Check out this cool-looking fifth-gen Chevrolet Camaro that Aaron Longley of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, sent to us. This young man says, “I come from a blue collar family, my dad’s a mechanic, and I followed in his footsteps. When my dad was younger, he drag raced a 1969 Nova, and that is where I gained my appreciation for all things Chevy.”

So far, the interior is stock, but we have a feeling that might eventually change.

The affinity for cars is a true family affair, as Aaron remembers working under the hood of the Nova with his father when he was just a youngster. In his words, “That is one of, if not the best memory I have.” Growing up, Aaron enjoyed the Nova as much as his father, but one day, his real passion was revealed when he saw his uncle’s Camaro.

Aaron tells us, “He had a blue 1979 Camaro that he converted from a street car into a drag car, and that’s where I began to love the Camaro.” His Uncle’s Camaro wasn’t the only F-body to leave an impression, as his mother had also purchased a purple, 1992 RS model. That third-gen was Aaron’s first experience with driving a Camaro, and in his words, “I was hooked!” Then, when Aaron was a mere 15 years old, his parents (ahem, Santa), delivered  a Christmas present to Aaron. Under the tree — or in the garage in this case, was a project car in the shape of a 1979 Camaro.

He spent the next nine years restoring that car, and he says he learned a lot from that experience. The car started life as a 305 cubic-inch-powered car with an automatic transmission. However, that didn’t last long, as he soon swapped-out the very small small-block, and filled the opening with a larger, mildly-built 350 cubic-inch small-block, and added a four-speed transmission and 12-bolt rearend with 4.11 gears. According to Aaron, “I did all the work on that car myself, including the paint and body work, rebuilding the engine, transmission swap, the whole thing.”

As much as Aaron loves his ’79 Camaro, he feels that his greatest achievement was getting his 2011 SS/RS Camaro. According to Aaron, as soon as he saw the concept car in 2006, he knew that someday he would own a fifth-gen model. “I remember going to the Philadelphia auto show and seeing the convertible concept car. I also remember saying ‘I’m going to have that one day.'” For the next few years, he spent time virtually-building his car on the Chevrolet website, and eventually, his dream came true. Although not a brand new Longley virtually-designed car, he managed to locate a used in 2014 model at a local dealer. “She was bone stock and Inferno Orange, and she was loaded.” According to Aaron. During his test drive, he realized that his dream car was loaded with just about every option available, and immediately knew this would be his car.

But being a true gearhead, the car didn’t remain stock for very long. Aaron says, “Since I’ve owned her, I’ve installed a Borla Atak cat-rearward exhaust, and a cold-air-intake kit from the new Z28 Camaro.” But don’t think that he is finished with the mods, as he plans on installing new wheels, a dovetail spoiler, and the color-matched heritage grille in the next year or so. The car is a true looker, and he even took first place with this car at the Camaro Nationals held in Maryland. How’s that for validation?

Finally, Aaron realizes he and this car have already had a lot of great experiences, and one of them includes meeting his soon-to-be wife. If experience has taught us anything over the years, it’s that experiences only get greater with time, so hang on Aaron, it sounds like you’re in for a terrific ride — literally, and figuratively.