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 through the years, the one thing they’ve talked about most is the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro that Earl used to own.

“Anytime that we saw a Camaro, he would definitely bring it up,” Jared said. “It’d be a reoccurring theme in a reoccurring story…The joke was, or the way that he just summed it all up, was that I had to sell this car for your diaper money.”

Actually, Earl was only half-joking.

“You got to build a nursery, find a crib and a cradle, 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 been mostly confined to helping others with their vehicles. He works at O’Reilly Auto Parts in Mesquite, Texas, where he has continued to share that story of the Camaro that got away.

Of course, Jared knew his dad never really regretted selling that car.  But he still felt like he owed his dad more than he could ever repay. So, he went to work.

A car, exactly like the one his father had, just didn’t exist. So, Jared spent three years scouring the internet for parts and putting it together piece by piece. Until last month, when he handed over the keys to a restored Camaro to Earl for his 65th birthday.

“And it hit him, and he was just overcome,” Jared said of his father’s reaction. “And he just wrapped his arms around me. It was the best.”

We all give up something to start a family. But if you’re lucky and patient, sometimes you can have your Camaro, and keep it too.

Said Earl: “He loves me a lot, as much as I love him.”