Wow, what a thrill! The rapid acceleration of the 350/300 HP engine and the responsive quick-ratio power steering combined with the power disc brakes made quite an impression on me. I didn't know how I would ever afford to own such a car, but I sure wished that someday I could.
Several years later, while delivering newspapers in my beat-up old 1965 Nova Station Wagon, I spotted a White Camaro at a used car lot in a small town about 20 miles West of my home town. I couldn't remember what year Charlie's Camaro was, but this one looked a lot like the one he let me drive so many years earlier. Stopping to check it out, I discovered that it was an SS and the price seemed to be near what I could afford. Although it was 5 years old, it had only 20,000 MI on the clock and the body was in excellent shape with no rust at all.
After a trip to the bank and insurance agency, I was back at the used car lot to take ownership of an honest to goodness 1969 Camaro SS. My boyhood dream of owning a Camaro was fulfilled. But, my biggest surprise came when I got home and cleaned out the glove compartment. There I found the Protecto-Plate with Charles Tarro listed as the original owner. Asking around, I discovered that Charlie had died and his favorite Camaro was sold to settle his estate.
That was in November 1974 (my 21st birthday) and I've kept the Camaro ever since. I didn't take very good care of it when I was younger. But, I'm trying to make it right now. It's been rebuilt 3 times. In 1976, my ex-wife ran into the back of another car and bent up the front end pretty bad. Then, while separated from her in 1980, I partially rebuilt it again to provide transportation for my self. Now, in 1999, I'm rebuilding it again. This time, I'm trying to make it really stand out in a crowd and get the kind of attention it deserves.
