My Favorite Ride: ’64 Impala Super Sport two-door hardtop
The car: 1964 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport two-door hardtop
The owners: Bob and Becky Anderson, Merced
1. What are the key features of your vehicle? It’s fun to drive and has a 327-cubic-inch motor and automatic transmission.
2. What did you have to do to get it in its present state? Went through a complete restoration, motor, paint, upholstery. Was more or less a tires-up restoration that took about two years in 1975.
3. What else do you want to do to it? It’s done.
4. How did you acquire your vehicle? I bought the car in 1975 to pull a speedboat we had bought. The car was blue and had only 35,000 miles. It was owned by a salesman who had a company car and a wife who didn’t drive.
5. Why did you pick that particular vehicle and what do you find appealing about it? At the time we had a Toyota station wagon and an Austin-Healey, and I needed a car to pull the boat.
6. What started your love affair with cars? I just have always been fascinated with cars and enjoyed the hobby. It’s sort of a hard way to relax.
7. What advice would you give others about starting such a project? It takes a lot of time and patience to restore a car, not counting the cost that is always more than you think it’s going to be. You need to just take your time, and get a parts list made, and get those parts before you start. Ask questions and don’t give up.
8. Do you have any other collector vehicles or project cars? Yes. I have five other cars and a boat – 1972, 1974, 1980 and two 1981 Corvettes that are restored, a 1975 jet boat that’s restored – and a 1950 Farmall tractor project that I’m doing with my grandson Mason Reel and his friend James Lawson.
9. What’s your favorite memory about this ride? I have a lot of memories from a lot of cars, but the one that stands out with the 1964 is all the summers at the lake and the fun we had with our two girls and all our friends. It’s all about memories.
To have your favorite ride featured in the Merced Sun-Star, please answer all of the questions in the column and send them, along with your name, address, phone numbers (daytime and nighttime) and email address, to dhill@mercedsunstar.com or dyawger@mercedsunstar.com. Answer each question in 50 words or less. The Sun-Star will edit answers to meet space limitations. A time will be scheduled to take pictures of your vehicle at the Sun-Star office. Photos and the article will appear in print and online.
This story was originally published December 11, 2014 at 6:44 PM with the headline "My Favorite Ride: ’64 Impala Super Sport two-door hardtop."