When Wally Eisenschenk was a teenager, he owned a 1969 Impala 327. His younger brother, Joe, also liked Impalas. In the late ’70s, Wally asked Joe if he would have an interest in an SS he had found near Brainerd, Minnesota. This was no ordinary SS—it was a 427 convertible sporting Garnet Red paint with a Parchment interior. The Chevy wasn’t road worthy, but with a little TLC, it could be.
Joe made the purchase but soon ran into financial difficulties due to an impending divorce; the bank repossessed the SS before he ever got a chance to drive it. With sentiment on his mind, Joe cunningly removed all the SS badges off the car as souvenirs. Like any jealous brother, my dad, Wally, jotted down the VIN off the Impala and stowed the piece of paper in his wallet just in case he would someday have his date with destiny.
Wes Eisenschenk and his siblings decided to try to locate and buy back the SS 427 Impala their father, Wally, owned as a young man. This is the car they presented him at his surprise 50th birthday party. WES EISENSCHENK
As Dad approached his 50th birthday, my brother, sister, and I wanted to do something special for him. The idea stumbled upon me to pick his brain about the old SS. He confirmed that he still knew the whereabouts of the car and even opened up his wallet to show me the name of the owner and the location where it was being stored. While he was asleep one night, I plundered his wallet and found the holy grail of Impala contact information. I reached out to the facility, but the record keeper would not disclose if the car was there or who owned it. I suggested that “if” the car was there, could she possibly contact the individual who owned the car to see if they would be interested in selling?
Today, eight years later, Wally’s 427 convertible has been restored to as-new condition, down to the original drivetrain. WES EISENSCHENK
Three weeks later I finally got the call I was waiting for. The current owner was willing to sell solely based on the family history of the car. We struck up a deal with each sibling kicking in one-third of the agreed upon sum of $3,600. For the next 18 months we kept the Impala at the storage facility and our mouths shut.
As a diversion, we staged a surprise 50th birthday party for Dad. Halfway through the party, a friend snuck off to where we had stuffed the Impala. Moments later, the SS could be seen peering over the tops of people’s heads sporting a 3-foot wide bow tie, waiting for Dad to catch a glimpse of it. I could see a haunting look overcome my dad as he caught a glimpse of the car in midconversation with a friend. The place was buzzing and there was applause as people parted while dad slowly made his way toward the SS.
It’s hard to believe that eight years have passed since the unveiling of the Impala at dad’s 50th birthday party. The Chevy has been restored back to original and retains the factory-correct driveline. With the original emblems back on the car, Wally took his brother Joe out on his long-awaited first ride.