Mesquite, Texas — For Earl Guynes and his son Jared, cars have always been their love language, bonding over Bondo and brake pads since Jared was young.
And over the years, the one thing they’ve talked about the most is the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro that Earl owned.
“Every time we saw a Camaro, he would definitely bring it up,” Jared said. “It would be a recurring theme in a recurring story… The joke was, or the way he summed it all up, was I had to sell this car for your diaper money.”
Actually, Earl was just kidding.
“You had to build a nursery, find a crib and a crib, and it was time to settle down and raise the family,” Earl said.
So in 1983 it was goodbye hot rod, hello lukewarm minivan.
Since then, his car dreams have largely been limited to helping others with their vehicles. He works at O’Reilly Auto Parts in Mesquite, Texas, where he has continued to share the story of the escaped Camaro.
Of course, Jared knew that his father never really regretted selling that car. But he still felt like he owed his father more than he could ever repay. So he went to work.
A car exactly like his father’s simply didn’t exist. So Jared spent three years scouring the internet for parts and putting them together piece by piece. Until last month when he presented Earl with the keys to a restored Camaro for his 65th birthday.
“And it hit him, and he was just overwhelmed,” Jared said of his father’s reaction. “And he just threw his arms around me. It was the best.’
We all give up something to raise a family. But if you’re lucky and patient, sometimes you can keep your Camaro and keep it.
Earl said, “He loves me very much, as much as I love him.”
