Supernatural Car: Dean’s 1967 Impala Baby, Real Specs and Facts
The car in Supernatural is a black 1967 Chevrolet Impala Sport Sedan, a four-door hardtop that Dean Winchester calls Baby. It is not an SS and not a two-door, which are the two most common mistakes. The show ran from September 13, 2005 to November 19, 2020 for 327 episodes, and the Impala was on screen for nearly all of it.
This page covers the car itself: what a real 1967 Impala sport sedan was, which of the show’s engine claims are real, how many cars the production used (the sources disagree), and where the surviving cars are said to be. For the character side of the story, see what car Dean Winchester drives.
What Is the Car in Supernatural?
It is a 1967 Chevrolet Impala. Wikipedia’s article on the 1967 Impala lists the 4-door hardtop, badged Sport Sedan, as one of the body styles for that generation, and HotCars identifies the show car as the Sport Sedan. Both point to something fans often miss: HotCars notes that the 1967 Impala SS was never offered as a sedan, so Baby is a regular Impala, not an SS.
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According to the Supernatural Wiki, the story says the car was built in Janesville, Wisconsin, on April 24, 1967, and that John Winchester bought it in 1973 from Rainbow Motors in Lawrence, Kansas, for 2,204 dollars. That is in-universe backstory, not production history. The same wiki quotes creator Eric Kripke saying his first choice was a ’65 Mustang, but a neighbor told him it had to be a ’67 Impala because you can put a body in the trunk.
Real Specs vs On-Screen Specs
This is where the car gets interesting, because the engine you hear about on screen and the engine in the main filming car are different things. The table compares the 1967 factory options (from Wikipedia’s article on that model year) with what the show says and what sources report.
| Engine | Factory 1967 Impala option? | Where it comes up |
|---|---|---|
| 250 cu in six-cylinder | Yes, 155 hp base engine (Wikipedia) | Not mentioned for the show car |
| 283 cu in V8 | Yes, 195 hp (Wikipedia) | HotCars says Jensen Ackles’ personal car reportedly has a 283 |
| 327 cu in V8, four-barrel | Yes, 275 hp optional (Wikipedia) | Dean’s on-screen line: 327 four-barrel, 275 horses (Supernatural Wiki) |
| 396 cu in V8 | Yes, 325 hp optional (Wikipedia) | Not mentioned for the show car |
| 427 cu in V8 | Yes, 385 hp, only 2,124 built with the SS-badged Z24 package (Wikipedia) | Not mentioned for the show car |
| GM 502 cu in crate big-block | No, a modern crate engine, about 550 hp per the Supernatural Wiki | Reported as the hero car’s engine (HotCars, Supernatural Wiki) |
The new detail here is that Dean’s on-screen spec is not made up. A 327 with a four-barrel carburetor and 275 horsepower is a real factory Impala option for 1967, so the writers picked a believable number. The 502 in the main hero car is a different story: it is far beyond anything Chevrolet offered in the Impala that year, and it is there for stunt driving and sound.
Sources do not fully agree on which car has which engine. The Supernatural Wiki says Ackles’ Hero 1 car has the 502, while HotCars says his personal car reportedly has a 283. The safe reading is that the production cars were not identical, and that nobody outside the production has published a verified spec sheet.
How Many Cars Were Used?
There is no audited number. The three counts we found do not match, and one of them comes with its own doubt.
| Count | Source | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| At least 9 | HotCars (Feb 4, 2023) | At least nine separate 1967 Impalas were used in filming |
| 9 (reported) | Yahoo, Backfire | Repeats nine but questions it given the show’s length and the damage Baby took on screen |
| 8 | Supernatural Wiki (fan-run) | Eight Impalas were used on the show |
HotCars describes a mix that explains why the count is fuzzy: a main hero car for close-ups, backups, a cutaway car chopped into sections for interior shots, stunt cars, and cars kept for parts. A car cut apart for a camera rig is still a car, but whether it counts as one of the Impalas used depends on who is counting.
One production detail from Wikipedia’s Supernatural article is worth knowing: for side and profile driving shots the crew built a rig called Highways, using two 20-foot devices with conveyor belts carrying battery-powered LED lights behind black cutouts to simulate moving scenery. That means some of the on-screen drives never needed a moving car.
What Happened to the Cars?
The Supernatural Wiki gives the most detailed account, and it is fan-run, so treat it as reported rather than confirmed. It says Jensen Ackles took home Hero 1, Jared Padalecki took home Hero 3, which has a 327 and which he nicknamed Lil Bro, one car went to the Petersen Automotive Museum, one went to the Warner Bros. Picture Car Vault in Los Angeles, and Warner Bros. ordered the remaining Impalas destroyed.
Yahoo’s Backfire agrees on the main point, that Ackles received the hero car when the series ended in 2020 and Padalecki got one of the better non-hero cars. Hagerty has also described Baby, a four-door 1967 Impala hardtop, as part of the Petersen Museum’s Cars of Film and Television exhibition, which opened on March 12, 2022. Exhibits rotate, so check the museum before planning a visit around it.
The wrecks are part of the story too. HotCars says one Impala was totaled at the end of season 1 in the show’s semi-truck collision, and the Supernatural Wiki adds that during season 11 Ackles found the shell of that car. If you want the quick count and trivia version, our guide to what car Sam and Dean drive covers it briefly.
The License Plates, Season by Season
The plates are a tidy way to date any Baby scene. The Supernatural Wiki lists these plates for the car.
| Plate | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| C-45P4 | 1973 | Flashback plate |
| BQN 9R3 | 1992 and 1997 | Flashback plate |
| KAZ 2Y5 | 2005 to 2007 | The plate in the early seasons |
| RMD 5H2 | 2006 | Wish-verse version of the car |
| CNK 80Q3 | 2007 to present | The plate for the rest of the series |
We could not find a primary source for what the plate letters are meant to signify, so we do not repeat the popular theories here.
Why the Impala Matters Beyond the Show
The trunk is the signature feature. Yahoo’s Backfire calls it a rolling armory stocked with weapons for hunting demons, with symbols on the inside of the trunk lid meant to keep threats out. Wikipedia’s Supernatural article quotes a scholar calling the car a third character, and says the brothers consider it their real home.
Dean is shown as an accomplished mechanic who keeps the car in top condition, and Wikipedia cites an Entertainment Weekly interview with Jensen Ackles on the point that he has known cars since childhood. That is how a four-door hardtop, an ordinary family car in its day, became more recognizable than most sports cars on television.
If you are comparing it with other famous TV cars, see how the General Lee count compares in how many cars were used in Dukes of Hazzard, or browse cars in pop culture. For another Winchester vehicle, read about what Mary Winchester drives.
Thinking About a Real 1967 Impala?
If you are serious about a real one, start with what the show hides. A 1967 Impala is a large car, with a 119-inch wheelbase and roughly 213 inches of length according to Wikipedia’s figures for that generation, and a factory engine range from a 155 hp six to a 385 hp 427. Prices vary by condition and engine, and we do not quote auction prices because we did not find a verified source for them. A 1960s car also predates modern crash protection, so have a qualified classic-car mechanic go over the brakes, steering and seat belts before it carries passengers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What car does Dean drive in Supernatural?
Dean drives a black 1967 Chevrolet Impala Sport Sedan, a four-door hardtop, which he calls Baby. It was his father John’s car in the story and Dean inherited it.
Is the Supernatural car an Impala SS?
No. HotCars points out that the 1967 Impala SS was never offered as a sedan, so the four-door show car is a regular Impala Sport Sedan. Wikipedia’s 1967 Impala entry lists the SS as a separate performance model.
How many Impalas were used to film Supernatural?
Sources disagree. HotCars says at least nine, Yahoo’s Backfire repeats nine but doubts it, and the fan-run Supernatural Wiki counts eight. None is an audited studio figure.
What engine does the Supernatural Impala have?
On screen Dean describes a 327 four-barrel with 275 horsepower, which matches a real 1967 Impala option. HotCars and the Supernatural Wiki say the main hero car actually ran a GM 502 big-block crate engine instead.
Did Jensen Ackles keep the car?
Yes. Yahoo’s Backfire and the Supernatural Wiki both report that Ackles took home the main hero car when the series ended. Sources disagree on that car’s engine, so the exact spec of his Impala is unconfirmed.
Conclusion
The Supernatural car is a black 1967 Chevrolet Impala Sport Sedan, a four-door hardtop and not an SS. Dean’s on-screen 327 is a real 1967 option, while the main filming car is reported to have a modern 502 crate engine. The number of cars used is somewhere around eight or nine, and the fate of the survivors is reported by fan and press sources rather than by a studio registry.
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