One Year After His Death, Kobe Bryant’s 1963 Impala is For Sale
On this day a year ago, retired NBA superstar Kobe Bryant tragically died in a helicopter crash along with his daughter Gianna and seven other people. The Los Angeles Lakers legend had a number of passions beyond basketball including cars.
His custom-built 1963 Chevrolet Impala lowrider particularly stood out. And now it’s being put up for sale by Goldin Auctions.
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Renowned California-based shop West Coast Customs took care of the work in 2006 following a request by Bryant’s wife Vanessa, who wanted to offer him a special gift for Christmas.
The entire body was blasted and given with a multi-coat paint finish in a mix of purple (one of the colours of the Lakers) and royal blue. The windows, mouldings and weather stripping were all replaced, while the numerous chrome pieces were meticulously refinished. The car also features 13-inch Dayton wire wheels on Reliant Super Ride tires.
The interior of the car is highlighted by all-new white leather upholstery studded with genuine Swarovski crystals and offset by royal blue piping complementing the exterior. The steering wheel received some love, as well; it’s attached to a power adjustable steering column with a standalone tachometer at the other end.
Key to the transformation, of course, is a lowrider suspension that was completely customized with a hydraulic system featuring five pumps, eight batteries and four switches. The rear end also features a coilover setup and moulded upper A-arms for improved ride quality.
As for the 5.4-litre V8 that originally came with this 1963 Impala, it was largely rebuilt with custom Edelbrock headers and billet accessories. There’s a new glasspack dual exhaust setup, too.
Despite the car being nearly 60 years old, it has logged just 24,729 miles (about 40,000 kilometres). Bidding ends on January 30 and could go as high as $250,000 USD, which is the equivalent of $318,000 CAD at the current exchange rate.
R.I.P., Black Mamba!
