Jon and Rilla Lemon's silver over yellow bubbletop Chevy is a bit of an argument starter. From the front, it appears to be a '62 model, but from the fenders back, it is a '61 Impala. Whatever you call it, it is a street-driven beauty.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
From the rear, the Lemons' Chevy appears to be what it began, a sleek 1961 Chevy Impala. The thin-pillared hardtop earned the nickname `bubbletop' thanks to its curvaceous roofline and rear window.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The interior complements the silver metallic roof, featuring gray vinyl upholstery with charcoal leather inserts, all stitched up by Dale Bybee. Note the apparent 5-speed shifter and the clutch pedal: they're mostly for show, as the Chevy actually is equipped with a modern automatic overdrive transmission.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Power is supplied by a virtually stock LT1 Chevy small block V-8 that originally lived under the hood of a Sedgwick County Sheriff's detective's patrol car. It produces 295 horsepower, sufficient for long distant cruising.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The rear deck of the '61 is a masterpiece of elegant understatement, with no excess trim in sight. Lemon chose '64 Chevy Bel Air/Biscayne tail lights, in fact, because they have less chrome than the Impala units of the same year.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Some of the confusion results from the `1961' tag on the front bumper of what appears to be a 1962 Chevy coupe. The vintage tag on the back bumper is a bit more subtle, with the BT Butler County designation also indicating the car's body style, a `bubbletop.'
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The charcoal and gray front seats were reupholstered to match the '61 Chevy style. Lap belts only are used, as there's nowhere to mount shoulder belts in the wide open hardtop.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The rear seats offer plenty of comfort and amazing visibility, thanks to the slim roof pillars.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The chassis design of the '61 Chevy allowed Lemon to mount a set of 20-inch American Racing Torq Thrust wheels and 245x45R20 Nitto tires in the rear wheel wells with plenty of room to spare.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Front tires are 235x45x17 Nittos, again mounted on Torq Thrust wheels with Cragar center caps. Between a set of 2-inch dropped spindles and some cut coil springs, the car rides about 4 inches lower than stock.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A half-leather wrapped Billet Specialties steering wheel mounts atop a brushed stainless steel ididit tilt steering column. Visible through the steering wheel is a full set of Auto Meter Pro Comp gauges mounted in a custom aluminum insert.
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A cavernous trunk is trimmed in a combination of gray vinyl and plush carpet. It's big enough to load an easy-up tent and a small motor scooter for car show duty.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Jon Lemon says his wife, Rilla, got to choose the color and the wheels on his current ride. He was driving a yellow '61 Chevy two-door sedan when the two met and it obviously meant a lot to her.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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