Well, after 45 years, my 1961 Impala and I will be parting company. She was a 46th birthday present for my mother in 1961. You may remember the admonition to make sure you do not buy a car made on a Monday or Friday, because it would not be made as well due to absenteeism and hangovers. Well this one certainly was NOT made on a Monday or Friday. Though the engine was only 283 cubic inches and was an automatic, she performed more like a 4-speed 409.
When I got hold of her after I got my license, I quickly learned I had to be careful on hot summer evenings when tooling through the Chuck-a-Burger on Florissant Rd in Ferguson, MO. If I wasn't, any quick acceleration would cause the Impala to lay rubber, which the Cop hiding in the used car dealership across the street would not appreciate.
She always looked like there were risers on her front springs, and when I took her down to the truck highway in St. Louis where the cops let us drag at night, she always won, beating 327's and 409's. Once she even beat a huge Harley. Of course she would not have won in a longer race, but in the quarter mile, her quick pick up could not be beat.
I even had some of my opponents, males, of course, claimed I had switched the insignia on the car from saying 327 to 283, and demanded to see the engine. I showed it, and as the hood rose, I would hear--"Well, I'll be @*#@% ! It is a 283!" (Explicative deleted). They were also amazed that she was an automatic. In fact, I took to pretending to be shifting when I was challenging someone to race, because sometimes guys would not bother to race me, figuring I would be a pushover, and a waste of time.
The fastest it was ever driven was when my friend Alice, who got her license before us, drove all of us to Suntan Beach. We got up to the top number on the speedometer--120 miles per hour on the straight flat country blacktop that went there. None of us were allowed to get on the Interstate, so could not try out the speed there.
We also sometimes took it to 'Seven Hills' near St. Charles where we accelerated until the car flew in the air over the sixth hill. I slowed down after that. I was not brave enough to speed over the seventh hill--- I did not know if I could make the sharp 90 degree right turn at the bottom of the hill. (If you tried and failed, you would go over the bluff and into the Missouri river about 30 feet below. Ouch!)
But mostly, on Friday nights, if we did not have dates, I would pick up three or four other girls. We would go to the Clark Station, each put a dollar in the tank (enough to cruise all night) and each buy a 25 cent pack of cigarettes, then off to cruise the drive-in eating places.
Round and round we went. Ferguson Chuck-a-Burger, Florissant Steak-N-Steak, Kings Highway White Castle-Big Boys & Steak-N-Shake, even Snidhorst Big Boys in South St. Louis was sometimes on our route.
Once in a great while we would go to "The Rock" across from the Jennings Steak N Shake. This was the parking lot of the Rock of Ages Baptist Church, and this is where you could get adult beverages from the guys who managed to buy it, or steal it from the liquor store. Boys had to pay. For some reason, they gave it away to the girls.
When the Impala was filled with both boys and girls, we would take my Chevy to the levy and go rat stomping (those rats were the size of puppies), or see what was up at the nudist camp, watch the submarines go down the Mississippi, or the spaceships land by the schoolyard. (It was not until I was middle aged that I found out that submarines had gone down the Mississippi past St. Louis, but during WWII, not the swinging '60s. I do not think the spaceships had ever been real.)
In the winter time, we sometimes still road with the top down. The heater would be going full blast, the girls in the back would have a blanket, all the windows would be up, and so would the volume on the radio, and so would be our arms, even the driver, when we went under railroad over passes. Sometimes we would stop on a deserted street, get out of the car and dance. Sometimes we would just all say-- "Let's Dance! No, lets not, and just say we did." Somehow this was amusing, but I do not remember why.
Anyway, all good things come to an end. In 1968 someone put sugar in the gas tank at my parents home in Spring Lake Michigan. The engine was ruined and had to be replaced. It was replaced with another 283, but she never won a drag race again.
My mother continued to drive the car until she passed away in 1984. Dad kept it for a couple of years, then, turned it over to me permanently, as my mother had wanted. I thought I would keep her until I passed away too, but I really could not drive it every day, or even very often. She was just too old now for that, and I had gotten used to FM radio, air-conditioning and power windows. Finally I figured out what I wanted more than anything was a brand new convertible like my mother got for her 46th birthday. So I got a 2006 PT convertible. All the fun of the Impala, with heated seats, FM radio, CD player, and power windows. It also has great cup holders.
I just hope the old girl goes to a good family. She is for sale on eBay for about two more days. Check out her auction by clicking on the title of this posting.
Here is what my son wrote about my 1961 Chevrolet Impala Convertible when he posted the auction through his on-line eBay store Auction It Today on eBay III :
WOW!! What a cool ride.. This is a nice driver that is probably ready for a little restoration as the current restoration was done about 20 years ago. A little bit about the history of this rare GM convertible: this car has been owned by the same family all it's life. It was purchased as a birthday gift in 1961 for the current owners mother, then passed down to her in 1984.(really 1987) The car has not been driven much since then, only on special occasions.This is what we know about the car: - 82,158 Original Miles on Chassis
- Not Original Motor - Replaced in 1968 with a different 283ci
- Carter 2 barrel carb
- New Top and Paint approx. 20 years ago. Some touch up paint here and there covering chips, nothing major.
- Car was repainted the original color (Bamboo Cream)
- Top is in great shape
- Original AM Factory Radio - still works
- Body is solid with no rust-throughs
- There is one case of bubbling on the front passenger quarter behind the wheel
- Original Back Seat and front passenger seat upholstery
- Driver seat was reupholstered (not quite a match to passenger seat, but the white stripes are still original)
- Car starts and drives well - runs without problem
- Transmission shifts smooth
- Does have a transmission leak - but may have been a result of overfilling, as the level is good. Was told by one mechanic that it was the result of sitting for a long time.
- Chrome is only in fair condition with numerous dings and scrapes.
- After market Cruise Control - Unsure if it works
- Service Records included, dating back to the 1961 original sales paperwork!
Well at least, after the Impala is gone, I will still have my 1947
Frigidaire Refridgerator. He has been working continually without repair since my parents bought him when they were expecting me.
We went through Quebec twice this year. Parlez vous français? I had to remember high school french to be able to read all the street signs. And, why did we pass through Quebec twice you ask? Why to get to the other side of course. We went through Canada on the way to Vermont. Daughter Lisa’s June master’s degree commencement was there at Norwich University.A fun fact--Did you know Norwich University was the first military college in the US and as such, also invented ROTC? We are so proud of Lisa!
