We appreciate all styles of automotive restoration, from high-tech restomod builds to original-style restoration projects. But when it comes to the latter category, we're especially fond of cars that stay true to their original styling and are also daily-driven. Rolling down the highway looking just like they did brand-new, these vehicles are like time capsules on four wheels, and they take us back to a wonderful time in automotive history.

When someone mentions the name Impala SS, most people think of the 1961 through 1969 Super Sport models. That shouldn't come as a surprise, since this original 9-year production run yielded some of the most iconic vehicles of the muscle car era. We'll always love these early cars, but there's another Impala SS that developed its own cult following and certainly deserves recognition: the 1994-1996 Impala SS.

In 1994, General Motors resurrected the Impala SS name to create a high-performance car based on the Caprice platform. The new SS cars received performance-oriented suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, and a 5.7L LT1 V8, among other upgrades. The model was discontinued in 1996 after a three-year production run.

"Green" is a word that has come to represent much more than a color over the last few years. We're constantly bombarded with ads talking about how "green" the latest hybrid economy car is, and how it might just save the planet. Despite the growing popularity of this new definition of the word, Mike Pennington decided to build a car that returns to the roots of what a green car can be—and it's certainly not a sluggish 4-cylinder hybrid.

The '64 Impala is what a student of literature might call an archetype. This word is defined as "the original pattern or model of after which all others are based". Essentially, an archetype is something that perfectly exemplifies a certain purpose or style. So, what exactly does the '64 Impala exemplify? Lowriding. The '64 Impala has become so closely linked with lowrider culture, it's almost hard to see the car built any other way.

Every classic car has a story behind it—it's one of our favorite things about these vintage machines. Some have been bought, sold, abandoned, restored, and customized multiple times throughout their lifetimes. Others are left to rust for decades at a time, only to be later discovered and finally appreciated. Others, still, are meticulously cared for by their original owners from day one.

No matter what your automotive background is, the term "SS" is immediately recognizable as a sign of high performance. Super Sport—it's a name that means exactly what it says. Everyone knows and loves the Camaro SS, Nova SS, Chevelle SS, and El Camino SS, but none of these models were the first to bear the designation. In fact, it was a model that many at the time would have considered to be more luxury cruiser than sports coupe—the Impala.