The ownership history of a classic car can be fascinating, particularly if one of those owners has some claim to fame. That is the case with this 1958 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe. It once belonged to the lady who inspired the Buddy Holly hit “Peggy Sue,” but it is now ready to find a new home. It presents beautifully and is set to go to auction with No Reserve. The Impala is listed here on Freedom Car Auctions in Durant, Oklahoma. It will cross the blocks on Sunday, October 2nd, and with No Reserve in play, it will find a new home. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Rocco B. for spotting this beauty.
Before we tackle the merits of this Impala as a straight classic purchase, it is probably worth considering the subject of ownership history. Apart from some hard-and-fast rules, the potential premium a celebrity owner brings to a vehicle will cause debate. If I use Elvis Presley as an example, it might provide insight. His passion for Cadillacs is widely documented, and he was probably one of the company’s most prolific customers throughout his life. He retained some of these cars for personal use, while others were gifts to friends and staff members. If two identical Cadillacs hit the current market, and one had been a gift while the other had documented or photographic evidence confirming it as The King’s personal transport, the latter would undoubtedly command a higher price. That neatly brings us back to this Impala. There is no evidence confirming it ever belonged to Buddy Holly, but its previous owner was a lady called Peggy Sue Gerron. Holly composed a song that he initially called “Cindy Lou” in honor of his niece. The drummer in his band, The Crickets, was a gentleman named Jerry Allison. Jerry’s girlfriend and, later, his wife, was Peggy Sue Gerron. The pair had recently (and temporarily) split up, so Holly changed the song’s name, using Peggy Sue as his muse. Therefore, this Sport Coupe has an interesting history, but I don’t believe it counts a genuine five-star celebrity in its past. However, Peggy Sue’s autographs on both fender skirts will probably serve as an excellent conversation starter at a show or a Cars & Coffee.
The seller indicates this Impala underwent a previous faithful restoration many years ago, and it continues to present superbly. It wears a stunning combination of Cay Coral and Arctic White that is exceptionally classy. The paint shines beautifully, and if there are any defects or imperfections, they are too small to show in the excellent supplied photos. The panels are as straight as an arrow, and there’s no evidence of external rust. The news is equally positive when we climb under this classic because the floors and frame are spotless. The flawless tinted glass continues the positive vibes, as does the sparkling exterior trim. The seller rounds out this beautiful exterior with spinner hubcaps and a set of whitewall tires.
Chevrolet offered Impala buyers in 1958 a wide selection of engines, but this car features the entry-level 283ci V8 producing 170hp. They added a two-speed Powerglide to perform shifting duties, but there’s no power assistance for the steering or brakes. Chevrolet may have dubbed this the Sport Coupe, but the ¼ mile ET of 19.7 seconds looks leisurely by modern standards. However, considering this classic comfortably seats six people, its ability to cruise tirelessly at highway speeds is its greatest strength. It is unclear whether the Impala is numbers-matching, but it is in excellent mechanical health. It runs and drives perfectly, meaning the winning bidder could fly in and become acquainted with their new purchase as they drive it home. The seller supplies this YouTube video supporting their claims. It provides a good walk-around and lets us hear the V8 in action. There is no evidence of smoke or odd noises, just the sound of a sweet little classic Chevrolet V8 at its best.
I’ve always been partial to Chevrolet’s Tri-Color interior trim from this era, meaning this Impala wins me as soon as I open the door. This aspect received similar attention to the rest of the vehicle during the restoration, and it continues to present nicely. There is some stretching on the driver’s side of the front seat, but no severe wear or other problems. The remaining trim is spotless, and the painted surfaces are perfect. There are no aftermarket additions, but switching on the factory AM radio offers the chance to strike it lucky by finding Buddy Holly on the airwaves.
The relative merits of the ownership history of this 1958 Impala Sport Coupe will undoubtedly ignite debate, and people with differing viewpoints will provide sound reasoning for their beliefs. I’ve decided to look at this classic for what it offers and am putting that history to one side when assessing its potential value. Every aspect of this Chevy presents beautifully, and the attention to detail is first-rate. Its overall condition suggests the bidding probably won’t end before hitting $45,000, although a higher figure is possible. Even if you aren’t in the market, watching this auction could be worth the effort because all it would take is two or more passionate Buddy Holly enthusiasts to push the price through the roof.
This car doesn’t need Peggy Sue. It will stand tall on it’s own merit. Nice!
About the only GM car of 1958 you could call beautiful.
Taste is subjective.
I love the 1958 Buick Limited
https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1379679#&gid=1&pid=1
I like the styling of the 58 Apache Small Window Step-Side.
These bring up/over $100,000.00 at some auctions. Prices are stupid on collector cars, sell them now and buy them back for .20 on the dollar when the markets tank.
And some cars that should have value, don’t, and of the ” stupid” priced cars are way over-valued, such as late 60s and early 70s MoPars. Those cars were crap back then.
Sure, and first gen Mustangs and Camaros were the epitome of quality back then….. they died and they rusted away just as fast, and both of them also command high prices today , even ones with six cylinders under the hood ..or nothing under the hood . Its supply and demand, these cars are a limited commodity , and all have great style and an aura about them. No one is going to pay tens of thousands for a rotted out junk 4 door 68 Biscayne , but they sure will for a rotted out junk 68 Camaro . The 58 Impala is a beautiful car, and its a one year only body style. Why shouldn’t a mint condition nearly 65 year old car command top dollar ?
Buddy was said to be a jerk and somewhat immature as a kid by quite a few people who knew him. Just goes to show there’s always more to a person than their music.
I saw this video on YouTube. They have been milking this story forever!
https://youtu.be/vuNZE9AADAI
That video made my ADD kick in when I saw that the sign says “Buddy Holly Grave Site” and the next shot shows it next to a grave stone that has the name “Buddy Holley”
It took Google to inform me that Holley is the actual correct spelling of his last name. He must not have wanted to get mixed up with the carb company. ;-)
I can’t think of another car that I like better. Beautiful.
I’ve never been a big fan of any of the tri 5’s chevys ,however if I had to choose a model to buy it would be a 58 impala … imo they had the best looks of probably any American built cars of the 50’s.
100% agree !
At least she signed the fender skirts. If you buy the car and don’t like the signatures, in less than a minute you can remove the skirts. Then put them up for sale on feeBay, there are still lots of Buddy Holly fans who would love to have one of the skirts!
“It once belonged to the lady who inspired the Buddy Holly hit “Peggy Sue,”
Uh, no. Since the song was already written as “Cindy Lou” and then the title changed to “Peggy Sue” after the fact, Peggy Sue Gerron did not “inspire” the song. She’s the namesake of the song. For her to inspire the song it would have had to have been written with her in mind originally.
Kind of sketchy lineage – It “may” have been purchased by Buddy Holly, but there is no documentation to prove it , however, it was owned by one of his bandmates girlfriends . I dont really see how that makes the car worth more ; unless it was actually purchased by Buddy Huddy , and he drove it, its just a car with a slight connection to Rock and Roll history
From what I have read in the past, Buddy Holly did own a 58 Impala and left it with a friend to keep when he left for the trip, which he didn’t return from. It was left out to the elements and deteriorated to a pretty bad state. If my reading was correct it was found to be his and underwent an extensive restoration. I don’t know where it might be now.
I believe Russ to be correct. I read a similar/same story years ago about Buddy Holly’s 58 which was, apparently, Cay Coral as well. However, THAT story and THIS one do not jive.
I purchased a print of a picture (#182 of 2500) by automotive artist Ken Ebert called “Its me!” It shows Buddy Holley presenting Peggy Sue with a copy of the Coral 45 rpm record of Peggy Sue in front of the Hide-Ho Drive In, in Lubbock, Texas. If I remember correctly, Coral gave Buddy the car as a gift. The 58 Impala is one of my favorites but being an Edsel enthusiast I was encouraged to purchase the print, autographed by Peggy Sue, was the Turquoise 58 Edsel citation convertible sitting next to it that garnered more presence in the print. When I had it framed I had them include the Coral record and jacket. Further Ebert was said to have rescued and restored the car so it has one more person of interest attached.
I’ve been seeing this on Steve Magnante’s YouTube channel . He’s hosting the event . He does vids in a junkyard with informative history of automobiles ( much like Barn Finds ) , new and old . If you you daily Bard Finds like I do , you will love it . His vids aren’t long and boring either . 10-12 minutes tops .
Yep, I like that show. Did you see Steve’s 4 episode show about modifying model cars to make them look like historic versions of the car? Another good one.
Sweet! But i dont know why GM referred this car with a size
of a 3.5 metric ton lorry as sport coupe. But anyway, was
this model not shown in the early George Lucas movie
american graffiti? Terry got the car loaned to him
to impress the girls in town. lol Maybe that works still today.
Surely better then any actual electronics-plastic garbage
with faux ignitions and ambient lighting inside. This car
have a presence.
But his greatness prevents anyone from buying one
of these and driving it around town.
You would have to have a parking space for
motorhomes present.
But it’s cute.
I personally don’t care who owned any particular car, to me it’s not worth a penny more.