Well, I’ve had this car for about two months now and just wanted to chime in. I targeted this car when I was 12 years old and saw it in the May 1986 issue of Car Review. This is the car that taught me about the Z24 option, one year only Royal Plum, and the rare headrest option. Since then, I’ve been looking for one of these, but never found one I liked more. The headrests really help the parchment interior do the job of making the Royal Plum ‘pop’. The overall originality, numbers, and docs don’t hurt either.
I found out about six years ago that the car ended up in Philly. Don was a great owner for this car. Despite his obvious technical ability, he avoids the temptation to upset the originality of a car. He understands and appreciates the things that make a car original. It’s clear that his specialty is cars with excellent pedigree. If you find a car that you want and Don is the one selling it, buy it. These Impalas don’t tend to get the respect that the Camaros and Chevelles get regarding originality. It is very fortunate that the car that I saw in 1986 ended up in the hands of a knowledgeable and able caretaker. Thanks to Don, this car wasn’t ruined as many have been.
My brother is the one who originally bought the magazine in 1986 and we have spoken of this car many times over the years including recently when I told him I saw it for sale at Carlisle. This Thanksgiving, I told my brother to wait with his video camera at the end of my parents’ street to film me showing up in one of my other cars. He didn’t know that I had bought this. I wanted his reaction on film. It paid off. It’s embarrassing to see what jackasses my brother and I are on camera (or off camera, for that matter), but here goes. Do you think he was surprised?
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