A birthday gift can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes: gift certificates to your favorite eatery, tickets to a concert or sporting event, or maybe a fancy piece of shiny jewelry. So how about a classic 1950s car, especially a nice ride like Diego Calderon's '59 Chevrolet Impala named "El Rey?" Yes, you heard us right, Diego was given this spectacular gift as a birthday present from his dear wife, Sonia, and children Rick, Diego, Vicent and Alex.
"I've always been fascinated by lowriders," says Diego. "I've owned more than a dozen Impalas ranging from '59 to '64. The prior Impala that I owned I had completely restored and had it for some eight years. Unfortunately, in life, we must make sacrifices, and that Impala was used to obtain a home for my family."
The home was a great asset to Diego and his family. They settled into their casa and everything seemed to be falling into place, but he was restless. "There was a hole in my heart that needed to be filled," he admits. "I knew that I would have to start all over again, so I started a search for a Impala project car."
The criteria for the car was that it had to be better than his last one, a blue '59 ragtop. It took many months to find Diego's El Rey, but with the help of his very supportive wife, Diego can now enjoy a new home with his family and his newest ride. More work will be done in the meantime; power windows, power brakes and the sprucing up of the interior are on Diego's "things to do" list. Hats off to you, Diego, and we bow to that black beauty of yours, El Rey de Santa Ana!