My first and only classic car?

My late brother John and I started to develop an interest in cars in the 80’s. It started with attending local car cruise nights and grew into something more. John found a 1957 Ford Telescopic Truck in Iowa that needed restoration and bought it and drove it as is.

As for me, I never dreamed that I would own or be able to afford a classic car, but that all changed one Saturday morning in 1988. That morning, a 1967 Chevrolet Impala Convertible was listed in the Boston Globe for sale, asking $700. When I got home, John called and said I should call and make an offer, I offered $500, and later that day, I got a call saying they would accept it.

We drove 90 minutes from Boston to Cape Cod to see the car, and as we pulled into the driveway, a woman in her 60s nervously came out of her house. It turned out there was a typographical error in the ad, and the correct year was 1966 instead of 1967 Impala. The car had been in her family since new, and her father had special-ordered it in this color and had to wait eight weeks for it to be delivered.

Unfortunately, he never had the opportunity to drive this Impala before he passed away. 32 years later, after completely restoring the car, which is estimated to be worth $30,000.00, I have enjoyed driving it and taking it to car shows, all in memory of my brother.

Robert Camley Jr.