The Three OGs

The '58 and '59 were built along the same lines and are equipped with many if not all of the factory options available at the time. Things like cruiser skirts, factory air ($468), Continental kit, litter bag, Trailmaster spotlights, autotronic eye, speed minder, throttle holder, power seats ($48) and power windows ($102) are some of the many options that we now take for granted. Dual exhaust was a mere $16; electric wipers wiped $7 out of your account and a two-tone paint job would set you back $32. Much of the metal trim on the '58s was made of aluminum. Most importantly, 1958 was the first year of our beloved Impala, the shining star of the lowrider community. Because Chevy lumped all of their cars together, it's hard to find an official number of Impalas, but the year-end total of Chevy cars built was 1,255,935.

An eBay search turned up a clean and complete, unrestored '58 Impala at $55,000 and still no "reserve" met. These three fine examples far surpass the one that we found on eBay, so it would be interesting to see what a hardcore collector would pay for these particular cars. We're thinking in the $75,000+ range and that's being very conservative. Speaking of eBay, it's a great place to shop for parts, and there are plenty of NOS and repo parts to be found, with bargains to be had everywhere.

In the world of restored cars, these three OGs stand up to the scrutiny of the most discerning collectors and auctioneers, and the lowriding community is lucky to have such fine examples showing and competing on our show circuit. Being OG has never been cleaner or more appealing, and a big "ups" to the Bowtie Connection crew, "Big Daddy" and Melvin from Public Auto Detail for representing the lowrider community with such high-caliber cars.

By Reinaldo Robinson

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