The Standout

Randy Keefe’s beautiful ’66 Impala is a stark contrast in his all Tri-5 Chevy family.

Our ’66 Impala was purchased new in Chattanooga, TN by my wife’s cousin, Bill Young. The car was built in Doraville, GA. Bill drove the Impala as his daily driver for many years, then finally retired the car and purchased a new vehicle.

Bill passed away in 1980, and we asked his wife, Betty, if she ever decided to sell the car to please give us the first option to purchase. In 1985, we received a call from Betty that she had decided to let go of it. We agreed to her price and made a trip to Chattanooga to pick it up. It had not been driven for over 5 years, so I took a battery, transmission fluid, gas and oil with me on our trip. We installed the battery, poured gas in the carburetor, and fired it up. Transmission fluid had leaked out of the Powerglide from sitting so long, so we topped it up. Now the car could move forward and backwards! The tires were low, so we drove to a service station and pumped them up. We drove the 200 miles back home to Georgia, and our “new” Impala made the trip without any problems.