To all the Chevys I’ve loved before
Old Cars editor, Angelo Van Bogart, looks back on the Chevy cars that got away.
In working on a Chevy themed issue of Old Cars, I found myself looking back with regret on some of the Chevys I sold. A few of them still appear in my dreams, leaving me with hope when I awake that they are still in the garage. Alas, they are long gone. Among the Chevys whose memories still haunt me:
2000 Silverado two-wheel drive: Bought as a daily driver and parts hauler, and like a good friend, it never let me down. The 5.3-liter V-8 was bullet-proof and powerful, and the long bed comfortably fit a pair of 1955 Cadillac fenders. It was either fix the rust or sell it, and it was cheaper to sell.
2011 Camaro LT: It was just a six-cylinder, but it was a six-speed. With the windows down and classic rock on the radio, I could trick myself into feeling like I was back in the ’70s. When we found out we were having twins, my wife cried, “We’re not selling the house and we’re not selling the Camaro.” We kept only one of those things and you can guess which one went away.
1985 Caprice Classic Landau: Exactly how you want to find a car — with dry desert metal, but always parked in the shade. However, this babied Scottsdale, Ariz., car had one too many options for my taste: a half-vinyl Landau top. I had this car for 20 years, and even though it was replaced with a nearly identical car without the vinyl top, it still feels strange that it’s gone.
1981 Impala Sport Coupe: A beautiful low-mileage car with a crummy little V-6 engine that couldn’t pass a Pinto. This car was a museum knickknack and I don’t own a museum. I sure do miss looking at it, though.
1978 Malibu Classic coupe: A car my mom bought slightly used and eventually passed on to me more than a decade later. This is the car I credit for my being mostly a “Chevy guy” and a car I truly hope to replace some day. But I’d also like to replace the 1981 Impala coupe with a V-8 example. And if I could buy back that 1985 Caprice Classic.... Well, a fellow can still dream.
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Angelo Van Bogart is the editor of Old Cars magazine and wrote the column "Hot Wheels Hunting" for Toy Cars & Models magazine for several years. He has authored several books including "Hot Wheels 40 Years," "Hot Wheels Classics: The Redline Era" and "Cadillac: 100 Years of Innovation." His 2023 book "Inside the Duesenberg SSJ" is his latest. He can be reached at avanbogart@aimmedia.com
