Danbury Mint 1959 Chevrolet

The much-anticipated Danbury Mint 1959 Impala arrived with the expected fan-fare, rightly so. The Crown Sapphire topcoat is absolutely gorgeous and overall representation of an icon is quite good too.

The Impala was first introduced in 1958 as a new up-level, sporty trim package created for Bel Air coupes and convertibles. It was named for a southern African antelope. The Impala became a separate model in 1959 in both two and four-door versions and became the best selling car in the Chevrolet product line.

The 1959 Impala was completely different for all orthers and was a one year only design. The headlamps were so low at night you could detect it as a 1959 Chevrolet. The rear end had wings resembling a seagull and under the wings the taillights appeared to be cat eyes. The Impala had a production run of 65,800 units and weighed 3,659 pounds. The selling price was $3,451 and came with a 283 cubic-inch V-8 engine and Powerglide transmission.

From the front of the car, the design was fairly normal for the 1950's era. Extensive amounts of chrome littered the front end. Two headlights, located side-by-side, were placed on each sides of the vehicle. A front grill was used to help keep the engine cool. View the car from the side and it becomes immediately clear that this is a big vehicle. The length of the vehicle could be extended an additional 11 inches by adding the Continental spare tire cover to the rear of the car. Viewing the car from the rear, the car quickly ends up in a league of its own, with only a few other vehicles such as the Cadillac Series 62 / DeVille having such a radical rear-end. To top it all off, this car was not-only long, it was also very wide.

A variety of engines were available ranging from an inline-6 cylinder up to a triple carburetor, 348 cubic-inches V8 capable of producing 315 horsepower. A fuel injected V8 became available in 1959 also.

Lifting the Danbury Mint '59 Impala out of the box you can't help but admire the beautiful Crown Sapphire finish and the blue and white tri-color interior. Crown Sapphire is a beautiful shade of blue with metallic flake scaled down perfectly adding an eloquent accent to the color. The fit and finish is acceptable however the chrome on the model we received could have had a little tighter tolerance around the rear fins. Also, the hood script insisted it didn't want to be on the model, which required a few drops of adhesive to keep it in place.

The body side moldings and hood spears on the other hand are as straight as a string and perfectly placed. I love to see clean chrome with no jagged edges and this model is perfect in that respect. Windshield wipers on scaled replicas can be a maker or breaker for me; I hate script wipers; you usually bend or break them the first time you dust the model. I want my windshield wipers to look like originals and this '59's certainly do.

Both doors fit well but they lack the positive click feature that we have become accustomed to. That said both doors do close cleanly and stay closed and I don't view this as an issue. The same is true for the trunk and hood, both open and close easily with superb fit.

Speaking of hood lets take a peek at the amenities found under there. Here is where the Danbury Mint kicked it up a notch; this baby is chock full of "bling" for daddy. Wow, would be an understatement; you name it it's in there just like the 1:1. The hood opens nice and wide allowing you to gaze at all those miniaturized parts such as hoses, belts, wires and lines. Once again the designers gave us what we want, tons of detail from a carburetor linkage spring barely visible under the air cleaner to the power steering pump lines. What's not to love? What a beautifully replicated engine compartment this alone is worth the price of admission kudos on a job well done. One thing that was missing were some wrenches scaled down to size so I could start taking things apart; that's how realistic this engine compartment is, I love it.

Sliding behind the wheel is very impressive too. From the high beam switch located on the floor on the left hand side for you young collectors to the parking brake and speakers cut into the side panels you can't help admire the amount of thought that went into this build. The seats are very well done with their vinyl like material and striped inserts. The model sports rugs and floor mats. The floor mats are not removable, so please don't try to pull them out; there is no change hiding underneath them honest.

Popping the trunk you have to be impressed with the detail in there too. The spare is removable with a jack mounted behind it. A vinyl floor mat in the authentic color adorns the floor. Look closely near the filler tube and you will see wiring to the license plate lights "bling" and that's what we like to see on our models; it shows that the design team did their homework and the company was willing to go the extra mile to give us not just a good model but a great one.

Rolling the model onto its side the Danbury Mint kicked it up another notch. The rear suspension is very intricately detailed and VERY impressive. The brake lines to the rear drums are the best I ever seen; they are comprised of a flexible brake tubing. I sold a ton of these lines when I worked in an automotive store as a salesman. Let me tell you seeing those lines had me grinning from ear to ear and tons of memories came flooding back of two old friends of mine that worked with me at Auto Supply and are now gone. Uncle Louie and Joe would have been proud to hold this model in their hands today and I can hear Louie as he examined the paint; he was our master paint mixer.

My only issue with the undercarriage is the driveshaft. The plastic wasn't cleaned once removed from the mold leaving a thin plastic outline along the entire shaft. It can be cleaned off with an Exacto knife and will only add to the models beauty. As time permits maybe I will clean it up then again how often do I roll it over?

In conclusion I an especially fond of the Danbury Mint 1959 Impala. Although it is not without flaws they are all minor. I strongly recommend this model for your collection especially if you love your Chevrolet's and for the $115 this model is definitely a bargain. Now give me a Red one.