Car enthusiasts tell their stories

Today’s Motor Vehicles wants to hear about special vehicles. Enthusiasts love their favorites, and we want to hear those stories with MY FAVORITE RIDE! Readers can talk about anything from classic muscle cars to bulletproof pickups to prized pieces of farm equipment that never let owners down. Each issue will feature a vehicle, a picture, and the story of what that vehicle means to its owner. Readers can submit their stories at www.TodaysMotorVehicles.com/MyFavoriteRide.

March 2016 winner

Jimmy Ream, Owner, QMS Inc., Glasgow, Kentucky

The vehicle

1968 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28

What do you love about your Camaro?

On January 17, I drove the car for the second time in 45 years. The car has been driven in the rain three times and one of those was when it took stock eliminator at Beach Bend where they raced in the rain. A friend and someone whom I had beaten in class and who had rain tires drove it.

Why did you stop racing?

In 1970, NHRA re-rated the engine (taking it to 335hp from 315hp) which took us from F stock to E stock which I felt outlawed the car. I lost in E stock to a 428 Fairlane wagon at the 1970 spring nationals in Dallas, Texas, and parked the car. I sold the engine that was in the car and purchased new factory stock parts to build a new engine but never did. When our first kid was born my wife made me take all the car parts from our spare bedroom and the car remained covered in the garage.

But you brought the car back to life recently.

A guy who works for me wanted to see the car run again before we die so he assembled the engine a few years ago, and then a friend retired last year and wanted to get the car back together. So he has pushed me and today it is together. To open and shut the door, it sounds like new. The interior looks new and the rubber around the doors and windows still looks good with only a few cracks.

To enter the contest, visit www.TodaysMotorVehicles.com/MyFavoriteRide and fill out the entry form. Only completed forms will qualify.

The entry deadline is April 15, 2016, with winners announced in the May/June issue.

Have fun, and good luck!

For a full set of rules, please visit www.TodaysMotorVehicles.com/MyFavoriteRide.