Despite Dean's loving care, the 1967 Chevy Impala (AKA Baby) has taken a lot of damage during Supernatural's fifteen seasons. Hunting monsters is a dangerous gig, after all. Aside from the usual dents, dings and scratches, the car has been totaled nine times, with major wrecks occuring in various seasons. Attacks on the Winchesters often coincide with damage to the Impala, as monsters bombard the car in an effort to get to the brothers.
The biggest wrecks tend to happen during season finales as the boys go up against big bads like Azazel, Crowley or Dick Roman. The brothers usually come out the winners in these confrontations, but not without some collateral damage. The Impala acts as a symbol of the losses the Winchesters suffer, with blemishes on the car reflecting emotional trials and tribulations. One certainty of the series, however, is that Dean will never give up on the Impala, always building it back up no matter how destroyed it is.
In many ways, the Impala is another major character on Supernatural and has suffered almost as much as her owners. Let's take a look at some of the car's nastiest wrecks.
Season 1, Episode 1, "Pilot"
The Impala is featured heavily in Supernatural's pilot as the Winchester brothers investigate Constance Welch, a hitchhiking ghost who kills unlucky drivers. At one point, Baby is hijacked by Constance - starting up on its own and barreling towards the Winchesters. Dean is able to regain control after he and Sam escape its assault, but is visibly annoyed, setting a series-long precedent.
Constance again takes control of the Winchesters' car during the climax. When Sam is driving back toward town to meet up with Dean, he's stopped by the ghost. Per her M.O., Constance tries to seduce Sam and implores him to "take her home." When he refuses, she hijacks the car and stops it outside her old house, attacking him. Sam realizes the key to stopping Constance is to truly bring her back home. Trapped in the car, Sam revs the engine and drives it straight through the front wall of the house, crashing into the living room. The maneuver is successful in dispelling Constance, but the Impala is left significantly damaged.
Season 1, Episode 22, "Devil's Trap"
The Impala remains mostly intact for the remainder of the first series as Dean and Sam traverse the country to find their father. It's only during the finale - after the three Winchesters are reunited - that the car is totaled again. Following the family's confrontation with Azazel, they flee the scene in the Impala. It's a moment of relief for viewers as the worst seems to be over. Just when Sam and John are resolving their issues, however, an 18-wheeler slams into the car.
The collision, caused by a demon-possessed driver, is abrupt and shocking, ending the season on a tantalizing cliffhanger. Jared Padalecki later confessed that since the car was set to be destroyed, he stole the center cap of the steering wheel as a memento. When the Impala reappears in season 2, episode 1, "In My Time of Dying," it's totaled. Sam's first response upon seeing the damage is, of course, "Dean is gonna be p***ed."
Sam asks Bobby to tow the car back to the salvage yard so Dean can fix it up, but Bobby argues there's nothing to fix as, "The frame's a pretzel, the engine's ruined. Still, Sam is in favor of restoring the car, which, like Dean, is near death. Dean is later seen restoring the car in episode 2, "Everybody Loves a Clown." Following John Winchester's death, Dean uses the project to process his own grief, hammering out dents and repairing the engine. Throughout the season 1 finale and the start of season 2, the Impala is representative of Dean's own physical condition and emotional state.
Season 5, Episode 4, "The End"
The Impala sustains some minor damage over the rest of season 2. The next major wreck, however, isn't until season 5, episode 4, "The End," when Dean travels to the year 2014. It's unclear what's happened to the Impala, but as Dean sneaks into Camp Chautauqua, he finds it a rusted-out wreck. The car has been left abandoned by his future self, who seems to have lost all hope he'll ever rescue Sam from Lucifer. The sight of the Impala is shocking to Dean and the audience, who have become accustomed to the idea he would never let it fall into disrepair. Having lost Sam, it seems Dean's future self found the Impala a painful reminder of their fractured relationship.
There's not much damage to the Impala during the rest of season 5, although it plays a pivotal role during the season finale, "Swan Song," When Dean refuses to abandon Sam, Lucifer starts beating him up against the car, cracking the windshield with his blows. The sight of the car helps Sam shake off Lucifer's control, allowing him to save the world.
Season 6, Episode 14, "Mannequin 3: The Reckoning"
Supernatural repeats a trope in season 6 when the Impala is again possessed by a ghost in an attempt to kill the brothers. The morbidly funny episode 14, "Mannequin 3: The Reckoning," sees them discover a girl with a haunted kidney. When they meet up to make a plan, the ghost of Rose Brown possesses the Impala and tries to run over Dean. He ultimately lures the ghost-possessed car into a trap, sending it crashing through a building, much to his own dismay.
Season 6, Episode 22, "The Man Who Knew Too Much"
The Impala is used as a form of shelter in the season 6 finale, "The Man Who Knew Too Much." In an attempt to stop Castiel and Crowley from opening a door to Purgatory, Dean and Bobby track down Crowley's hideout. As they're surveying the building, however, a massive cloud of demons appears on the horizon, forcing them to flee back to the car. When the demon cloud hits, it flips the Impala with Dean and Bobby inside, crushing the roof and breaking the windows. Dean is later seen repairing Baby in season 7, episode 1, "Meet the New Boss." Unable to help Sam or fight the Leviathan-possessed Castiel, Dean decides he's going to "work on her till she's mint," he says.
Season 7, Episode 23, "Survival of the Fittest"
The Impala is missing in action for much of season 7 as Dean and Sam are forced to put her in long-term storage to avoid FBI detection. Near the start of the season, Leviathans impersonated the Winchester brothers and went on a killing spree, putting them at the top of the most-wanted list. On the radar of law enforcement, the Impala is simply too recognizable. Dean is angry and irritated by the change throughout the season, but the car returns with a vengeance when the Winchesters decide to fight Dick Roman head on. Having procured a weapon with the ability to kill Roman, they sneak into SucroCorp headquarters. The Impala is used to create a diversion, with demon Meg driving it straight through the front gates and a giant glass sign.
Season 11, Episode 4, "Baby"
The Impala is the center of the action in season 11, episode 4, "Baby," one of the most beloved Supernatural episodes ever produced. The title refers to Dean's affectionate nickname for the Impala, "Baby," which he uses throughout the series. During the episode, every frame is shot from inside the Impala. Over the course of 45 minutes, viewers see the Winchester brothers hit the road, hunt down monsters and drive back home. By the time they are on their way back to the Men of Letters bunker, the car is significantly battered.
Most of the damage to the Impala comes from a crash into a roadblock. When the car is stolen by a nachzehrer - AKA were-pyre - Dean is handcuffed in the backseat. He eventually escapes, attacking the driver and crashing them into construction pylons. The accident crushes the front of the car, damages the engine and shatters the front and back windshields. A fierce battle ensues, and although Dean manages to kill the alpha nachzehrer, the fight breaks another window and leaves the car soaked in blood. By the end of the episode, the car is smashed up and battle-worn, but still able to carry the brothers home.
Season 12, Episode 1, "Keep Calm and Carry On"
In season 12, episode 1, "Keep Calm and Carry On," the Impala is hit by an SUV driven by a member of the British Men of Letters. The attack, made by Toni's assistant Ms. Watt, is an attempt to prevent Dean from rescuing Sam. After the latter is kidnapped from the bunker, Dean, Cas and Mary Winchester track him down in the Impala. When they approach the hideout, Toni sees them coming and sends out Ms. Watt to stop them. The Impala is dented in the crash, but not completely wrecked.
Season 12, Episode 15, "Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell"
The final culprit guilty of damaging the Impala in Supernatural is a hellhound. In season 12, episode 15, "Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell," the Winchesters hunt a hellhound gone rogue in an effort to prevent it from killing an innocent woman. Toward the end of the episode, it attacks Sam and the intended victim as they are sitting in the Impala. Jumping on the car's hood, the hellhound dents Baby and cracks the front windshield. Sam is eventually able to kill the beast, but when Dean arrives on the scene, he's not happy. "This is why you don't drive," he says to Sam.