Not many people have the privilege of inspiring a hit song. Peggy Sue Gerron is one of the lucky few. Buddy Holly’s classic 1957 hit song “Peggy Sue” was inspired by a beautiful woman who later fell in love and married Crickets drummer Jerry Allison. She, unfortunately, died in 2018, but her memorabilia still lives on. It’s in the form of a restored 1958 Chevrolet Impala Coupe.
Freedom Car Auctions recently announced the auction of the original 1958 Chevrolet Impala owned by Ms. Gerron, the real “Peggy Sue” from Buddy Holly’s 1978 hit song.
The memorabilia classic will be sold without reserve on October 1st at the inaugural Freedom Choctaw Collector Car Auction at the Choctaw Casino and Resort Event Center.
According to the press release, Spanky Assiter, the Auction’s president, said the sale of this classic car is an opportunity for interested parties to start a collection of memorabilia.
The Chevrolet Impala is a full-sized car built by Chevrolet for ten generations, with the first generation starting in 1958 and the tenth in 2020.
Ms. Gerron met Buddy Holly in the mid-fifties while attending high school in Lubbock. She told Rolling Stone that she first met the rockstar after he accidentally knocked her over rushing to a gig.
Several weeks later, while on a date with Jerry Allison (future husband), Crickets Drummer, she’d stumble upon Holly again with his date.
The hit song, written by Jerry Allision and Norman Petty, was recorded and released by Buddy Holly on September 20th, 1957. Several versions of how the song ended up with the title "Peggy Sue" exist.
It’s believed to have been initially “Cindy Lou” after the rockstar’s niece but later changed to Gerron’s namesake after intervention from Allison to impress her.
Buddy Holly is believed to be the previous owner of the ’58 Impala, even though no records exist to support the claim. The auctioneers, however, can document the ownership of the memorabilia car to Peggy Sue Gerron.
Hubby is believed to have tossed the keys to a fellow musician before going on the Winter Dance Party Tour. As fate would have it - he never returned. It was driven for seven years after his death and later turned up at a Junkyard in Texas.
According to an old news footage, the vehicle is believed to have been first bought by Norman Petty using money from an account established for Buddy Holly and the Crickets band.
It’s a complete restoration and dons the Cay Coral with Arctic White roof paint combo to which Chevrolet celebrated its 50th anniversary. It still packs its iconic 283 cubic inch V8 and automatic transmission.
The ’58 Impala will be sold “WITHOUT RESERVE,” and as a bonus, will include Peggy Sue’s history and restoration scrapbook.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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