A father was reduced to tears after an elaborate scheme saw his son return his “dream” car to him.
Jared Guynes, who lives in Rockwall, Texas, shared the emotional reaction his father had when he was able to remodel and return the car he’d had to sell for “diaper money” back in 1983 when his wife became pregnant with Jared.
After four decades, Jared was able to present the coveted 1967 Marina Blue Camaro to his dad, Earl Guynes, in celebration of his 65th birthday. Sharing the thoughtful ruse on Facebook, Jared explained: “41 years ago in 1983 a man named Earl learned that his young wife was pregnant with his first son. Knowing the financial needs coming, he made the decision to sell his beloved 1967 Marina Blue Camaro. That son ended up being me, and I learned the story when I was a teenager.”
Digital creator Jared said his dad “would always joke” that he’d had to sell his car for “diaper money”, but there was always a “twinkle” in his eye whenever he reminisced about it. Jared knew his father had loved that particular car “more than any other he had ever owned”.
Over the years, Earl shared “very specific details” about the car which enabled his industrious son to “burn them into [his] brain”. He knew the year, the colour, even the type of wheels and tyres, and much more. Jared said: “I could close my eyes and see it.”
He continued: “The moment I heard about this car, I dreamed of one day somehow finding a way to give it back to him. Tonight, I finally did it. I gave dad back his car. Fully restored. He had no idea. Mom had no idea. Nobody had any idea.”
Jared revealed he’d owned the car for a few years and had been “working on it secretly” all in preparation for “this moment”. He went to great lengths to keep quiet to maximise the big reveal, which he dubbed “absolutely perfect”.
It was no easy feat – the exact model, located in 2022 near Oklahoma, was riddled with problems from wiring issues and engine woes to dodgy wheels, but it was fully intact. This meant Jared was able to work slowly to “tastefully” update the parts, “correct every issue, test every function”, and even find “a brand new set of period correct 15” Cragar wheels, identical to the set dad had on the car in the early 80s”.
On Earl’s 65th birthday, Jared was finally able to hand over the keys. In a touching video of the exchange, his father is led outside a restaurant with his family by a magician, believing it all part of some elaborate plot. Then, reality sets in and his son presents him with his dream car, four decades after saying goodbye to it.
Son Jared added: “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. Tonight, I saw him cry a third time, as he realised the car in the parking lot that looked just like his old one, was actually his after all. He was shocked. He threw his arms around me. And it was one of the best moments of my entire life. I love you Dad. Thanks for the diaper money.”
The emotional scenes sparked a massive reaction online, with Jared’s original post racking up more than 62K likes, 27K shares and thousands of comments. One person said: “If every son had a Dad like yours the world would be such a better place.”
Another said: “I hope I can do this for my dad one day!! Awesome!” And a third said: “YOU’RE AMAZING!!! Now YOU deserve your dream car and this is the best way to manifest it. Best wishes for you and your dad and your dream cars.” While another simply added: “I’m in tears.”