Priorities. We all have them, and they are prone to change over time. Back in 1983, a young, 20-something named Earl, found out he and his wife were going to have their first baby. Legend has it that Earl had a ton of cool cars back in the day. But, upon hearing the news, Earl’s priorities shifted from hot rodding to raising a family. Earl’s beloved, Marina Blue 1967 Camaro was sold to help cover the “diaper money” he knew would be soon needed.

Jared holds a photo of himself and his father. In the photo, Jared of course, is the one sporting the wares from the sale of the Camaro.

All the sights and smells of changing dirty diapers are thankfully long gone for Earl, but the memory of his first-generation Camaro lingered through the next four decades. Earl would often share information about the diaper money Camaro to the son who wore the benefits of the sale once he was old enough to understand. “Dad would recall the very specific details of this car so much that I had them burned into my brain,” Jared Guynes says. Rattling off the specs from memory, Jared continues, “1967. 350 V8. Marina Blue with White stripes. Automatic. Cragar aftermarket wheels. White letter tires. Dual exhaust. I could close my eyes and see it.”

“While my dad has always spoken lovingly and fondly of his old Camaro he sold for my ‘diaper money’ he was never sour about it,” Jared confesses. “There wasn’t negativity about it. He wasn’t sad. He wasn’t angry. He talks about the selling of the car like it was a duty.”

The sale solidifies that Earl’s priorities were in the right place at the right time, but the twinkle in his dad’s eye, whenever he talked about his old diaper money Camaro, made it obvious to Jared that he loved that car more than any other vehicle he had ever owned. That’s when his son devised a plan to repay his father for the investment in his family so many years before.

Jared and his father stand with the diaper money Camaro forty years after his father sold it.

Jared began a search, and eventually found the car in Oklahoma. Unbeknownst to either of his parents, he secretly purchased the very same car his dad owned so many years before. Jared then began a complete restoration to the exacting specifications that were burned into his psyche through his father’s recollections.

The years were not favorable to the old car. Jared explains that the car was rough, full of wiring problems, and had engine issues and questionable wheels. But it was still intact.

Under stealthy conditions and in preparation for his father’s 65^th birthday, Jared began updating worn out components and testing the function of every system to make sure it operated as well, or better than his father may have remembered. The final piece fell into place when he installed the period-correct Cragar wheels and BFG radials on the car.

The car now sports those iconic Cragar wheels and BFG tires, and the stance is perfect for the muscle car.

After two years of working secretly to bring the diaper money Camaro back to its pre-family state, it was time to truly thank his father for his commitment. They decided to reveal the diaper money Camaro to his father during the dinner celebration of his 65^th birthday. The reveal team used a professional magician to distract Earl from the cameras, but what the cameras caught was pure family gold. “I’ve only seen my dad cry two times in my entire life. Dad only smiles, laughs, and selflessly gives his best effort in the service of others,” Jared explains. “I saw him cry a third time, as he realized the car in the parking lot that looked just like his old one, was actually his after all.”

After realizing that the Marina Blue Camaro was his old Camaro, Jared’s dad cried tears of joy. It was only the third time Jared had ever seen his father cry.

To say that Earl was shocked learning that the diaper money Camaro had come home would be an understatement, but his response was exactly as anticipated. He instantly threw his arms around his son, as he likely had done many times before. Except this time there was something more, and Jared explains this moment as, “one of the best moments of my entire life.”