Family keeps Chevy Impala tradition going

“It’s a 1966 Impala. My great-granddad, who lived in Waco at the time, drove to Dallas and bought it from Johnson Chevrolet at the end of 1965. He went up there to buy a Caprice, which was more of a luxury car. But when he saw this, he fell in love with the muscle.

“He wanted to keep the miles off the engine driving it back home, so he paid to have it towed. The whole family was excited about the brand new car. It was like a parade coming home. Everybody was there. It was their first major car because back then, it was all trucks for farm use.

“When great-granddad died, he passed it along to my granddad. Then granddad passed it to my father. Now I’ve got it. Everything on this car is original except the battery and engine. I still have the original engine at the house. It’s a 283, and it runs fine. I just like to go faster, so we put a 396 in there. It moves pretty quick.

“The family drove this car until the late 70s. Then it just got parked in the garage, and nobody touched it. I started spending a lot more time with granddad when I was in college. I rebuilt the engine, the original 283 inside his garage, and got it running again. It’s been going ever since.

“It’s priceless. Had a guy offer $45,000 for it a few weeks ago. Sorry. You can’t put a price on my whole family having been in this car. It’s a beautiful thing.

“There’s a song by Lee Brice, ‘I Drive Your Truck,’ about driving around after his dad passes. It’s about reminiscing on certain things. And that’s how this is for me. When I drive it, I can feel them sitting right next to me. When I go around corners, I’ve got my granddad yelling at me and my dad cheering me on. It just feels good.

“My wife is pregnant now. This will be our first. Don’t know yet if it’s a boy or girl. But when our child is old enough, this will be the car that he or she uses to learn how to drive. Keep that family tradition going. Can’t wait.”

— Tyler Huber