‘Supernatural’s Baby: 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Sam & Dean’s Beloved Car

“It never occurred to them that, sure, maybe they never really had a roof and four walls, but they were never in fact homeless.” So Chuck (Rob Benedict, later revealed to be God) said of Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) in the Supernatural Season 5 finale. That was because they had their 1967 Chevy Impala, affectionally referred to as Baby by Dean.

That car was by their side for the big and small moments, heart-to-hearts, fighting monsters, even saving the world, and when they eventually ended up in heaven. And no other show could include an episode told entirely from a car’s point of view! (See where that episode landed on our Best Episodes list.) Below, check out seven fun facts.

1. Baby Had a Big Family

Supernatural used nine different Chevy Impalas over 15 seasons, including one primary “hero” car, a couple of backups, a special cutaway for filming tight angles, cars for parts and several stunt cars—one that was memorably totaled by a semi in Season 1’s gut-wrenching finale, “Devil’s Trap.”

2. From Bargain Ride to Collector’s Dream

In 2005, a ’67 Chevy Impala might have set you back just a few grand. By 2020, prices had skyrocketed—with some versions going for $20,000 or more (at press time, classiccars.com had a Baby look-alike listed for $64,997). Fans turned the model into one of TV’s most coveted cult vehicles.

3. A Powerful Coincidence

According to Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), Baby has a 327 cubic-inch V8 engine, a real option for the ’67 Impala. But here’s the spooky synchronicity: Supernatural ended with exactly 327 episodes! Whether it was fate or just a fun Easter egg, it’s a full-throttle bit of trivia fans love to rev up.

4. Baby Wasn’t Always Black

Ackles once said the hero car used on set started life as a baby blue Impala with a matching interior. She was fully transformed into the sleek, black muscle car we love today. Fans can probably thank picture car coordinator Jeff Budnick…and a few cans of glossy black paint.

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5. Baby had a vanity plate — sort of

Originally, the license plate on the Impala read KAZ 2Y5, a reference to the Winchesters’ home state of Kansas and 2005, the year the show premiered. But in Season 2’s 20th episode, after the brothers escape from prison, they switch to Ohio plates reading CNK 80Q3. No special meaning was revealed.

6. From Knight Rider to Demon Rider

Creator Eric Kripke has said the idea to give the series a signature car came from the show Knight Rider and its A.I. ride, the Trans Am known as K.I.T.T. That homage turned meta in Season 5’s episode “Changing Channels,” when the Trickster transforms Sam (Jared Padalecki) into Baby herself.

7. Life After the Finale

When Supernatural wrapped  in 2020, both Padalecki and Ackles got to keep their own Impalas from the set. Ackles took home the main hero car and has said he plans to keep it forever—because once you’ve driven Baby, nothing else compares.