KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Jan. 17, 2011) -- The Super Chevy Show has been a fixture for 30 years, and in a way of celebrating its history, the Super Chevy Show is honoring its past with its "Winners from the First 30 Years" series that will pay homage to past winners at superchevyshow.com.
The first of the series features Bill "Bird" Johnson and his winning 1963 Impala SS, which topped the competition at Super Chevy Shows in Dallas in 1991, '99 and 2002, and at Oklahoma City, Okla. in 1993.
But Johnson's story goes back further than that.
His tale began in 1963 when he purchased a brand new Chevy Impala in Wayne, Mich. But his dream car was destroyed by fire in 1971, forcing him to rebuild.
"When I moved to Tulsa (Okla.) in 1974, I found a rust-free '63 Impala SS," Johnson said. "When I got the means to restore it (in 1987 and 1988), it was made to match my original.
"Two days after I got it back from the paint shop, I immediately drove it to Dallas for my first Super Chevy Show."
Johnson's '63 Impala finished third that day. But he had too much fun at his first Super Chevy Show to give up.
"I was able to get a third-place finish and I was hooked," Johnson said. "I returned to more Super Chevy Shows and received first place at Dallas in 1991, Oklahoma City in 1993, Dallas in 1999 and again in Dallas in 2002."
Photos of Johnson's '63 Impala also have been published in several car-enthusiast magazines, including Super Chevy in July, 1991. Super Chevy Magazine also while doing a series of '63 Chevys used some photos of the interior of his hot ride.
Johnson, who has shown the car for 23 years, has continued to work on his Chevy over the years, adding a 409/425 motor and new interior to his '63 Impala in 1998. He recently did a frame restoration to the car and now he's ready to get back to the competition.
Said Johnson: "It is now in the best shape it has ever been and I am ready for some more Super Chevy Shows."
