1974 Chevrolet Impala Wagon
For 1974, the rear bumper of Impalas and other full-sized Chevrolets incorporated shock absorbing cylinders to meet the upgraded bumper standards with new taillights above the bumper, separated by the license plate and fuel filler. The front end featured a new grille and headlight bezels, a new header panel, and a bumper with a drop down center section. The marker lights moved back up beside the headlamps.
A limited-edition Spirit of America package was offered in 1974 on Sport Coupe models; primarily an appearance package, it featured white body paint, a white full vinyl top, white upholstery with red or blue trim, color-keyed seat belts and floormats, special wheel covers, optional white rally wheels, sports-styled dual remote outside rear view mirrors, a vinyl body side molding insert, and red pin-striping. Special fender and dashboard badges announced the package to passers-by and passengers.
This was the only year of the 1971–1976 models the Impala had a different front end design than the Caprice Classic, as other years used either a grille insert or previous year Caprice front to distinguish the two. The rooflines of the Impala coupes were revised. For 1974 the Custom Coupe was no longer a hardtop, with large fixed rear quarter glass and a thick B-pillar. The Sport Coupe, still a pillar-less hardtop, now used larger roll-down quarter glass like that of the 1971-73 Custom Coupe, and had a narrower, fastback style, flat back window similar to the 1966-68 Caprice coupes. The four-door sedan, four-door hardtop Sports Sedan and station wagons used carryover rooflines from 1973.
Engine offerings included the standard 145-horsepower 350 Turbo Jet V-8 on sedans and coupes, optional 150- and 180-horsepower 400 Turbo Fire V8s (the latter standard on Impala wagons), and 235-horsepower 454 Turbo Jet V8. In California, a 155-horsepower 350 V-8 with four-barrel carburetor was standard and the only engine options there were the 180-horsepower 400 and 454 V-8s.