternative reality of the Wish Verse in episode 2.20 the Impala's license plates said: RMD 5H2 (Kansas)
  • The original KAZ 2Y5 number plates appear again on the Impala in 4.04 Metamorphosis via a recycled shot from 2.03 Bloodlust.
  • In the flashback to 1997 in 4.13 After School Special, the plates are BQN 9R3 (Kansas), seen when Dean drives the Impala to school.
• Contrary to the design of the official Supernatural website, the Impala has a bench front seat and its gearshift is located on the steering column.
• The front seat reclines; this is seen in 1.01 Pilot when Constance is attacking Sam.
• The Impala has an automatic transmission.^Source
• It has a cassette player and radio, no CD player, although when Dean returns from Hell in 4.01 Lazarus Rising, he discovers that Sam has added an iPod jack. Dean rips it out and tosses it onto the backseat. It hasn't been seen since then.
• There is a weapons compartment built into the trunk, with a combination lock on it. The combination is 11-02-83. ^OWS
• At Comic Con in 2007 when asked about the engine specifications of the Impala, Kripke looked lost, but Jensen was able to describe it in detail. Jensen talks about the Impala YouTube clip.
• The sound of the squeaking doors were chosen individually for the passenger side door as well as the driver side door by Supernatural sound supervisor Mike Lawshe.^{S1Com, p. 142}
• In 3.10 Dream a Little Dream of Me, directed Steve Boyum had the side spotlights removed from the Impala in order to mount cameras. Source. In May 2008 a fan campaign was started to get them restored Spn_spotlights

Significant Impala episodes

Dean pulls the tarp from the Impala in 6.02 Two And A Half Men.

• 1.02 Wendigo: Dean lets Sam drive
• 1.22 Devil's Trap: a truck driven by a possessed trucker smashes into the Impala causing serious damage to her and her occupants.
• 2.01 In My Time Of Dying: Sam meets Bobby at a wrecker's yard "off of I-83" where the Impala has been towed to. Bobby says "There's nothing to fix. The frame's a pretzel, and the engine's ruined. There's barely any parts worth salvaging." Sam however counters "Listen to me, Bobby. If there's only one working part, that's enough. We're not just going to give up on..." , although Bobby understands it is Dean Sam is speaking of as much as the Impala.
• 2.02 Everybody Loves a Clown: Dean and Sam are staying at Bobby's where Dean is restoring the Impala. At the end of the episode Dean takes out his rage on his car, hitting the trunk seventeen times with a tire iron.
• 2.03 Bloodlust: the Metallicar is back in perfect condition. There is great opening sequence focusing on her return to the open road, to the tune of Back in Black by AC/DC.
• 2.20 What Is and What Should Never Be: Dean asks Sam if he has "ditched the plates" referring to the Impala's license plates (a necessity as they know the FBI are tracking them after the events of 2.19 Folsom Prison Blues (episode)). During the episode we see the usual plates KAZ 2Y5 have been replaced in the real world with CNK 80Q3(Ohio plates) and in the Wish Verse with RMD 5H2(Kansas plates).
• 3.02 The Kids Are Alright: After not being seen to drive the Impala during Season Two, Sam is seen behind the wheel again.
• 4.01 Lazarus Rising: Dean is not impressed that Sam added an iPod jack to the car while he was in Hell.
• 4.03 In The Beginning: Dean convinces a young John Winchester to buy the Impala rather than a VW van. The date of purchase is 30 April, 1973. We glimpse John Winchester driving the Impala in 4.13 After School Special, and in 5.13 The Song Remains The Same, he drives the car with Mary beside him, and Sam and Dean in the back seat.
• 5.02 Good God Y'All: when Sam leaves, Dean says Sam can take the Impala, but Sam declines.
• 5.05 Fallen Idols; After Sam has been telling Dean that their relationship needs to change, that he needs to let Sam "grow up", Dean asks Sam to drive.
• 5.04 The End: Dean (from 2009) discovers the Impala wrecked and left to rot in 2014.
• 5.08 Changing Channels: Gabriel transforms Sam into the Impala. (see Sampala)
• 5.12 Swap Meat: While in Sam's body, Gary asks to drive, and reverses into a dumpster.
• 5.22 Swan Song: The history of the Impala is recounted, as the Winchesters try and stop the Apocalypse. While Sam is possessed by Lucifer, and confronting Michael, Dean arrives at Stull Cemetery in the Impala. He confronts Lucifer, who starts beating him. However the it's the Impala, the boys' home and place of so many memories, particularly of his relationship with Dean, that finally helps Sam fight back and take control from Lucifer.
• 6.01 Exile On Main St.: A year after Dean has stopped hunting, the Impala is under a tarp in the garage - albeit still with a trunk full of weapons. When he decides not to return to hunting with Sam, he offers the car to Sam - "she should be hunting" - who refuses her.
• 6.02 Two And A Half Men: After deciding to return to the hunting lifestyle, Dean removes the tarp covering the Impala as Deep Purple's "Smoke On the Water" plays in the background. Dean smirks and the sound of the Impala roaring to life is heard.

Origins Controversy

In the teaser for the Pilot, John, Sam and Dean are clearly seen huddled together on the hood of the Impala as their house burns. In the Origins comics, Peter Johnson had John acquiring the Impala after Mary's death. Following a Q&A session with Cynthis Boris on Jack Myer's MediaVillage sitePeter Johnson returned with the following response:^Source

I've given a huge amount of thought to the Impala issue and have arrived at a conclusion.

As you may know from previous posts, I felt early on that there would be creative and character-driven value to seeing John get the Impala during his journey in the aftermath of Mary's death. It was a decision, and Kripke and I talked about it. However, I'm in violent agreement with many of your comments that the car is the third character in the show, and that it represents a sanctuary for this family following the death of Mary. I like it as the constant that remains after her death - as Mousitsa (Anna) puts it: 'baby' was there to support her three men after the fire.

These comments have made profound impact, and I agree wholeheartedly with the thematics they represent for the SN universe - for both TV and comics. So, despite the fact that #1 and #2 have both been published, I am going to propose making adjustments to revert to John already having the Impala from the get-go when the issues are collected into the trade paperback. I would like to restore this notion to the comics.

I believe in my heart and gut that it would be the correct version, not just to match the shot of John and the boys of the hood of the Impala in the pilot teaser, but much more importantly, for what the car represents in the continuity of the family -- before and after Mary's death. I'll be talking to DC about this on Monday.

The show made the Impala's origin completely clear in 4.03 In The Beginning, where John buys the Impala in 1973 after Dean dissuades him from getting a VW van.

Impala keychain available with Season 5 DVDs

The Impala in Fandom

• 67Impala - LJ community dedicated to the Impala

• List of Impala fanfiction

The Season 3 DVD sold at Best Buy came with a GreenLight Collectibles 1:64 scale replica of the Imapla, and the Season 5 DVD came with an Impala keyring

• Metallicar - origin of the term - and merchandise!

Impala plushie by ldhenson

• See Fan Craft for the plushie Impala

Links

• Article on 1967 Chevrolet Impala.

• An article on the Metallicar from an Australian Car Sales website.

• Cyrus Yavneh talks about the Impala

• Jensen talks about the Impala at Comic Con 2007

• Featurette on the Impala from the Season 3 DVD

• Pumpkin carving template

• Article on the Impala and Supernatural