1971 Chevelle Ss Ls5 454 on 2040-cars

Harold Lee Bailey of Chino, California worked as a heavy equipment operator for the San Bernardino County Department of Public Works for thirty years.  He bought this code 62 Burnt Orange Chevelle SS LS5 454 brand new for his step mother Bertha May Bailey on February 26, 1971 at MK Smith Chevrolet in Chino, CA.  

While trying to track down Mr. Bailey I learned that he had passed away on March 10, 2012.  Not ready to give up I decided to contact his immediate family members in hopes that someone would remember the car.  A few weeks later after several unsuccessful phone calls and numerous unreturned voicemails I was contacted by Harold’s sister Lorraine LaRue who after growing up in Chino, CA married and had moved to Colorado.  Harold’s sister said she didn’t quite remember the old orange Chevelle as Harold had several cars but she advised me that Harold’s long time good friend and Oaks Ave Chino, CA neighbor Larry Gonzalas may have information.  A couple phone calls later I was able to reach Mr. Gonzalas and to my amazement he not only remembered the Chevelle but had quite the story about its life.  Mr. Gonzalas told me that his friend Harold Bailey had purchased the car for his then 60 year old step mother to run errands around the San Bernardino Valley.  He said he remembered the car always being parked in the garage out of the California sun and that when Mr. Bailey’s step mother or “B” as she was known to family passed away at the age of 81 on July 28, 1982, Harold parked the Chevelle in his Oaks Ave garage, covered it and closed the door for the next 20 years.  The Chevelle SS 454 waited quietly in the darkness practically untouched until 2002 when Mr. Bailey pulled it out of the garage and listed it for sale.   

On the back of Mr. Bailey’s original California Certificate of Ownership found in the glove box, on June 2, 2002 the Chevelle had been sold to a Mr. Charles “Chip” Gerst, a car collector and former 1986 NHRA Indy Super Gas National Champion who owned So Cal Collectibles in Costa Mesa CA.  (Incidentally in 2006 Charles “Chip” Gerst sold another Chevelle, the Ray Allen /Briggs 1970 NHRA Super Stock World Champion Chevrolet Chevelle LS6 Convertible SS/EA 454 “Killer Car” at Barrett-Jackson for $1.2 million dollars).

Verified by contacting the California Registry of Motor Vehicles this Chevelle SS LS5 sat unregistered in California from 2002 until 2005.  At some point during this time the Chevelle received a less than perfect paint job, a couple aftermarket door panels and a driver’s side seat cover. 

In February of 2005 and with 63,470 miles showing on the odometer this 1971 Chevelle SS 454 was listed on eBay by Del Ray Auto of Marina Del Ray, California and ultimately bought by Robert Gagliardi of New Britain, Connecticut.  The following month, March of 2005, Mr. Gagliardi had the Chevelle shipped from California to Connecticut.   In 2007 he had the original numbers matching LS5 454 completely rebuilt by Horsepower Engineering in Ellington, CT.