hen you hear the term “dream car,” what do you envision? While many of us would aimlessly shuffle through our top 10 makes and models when asked this question, someone like Chris Deppe of Orange, California, could respond right away with zero hesitation. The car of his dreams has always been a 1967 Chevy Nova SS. Chris’ love of cars started back in the 1980s when he was in high school. He has owned some incredible classics over the years, but it wasn’t until recently that he was able to secure his holy grail—thanks to his awesome wife, Erin.

Chris and Erin had a 1957 Chevy Task Force truck they would drive to local Orange County, California–based car shows. Erin began to pick up on the cars Chris would talk about and pay the most attention to. She even began noticing that he was searching daily through online car sites. It was obvious that he was after a ’67 Nova, mainly because it’s a timeless American muscle car, but also because Chris was born in 1967. Not one to let a perfect gift-giving opportunity pass her by, Erin figured out which exact listing Chris had his eye on. After she tracked it down, she bought the car for his 55th birthday. It was transported across the country from Saratoga, New York, to the Deppes’ driveway in sunny SoCal—just before he blew out his birthday candles.