Supernatural: The Impala’s 10 Most Iconic Moments

The 1967 Chevy Impala, affectionately known as Baby by Dean and dubbed Metallicar by fans of the early seasons, has been a character all on its own in Supernatural. Baby has been to hell and back with the Winchesters. The Impala has been destroyed and reborn over and over again in the course of 15 seasons.

She’s been retired and brought back for the hunt several times. She’s mostly been Dean’s car but did a few stints as Sam’s vehicle when Dean hasn’t been around. Here are the 10 most iconic moments with the Impala throughout the series.

10 Yellow Eyes Crashes the 18-Wheeler Into Them

The first time fans saw Baby crushed into scrap metal was at the end of season one when Yellow Eyes possessed a truck driver and rammed an 18-wheeler into them on the road. The first season finale left fans with their hearts in their hands as all three Winchesters were knocked out cold and no one knew if they survived.

It was also one hell of a cliffhanger as it wasn’t certain at the time if Supernatural would be picked up for another season. Thankfully, the show came back and the Impala recovered.

9 Knight Rider Sampala

When the Trickster/Gabriel sends Sam and Dean into a TV world in “Changing Channels,” one of those episodes includes a jab at the 1980s series Knight Rider. Playing the role of KITT the talking car, Sam’s mind and body are combined with the Impala, dubbed the Sampala by fans.

Dean can’t help but take the chance to make dirty jokes at his brother’s expense, making claims that they pulled the holy oil out of Sam’s trunk and telling him not to be such a prude as Dean drives him.

8 Impala Possession

There have been instances where ghosts dared to possess Dean’s precious car and use her against him. The first was Constance Welch, the Woman in White in the pilot episode. She took control of Baby’s gears and chased Sam and Dean off a bridge into the muddy waters down below.

The second happened when the ghost of a dead girl possessed mannequins to exact revenge on her killers. When the Winchesters get in her way, she possesses the Impala to try to get rid of them, too.

7 Impala vs. The Mystery Machine

When the Winchesters get turned into cartoons in ScoobyNatural, the Impala takes the ride along with them. Dean suspects it’s because he had the car keys in his pocket when they got transformed. He can’t help but take the chance to race Fred in the Mystery Machine, sure that Baby can beat the old van often modeled after a Volkswagen.

In a stunning defeat, Dean loses the race against Fred. Sam’s surprise mirrored that of the fans as they watched the unbelievable happen, even in a show called Supernatural.

6 The History of the Impala

The season five finale, “Swan Song,” starts with Chuck narrating the history of the Chevy Impala starting from its initial production. He states that it wasn’t a revolutionary car in the market, but that no one knew it would become the most important car in the world.

His narration goes on to show Sam and Dean growing up in the car and all they’ve been through together. The final sentiment he offers is, “Sure, maybe they never had a roof and four walls, but they were never in fact homeless.”

5 Dean Influences John to Buy the Impala

In a move straight out of Back to the Future, Dean meets John Winchester, his father, as a young man in the market for a car to bring home to the family he’s about to start. John is ready to buy a minivan for Mary who is pregnant with Dean, but he convinces the young John to instead purchase the Impala.

It’s a moment in which he sets his future in stone. Without Dean’s influence, the Winchesters never would have had the Impala. Try untangling that time travel mess.

4 The Fight Against Leviathans

Season seven brought forth the Leviathans storyline, the strongest monsters the Winchesters had ever faced. In a final Hail Mary to get to Dick Roman, Dean handed the keys of the Impala to Meg the demon so she could crash through SucroCorp’s front door.

She rammed through the glass sign outside the company’s front yard to cause a distraction. She put herself in the line of fire so that Castiel and the Winchesters could get inside to the Leviathans. Once more, Baby was destroyed and had to be restored.

3 A Whole Episode Dedicated to Baby

In season 11 Sam and Dean go on the hunt for the Darkness released at the end of the previous season. In the episode titled after the Impala’s nickname, everything is seen from the car’s perspective. But they make little progress in the hunt for the Darkness so they turn instead to a smaller case.

They can’t figure out what the monster is exactly, as it appears to be a hybrid of some kind. No matter what the case though, Baby is always there, seeing her boys through every hunt.

2 Dean’s Retirement

After Sam jumps in the pit with Lucifer, Dean goes to lead a normal, civilian life with Ben and Lisa. Retirement means leaving the Impala under a tarp in the garage. But he hasn’t given up all aspects of his old life, as he keeps the trunk filled with an arsenal to take on anything supernatural should the occasion arise.

When Sam comes back into the picture so does hunter Dean. As he dons his leather jacket once more, he pulls back the tarp to reveal a shiny and ready Impala.

1 “She’s all yours.”

Dealing with the Mark of Cain is too much for Dean to handle and he sees no other way out other than death. So, he seeks out Death to remove the burden and take his life. Before he takes his final bow, he leaves Sam the Impala abandoned at a motel parking lot with a note that says, “She’s all yours.”

The finality of the statement rings so true it not only distresses Sam but the audience. For Dean to officially let go of Baby and walk away means he is in dire straits.

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