For Sale: Bill Hewlett’s 1987 Chevy Suburban

There was an oddity inside of an oddity in today’s San Jose Mercury News. First, there was a real classified section. The Sunday paper looked bulkier than usual, one of my bellwether signs of economic health here in Silicon Valley. I very, very rarely look at the classified section of the newspaper any more, but I did today. Still not sure why. However, in the auto classifieds, under “Customs and Classics,” I spotted this ad:

“Chevy 1987 Suburban Custom Bill Hewlett’s Deluxe 20. An all-original 1987 Chevy Suburban with only 28,000 miles! Previously owned by Bill Hewlett, founder of Hewlett-Packard. This truck is in excellent condition and has been garaged for 23 years. 208-721-8572.”

A quick Google search shows the same ad in a few online classifieds. Sometimes, the asking price is $30K. Other times, no price is listed. Area code 208 is in Idaho. Actually, it’s all of Idaho although a little more Googling shows that this phone number is in Ketchum, Idaho. In fact, it seems to belong to a company called “Wood River Igloos.”

Here’s an unprecedented opportunity for those collectors of rare HP paraphernalia to own something possibly owned by Bill Hewlett. Sure, it’s not his HP 35 calculator. It’s much, much bigger! I haven’t called Ketchum to verify any of this information. I’m a blogger, not a serious buyer and I don’t have room for a Suburban in one of my condo parking spots. It’s not really my kind of vehicle anyway. However, I’ll bet someone out there wants this vehicle. I wonder if it really was Hewlett’s and how it got to Idaho. Must be a good story there.