Finding Brutus
How Paul and Jeremy Graves located a long-lost family artifact.
Words by Justin Hunter | Image by Ryan McGill
The best way to recount this incredible story is to stage the scene with father and son, Paul and Jeremy Graves, both seated at a desk at Tacoma Mania on Viking Drive in Jasper. Paul takes a deep breath and begins retelling the tale of “Brutus,” his 1967 turquoise blue Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport.
The year was 1971. The muscle car era was in full swing with car manufacturers churning out vehicles like the Ford Mustang, Shelby Cobra, Pontiac GTO, and Dodge Charger. Paul, then a T.W. Martin High School 11th grader who loved putting the pedal to the metal, purchased a 1967 turquoise blue Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport with Rader mags for around $1,900 at the Midfield Auto Auction.
“I drove that car the last couple of years of high school, dated in it, got married to my Kathy, and eventually had to sell it for financial reasons in 1974,” said Paul.
Five years later, Paul decided to reacquire Brutus, which had also been the moniker of a six-foot boa constrictor pet he kept in the trunk of his car growing up. He tracked down the family of the young man he’d sold it to, but they had bad news.
“They told me the car had been wrecked and was in the junkyard, and I should forget about that car,” said Paul.
Paul dismissed the idea of being reunited with the car of his youth. Then one day in 2018, his nephew, Brandon Wright, offered a bit of good news— the Chevelle had been found.
Still not convinced, Paul called a friend and “car detective” Bill Smith. “I told him about the car being found, but I didn’t believe it was my car,” recalled Paul.
After locating the car, Bill confirmed it was indeed the same Chevelle, but he had to refresh Paul’s memory on the circumstances surrounding the initial sale nearly four decades ago.
In 1974, Paul had sold the Chevelle to Bo Sanders and Monk Robertson. Three years later, Bo wrecked the Chevelle—which he’d painted red—and then parked it in his backyard until he could fix it. When Bo was killed in an industrial accident five years later, his wife gave the car to her cousin.
In the early 2000s, Monk tracked down the Chevelle, but it took him two years to convince Bo’s cousin to sell it. While restoring the car as a tribute to his late friend, Monk stripped it down to the frame and saw the original color was turquoise blue. That, plus a dent underneath the left fender where Paul had been hit at a traffic light and a Polaroid photo from when Paul sold the car, was all the evidence Paul needed.
“I was 100% convinced it was my car,” Paul says.
The following day, Paul and Bill drove to inspect the Chevelle. Knowing the history and memories associated with the car, Jeremy decided to act.
“I told him that we had buy it back,” Jeremy says. “I said it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it may never happen again. It kind of felt like fate to me.”
In 2019, Jeremy set out to buy the car back and surprise his dad—but Monk had sold it to his best friend, Mike Allen. Jeremy met with Mike, retelling the car’s history and his plans to pass it down to his son, Haigen.
Two days later, Paul was stunned when “Brutus” pulled into his driveway. “It took Dad a minute to register what had happened,” Jeremy says. “That Chevelle is home. It’s not for sale for any amount of money. Now it’s going to the next generation.”
Although “Brutus” is currently a gorgeous candy apple red, the Graves plan to restore him to his original turquoise blue. For now, they are just enjoying making new memories in a family vehicle that was lost and now is found. 78