[1]When Stephanie Copperwheat was born in 1983, her dad drove her home from the hospital in his 1972 Chevelle Convertible. Since then, the car has always been a big part of her life. Photo: Copperwheat family, Via the Houston Chronicle [2]
Most brides are completely content to receive fine china and kitchen utensils as wedding gifts. But Stephanie Copperwheat received what has to be one of the best wedding presents we’ve ever heard of – the keys to her dad’s 1972 Chevelle convertible.
According to the Houston Chronicle [2], the Chevelle’s story starts when Stephanie’s dad, Len Copperwheat, purchased it for $2,400 in the spring of 1975. Back then it was equipped with a two-barrel 307 and a Powerglide, and the Chevelle served as the young family’s daily driver. Len even drove Stephanie home from the hospital as a newborn in the yellow Chevelle. However, when the family moved to Texas, in the mid-1980s they quickly found out that air conditioning is more of a necessity than optional equipment in a family hauler.
[3]Stephanie's father, Len Copperwheat, gave the yellow Chevelle to his daughter as what has to be one of the coolest wedding gifts we've ever heard of. Photo Copperwheat family via The Houston Chronicle [2]
Len switched the Chevelle over to use as a weekend cruiser and continued to work on it with his kids over the years. The heavy-Chevy now has a worked over 350 small block that features angle plug heads, a Holley 750 [4], and a Crane bump-stick [5]. The two-speed ‘Glide was replaced with a T-10, and a 12-bolt posi with 3:90 gears now resides out back.
When it came time for Stephanie’s wedding last fall, she knew she wanted to have the Chevelle play a part in the ceremony. Rather than a traditional “walk” down the aisle with her father, Stephanie opted to have her dad drive her to the altar in the Chevelle since they were having an outdoor wedding. During the ceremony, Len handed over the keys for the Chevelle to Stephanie as her wedding gift.
Of course, at the end of the wedding the happy couple drove away to start their new life together in the car that had been such a big part of Stephanie’s life. Wow – what an awesome dad. For all the details and more pics from the ceremony, check out the article on the Copperwheat wedding in the Houston Chronicle [2].