It was the car of his dreams right here in Mount Vernon, Texas. He couldn’t believe his eyes, and seeing it took his breath away. A 1970 RS Camaro, pristine white and punctuated with bold racing stripes, was sitting in front of The Glove Factory at a car show.
Jason Amick always planned to restore a car like this – actually had the car sitting in storage for 30 years – but then life got in the way. Practical things like work, his son’s activities, moving, and family took up his days. His dream was pushed aside for the someday that never quite came. He hadn’t even seen his car in a while because his son lost the keys to the storage unit. He recently threatened to cut the lock when he needed some tools stuck inside the unit.
“Wow,” Jason thought, “It looks JUST like my car. Same wheels, same tires, same interior.”
“You like Camaros?” asked the guy standing next to the car. “I actually worked on all the bodywork and the fresh paint job on this beauty – just for YOU.”
“Whaaaat?” Jason wondered. Just then, his son Jackson interrupted them, saying, “Dad, it’s YOUR car.” Jackson and his girlfriend, Madalyn Wardrup, had insisted they drive to town for the Cars and Coffee show early that Saturday, May 10. Next, from around the corner, his wife, Melissa, and his friend of 50 years, Jimmy Foster, magically appeared to join in the surprise. “I was absolutely blown away,” Jason said. “I just couldn’t believe it!”
“I am so proud of my son Jackson,” Jason added. “He pulled together an entire team of people to work on this project, and I’m amazed at everyone who pitched in to make it happen.”
Jackson came up with the idea to restore his Dad’s Camaro more than a year ago. “I did it to repay my Dad for everything he’s done for me, especially when I was a jerk of a teenager,” Jackson said. “My Dad is the type of person to help anyone in every way possible.”
First, Jackson and his girlfriend, Madalyn, coordinated with Jason’s friend Jimmy Foster to do the mechanical work and change out the original engine for the engine Jason had rebuilt many years prior. Next, the car went to Collvins Collision, where Robby Collvins and Stephen Salinas led the team to complete the bodywork and painting. The car was originally all white, and Jackson decided to add the racing stripes. The final step before the car show was a detail by Chance Reed of Reed’s Precision Detailing.
“My entire life, this car was in a garage or storage unit,” Jackson said. “One day I asked my Dad who he might hire to work on it. When he told me he’d let Collvins Collision do it, I took that as a sign and the green light to get going.” Jackson added, “The tricky part was telling my Dad I had no idea where the storage unit keys were, so he wouldn’t find the car missing!”
Jason purchased this Camaro in the 1990s before Jackson was born. “I found it in Killeen, but had to negotiate for over six months before I could convince the owner to sell,” he said. “She was sentimental because she got it as a Sweet 16 gift, and drove it all through high school.” When Jason made the trip down from Dallas to see the car in person, it was even better than he expected because it was the Rally Sport model with the split bumper. However, the owner wouldn’t sell him the Camaro unless he also bought her mother’s car, a 1965 Impala.
“I felt really bad for her because she was crying when I came to pick it up,” Jason said. “I promised her I would give the Camaro a good home and get it back on the road.”
Jason has always loved cars, especially the muscle cars of his youth. “I grew up in the muscle car era from ’68 to ’72, and I wanted one so bad, but my Dad always refused.” After high school graduation, Jason and a friend went to the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, and subsequently stayed in Germany working and traveling throughout Europe.
He came home a year later in love with German cars and got a job at Classic BMW in Richardson, Texas. Through that job, he met Jimmy Foster. “Jimmy owned a cool shop working on neat cars, so I went to work for him,” Jason explained. “I got a great education in cars through working with him.”
“I bought, restored, and sold so many cars during that time,” Jason added. “But this Camaro was the last car I ever bought.”
Chevrolet debuted the very first Camaro in 1967 as a direct response to the Ford Mustang. The 1970 Chevrolet Camaro was the second generation, and was such an extraordinary success that the basic design endured 12 model years from 1970 until 1981. The Rally Sport is considered very desirable by collectors due to its distinctive split front bumper and aggressive, European-inspired stance.
Be sure and give a big wave to Jason when you see him driving around town in the car of his dreams!
Photo credit: Melissa Amick
