BABY: DEAN WINCHESTER'S 1967 CHEVROLET IMPALA
Searched in search engines as "Dean Winchester car", "Supernatural car" or simply "Baby", this iconic machine is actually a 1967 model 4-door Chevrolet Impala. But it is not just a car — it is the Winchester family's home, weapons cache, sanctuary, and most loyal companion.
BABY: NOT A CAR, A CHARACTER
When Supernatural hit the screens in 2005, no one predicted that this show would last 15 years and a car would become this iconic. Dean Winchester's black Impala was featured in every scene not merely as a means of transportation, but as a "home" that reflected the characters' inner worlds, carried their pasts, and held their hopes for the future.
The creator of the show, Eric Kripke, originally wrote a 1965 Ford Mustang for the Winchester brothers in the first draft. But after a single sentence from his neighbor, everything changed:
And he was right. The Mustang was beautiful and agile — but the Impala was intimidating. Long, black, growling, and massive. A black ship gliding on the dark American highways. Eric Kripke, inspired by KITT from Knight Rider which he watched as a child, wanted to make the car a character in its own right. He succeeded.
BABY'S ORIGIN AND STORY
Supernatural Chevrolet impala
In the show's universe, the Impala's story has a rich history intertwined with Supernatural's mythology. According to Chuck's narration, the car rolled off the assembly line at the Janesville plant in Wisconsin on April 24, 1967 — and this date is also Eric Kripke's birthday.
Its first owner was a man named Sal Moriarty; he bought the car for $3,999 and traveled the country handing out Bibles to the poor. This was a nod to Jack Kerouac's book On the Road — two young men traveling across America by car. One of Kerouac's characters was Sal, the other Dean Moriarty. Kripke chose these names deliberately.
The car later went up for sale at Rainbow Motors in Lawrence, Kansas; it was purchased by John Winchester for $2,204 in 1973. Over time, it became Dean's most prized possession, and Dean nicknamed it "Baby."
In the first two seasons of the series, the car cruised with the KAZ 2Y5 Kansas plate. KAZ = Kansas (the Winchesters' home state), 2Y5 = 2005 (the year the show premiered). At the end of the second season, the plates were changed to evade the FBI: the CNK 80Q3 Ohio plate was attached — Ohio is Eric Kripke's home state. In Heaven, however, the car always appears with the KAZ 2Y5 plate.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
The 1967 Chevrolet Impala was the fourth generation of Chevy's "full-size" car family. In terms of design, it had gained a longer, wider, and more striking appearance compared to the 1965–1966 models. All the technical details about Dean's car:
In the show, Dean's car is described as "327 four-barrel, 275 horses." But the situation was different with the actual Hero car used on set — the standard engine was not enough for the intense pace of filming.
HARDTOP: THE MOST CONFUSED DETAIL
One of the most confused details about the Impala is its body style. Dean's car is not a standard sedan, but a 4-door hardtop model. The difference between these two models is critical: in the hardtop version, when the front and rear windows are rolled down completely, there is no B-pillar (post) in the middle.
This feature gives the vehicle that uninterrupted, flowing, and aggressive side profile. Because there is no metal pillar between the doors, the car's side silhouette flows like a single long line. The feeling of that long, dark, gliding ship in the show largely stems from this design detail.
1967 IMPALA ENGINE OPTIONS
The 1967 model Impala was offered from the factory with 6 different engine options. The 327 ci V8 that Baby had in the show was in the mid-to-upper segment of this family:
9 IMPALAS: THE HIDDEN TRUTH ON SET
It was impossible for the production crew to throw a vehicle in the trash without blinking an eye — both economically and practically. The solution was different: there were 9 different 1967 Chevrolet Impalas on set at the same time.
The actual Impala used every day in filming
Modified with a 502 ci Big Block, roughly 550 HP. This was the only air-conditioned vehicle on set. The vast majority of Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki's scenes were shot in this car.
Backups for Hero 1
Cars that stepped in when Hero 1 took damage or went into maintenance. Identical in exterior appearance but simpler in equipment.
For action scenes
Used in crashes, collisions, and dangerous driving scenes. The semi-truck crash in the Season 1 finale literally destroyed one of these cars.
Ready for damaged scenes
Cars kept ready at different damage levels — front end crushed, door torn off, etc.
For camera angles
A special car whose roof, doors, and windows could be easily removed. Used for interior camera angles — most of the "Baby" episode was filmed in this car.
CASSETTE PLAYER AND CLASSIC ROCK
Baby didn't have a CD player. No 8-track. Just an old-school cassette deck — and Dean was extremely strict about this. Dean's famous response to Sam trying to slip a CD into the car: "Music in my car plays according to my rules."
The classic rock constantly playing in the show was an inseparable part of the car's personality. The most iconic moments:
AC/DC — "Back in Black": The song accompanying the first shot of the newly restored Impala in Season 2. Probably the most iconic musical moment of the show.
Kansas — "Carry On Wayward Son": This song, playing during every season recap, turned into an absolute legend when combined with the brothers' journey in the Impala.
Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blue Öyster Cult: Regular guests in Dean's cassette collection.
THE TRUNK: A TRAVELING WEAPONS CACHE
Supernatural Car Trunk
One of the practical reasons for choosing the 1967 Impala was its massive trunk. As Kripke's neighbor said, "you can fit a body in its trunk" — and the show used exactly that.
The Winchesters' trunk was a weapons cache: crossbows, stakes, salt shakers, firearms, spell books, fake IDs, and all kinds of equipment specially prepared against supernatural beings. There was even a hidden compartment under the trunk floor. This detail made it necessary for the 1967 Impala to have a truly large trunk volume — and Chevy didn't disappoint anyone in this regard.
PRESENT DAY VALUE AND IMPACT
Before Supernatural aired, the 1967 Chevrolet Impala was changing hands at low prices, around $500 in the used market. As the show progressed, this picture changed dramatically.
In 2016, when Supernatural's 12th season aired, the search for "1967 Chevrolet Impala" on ClassicCars.com was made more than 50,000 times in a single month, becoming the platform's most searched vehicle that month. Driven by the show's impact, the value of a well-preserved 1967 Impala rose to over $40,000; show-specific black replicas are even more expensive.