By Barett Poley
Toronto, Ontario — June 28, 2017 — The iconic, white and red 1958 Chevy Impala from George Lucas’s American Graffiti is in headlines once again, this time as a touring partner with Axalta. The ’58 Impala, a very popular vehicle from the movie, will appear at various car shows this summer alongside Axalta Coating Systems.
The Impala made headlines last year when NASCAR crew chief and former “NASCAR Person of the Year” Ray Evernham revealed that he had been lovingly restoring after having bought it at auction. The previous owners, the Famalette family, say that before going up for auction, the car simply sat between 1976 and 2002. Though they attempted to restore it themselves, and were partially successful, in a 2004 interview they admitted it wasn’t in the best shape. “We have owned it for a very long time. The car had never been a show car and always been more of a movie prop. In fact, most of the ’58 replicas look much nicer than our original movie car, but we liked it a lot nonetheless,” said Sandra Famalette.
Enter Evernham, who has had the car completely rebuilt in as faithful a manner as possible. Every inch of the vehicle was perfectly restored, with the help of Axalta. Thanks to the partnership, fans will now be able to see the car in its original glory, just as it was when it flew across the silver screen in 1973.
Evernham will display the beloved 1958 Chevrolet Impala at select automotive shows this summer. The Impala is featured in Axalta’s exhibit space during the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green, Kentucky on June 15 to 17, Goodguys Columbus in Columbus, Ohio on July 7 to 9, and NSRA Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky on August 3 to 6, 2017.
