A wedding anniversary gift

Chevrolet never built an anniversary edition of the 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air, but Jerry Taylor of Olathe did.

 Last summer, Taylor and his wife, Anne, honored his parents’ 50^th wedding anniversary by giving them a perfectly restored copy of the car his father drove when he and Joyce dated in Peoria, Ill.

 Don Taylor bought his Chevy new in 1956, and met Joyce when she worked at the Steak ‘n Shake in Peoria. They were married on June 30, 1957. They kept the Chevy for a couple of years before trading it.

 Over the years, Taylor said, his dad would often show photos of the car and talk about how much he missed it. The seed of an idea was planted.

 Four years ago, Jerry began searching for a 1956 Chevy that he could restore for his folks’ anniversary. He found one in Wellsville, Kan.

 For three years, Taylor kept the car in garages of houses as he renovated them for resale. When one house sold, he would move the car to the next. His dad often came from Peoria to help with the renovation work, but Taylor managed to keep the car a secret. His dad once stood within feet of it as it sat under a tarp in a garage.

 In February of 2006, Taylor dismantled the car and began a frame-off restoration. The finished product, complete with fender skirts and a red and tan interior, was nearly identical to his dad’s original car. Taylor added modern touches such as a 327-cubic-inch engine, disc brakes, power steering and air conditioning.

 Taylor secretly hauled the car to Illinois for the anniversary celebration. As the party wound down, Taylor suggested the party go outside and stand on the church steps for a group photograph. When everyone was lined up, a friend drove the Chevy around the corner and up to the church steps. The crowd gasped.

 Taylor’s parents initially thought the car was just borrowed for the photograph, but Taylor insisted they open the hood. That’s when they saw their names and the date of their anniversary painted on the engine’s valve covers, and that’s when the tears began to flow.

 At this time, the Taylor’s Chevy is in Kansas City for some minor repair. Jerry and his dad displayed it together at the Ol Marais River Run car show on Sept. 16 in Ottawa, Kan. Jerry said that although the car is in his and his wife’s name, the car will be with his folks for as long as they want.

 They say the best gift is love, and Jerry and Anne Taylor expressed their love for his parents with a Chevy hardtop.