[HWYSTR455]

Don't get hung up on recognition, the 'trade rags' are like F*Xnews, fake, twisted by manufacturers and lean towards the big 3. The majority of the BOP and AMX musclecars only get coverage in the off-shoot mags, ones that are supported by groups that specifically cater to those (dead) brands. Sad but true. The ones that do get coverage are the ones that are given an LS, late hemi, or late 5.0 swap.

If I see another 69 Camaro on the cover of a mag I will puke. No imagination.

I bought the LeMans to use as a driver, and built it originally to tow a boat. I didn't buy the boat, but used it as a driver for almost 20 years. I kept the outside as best I could, and just did the suspension, drivetrain, and minor interior stuff. This is engine #9 I think in it now, and I usually get around 100k+ miles out of each. Being a LeMans, it didn't matter, or at least until the spike in values hit. But I still don't care what folks think, I do what I want with it.

I've argued with folks that what I have in the car compared to the use I've gotten out of it makes it very inexpensive transportation, and I've had tons of enjoyment out of it at the same time. It's less expensive than buying even an econo type new car, once you add up tax, maintenance, etc.

It's hard to put a number (of money spent) on the car, because along the way, doing partial restos, it's basically a new (er) car when done, so it's tough to determine how much a particular stage cost. But I know I can get more for it than a newer car with 150k miles on it, not to mention it has like a million plus on it.

If I would have buckled every time someone said I was spending too much on something that wasn't X, or Y, I would have given up long ago, and missed out on all the enjoyment I had along the way.

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