[Keith Tedford]

I was fortunate enough to come into the work force in 1965, a perfect time to get involved in the muscle car era. After going through a 1966 283 Beaumont,1966 396 Beaumont and a '68 Ram Air Firebird, I finally bought the COPO Chevelle which we are now restoring. There was a ring sealing issue when the car was new. We then added the headers, Hurst Competition Plus shifter and Hedman headers. Now the car performed as it should. No one invited me out for a run. I'm sure there were faster cars around our area but they may not have wanted to risk their reputation. Today, a car running in the 12s on the street wouldn't get a second glance.
We met the original owner of our 396 car. He had tried to trace the car down in the late '80s, with no luck. He bought another '69 and spared no expense doing it over. We had a great visit.
We are the third owners of our Lemans Sport. I had talked to the original owner over the phone and he sent us some of the original paperwork. Unfortunately, at age 58, he died with a heart attack before we had a chance to meet him.
Good thing we got the cars when we did. They have become unaffordable for most of us today. To us the summers,are just like the old days, only better. In the old days, car shows were for rods and customs. Pull in in a muscle car like ours meant nothing. The parking lot is over there. In that respect things have changed considerably. Most people would know your car and your name. Often times they didn't know you at all. You were known for what you drove. The cars were king.
Back in '73 I took a teenaged lad for a drive in the COPO car to show him what they were like. In the mid 90s I was at a cruise night talking to a guy. It turned out that he was the kid from '73. Bill and I have been good friends ever since. The memories are good. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]