Son surprises dad with car 41 years after he gave it up for diaper money

Decades-old memories have a way of resurfacing, digging through the boxes and albums that serve as the archives of our lives.

But for 41 years, one of Earl Guynes's most cherished chapters lived only in his mind.

“I was working in automotive. I was in parts. And one of my employees had the car and I liked it,” said Guynes.

Earl was just 22 when he got the chance to purchase his dream car, a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro.

“It was blue with white stripes down across the hood and down the back, two doors of course. ’67 were the ones with a wing window on the side,” he said. “The car was loud and people would kind of always be looking at you and you’d always see somebody side eyeing like see that car come down the street. It was just a cool thing, a fun thing to do, you know?”

But as often happens, life evolved. In 1982, Earl married his sweetheart, Mona. He became a father to her daughter, Jennifer. Two years later, they welcomed their son, Jared. With two little ones at home, Earl said it was time to part with his favorite but most expensive toy, his dream Camaro.

“I used to tease Jared quite a bit. ‘I used to have a car like that one over there.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I let it go for diaper money. You needed diapers and so that’s what happened to that car,’” he said.

“I thought he was full of it because that’s exactly what a guy in a tank top and a minivan would tell you. Like, ‘This is not normal. I’m in this minivan because of the circumstances. I used to have a Camaro.’ I’m like, ‘Mmhmm. I used to have a Camaro.’ It’s like the guy at the bar talking about the high school championship or something,” said Jared Guynes.

Over the years, however, Earl’s story became real. The Camaro was just as vivid in Jared’s mind as in his dad’s.

“It’s a 1967 Marina blue Camaro SS with a 350 small-block V8, an automatic 3-speed transmission. Crager chrome 15-inch mag wheels with white letters on the tire, small 1969 style cowl hood on the front, a small little whale tail on the back and a black interior,” said Jared.

As the years passed, Jared thought about how great it would be to get his dad’s car back. Then, in 2021, he had a great business year.

“Instead of paying down debt or investing or doing something responsible, I did what any Guynes man would do. I started looking for a cool car, but this one specifically. I wanted to begin the quest to get my dad’s car back or get as close as I possibly could,” he said.

After some sleuthing, Jared learned his dad sold the car for cash. Since there was no proof of sale, he began looking for a car like his dad’s. He spent 12 months looking coast to coast. And in 2022, he finally got a lead.

There was a Marina blue Camaro just 70 miles from home, but it needed a lot of TLC. For two years, Jared worked to restore it while keeping the secret. Then, this year, on his dad’s 65th birthday, Jared threw a party and recruited the help of a magician to reveal a surprise 41 years in the making.

It was a moment that brought Earl to tears.

Now, as he gets reacquainted with the car, Earl’s determined that this '67 Camaro isn’t exactly like the car he gave up; it’s better—a safer, slightly quieter, and more polished version.

“It draws attention everywhere you go,” said Earl.

After spending most of his career in the automotive industry, he’s eager to get his hands dirty, taking the restoration one step further.

This time, Jared will be along for the ride. After all, that’s what this massive gesture was really all about.

“Wanting dad to really understand how much I love him and how important he is to me and how good of a job he did being a dad, I wanted to find the biggest, most symbolic most outrageous, way to help him understand how much. And I’m like, what is the greatest thing possible? And it was the Camaro. It was always the Camaro,” he said.