We've said it before and we'll say it again—here at Classic Industries, we love seeing our customers' cars, and learning their stories. Whether it's a simple Facebook message saying "Thanks for the parts!" or a mailed multi-page build sheet with printed-out photos, it always makes us smile to see what customers are doing with the restoration parts we supply. It really is the best part of our job.

If you're anything like us, you didn't become a car guy overnight. You probably grew up around cars, and they've been a part of your life since childhood. A true passion for classic cars often begins while wrenching in the garage with Dad, cruising the streets with your best friends, or blasting down the drag strip on weekends. Then, over many years, it becomes an integral part of who you are.

When you've got a classic car you truly care about, keeping it clean is a never-ending labor of love. It gets dusted, washed, waxed, buffed, and polished, until you're painfully aware of every last imperfection. Some of us spend hours meticulously polishing the chrome, or detailing the interior, until our significant others complain that we don't even give them this much attention.

Tim Bair, of Huntington Beach, California, is obsessed with keeping his '67 Camaro sparkling clean, and for good reason. After all, he bought the car with earnings from his metal polishing and plating company, California Polishing. One look at the car tells you that Tim is good at what he does—it is simply immaculate.

Don Hilderbrand's '73 Camaro Z28 L82, a High School Sweetheart

For those of us who grew up in the sixties and seventies, Chevy's Camaro has been the ever constant familiar face in a frequently changing automotive climate. We've ridden the tides of change, from hot factory high-performance cars in the 1960s, to the decidedly lame Detroit iron of the 1970s. It was a long dry spell before the lords of Woodward Avenue and Van Nuys Boulevard would get back to the business of burning rubber from traffic light to traffic light in the mid-1980s.

Every car has a story, especially for enthusiasts. For Mike and his '73 Camaro, that story began with a Camaro parts car being handed down by a godfather and quickly took a turn toward the drag strip. And though the story is what makes any car greater than the sum of its parts, it's worth paying attention to the parts in this case.

The Thrill of the Chase

The best show in Vegas... Chevrolet Camaro Performance

Every year, companies from across the automotive aftermarket industry meet in Las Vegas for SEMA, a massive trade show and conference. Every year, the event features the latest and greatest products, accessories, and show cars on display. Every year, the vehicles get more wild and more creative. The recently-concluded 2013 conference was no exception.

Tim Allen's 1968 Camaro to be unveiled with 1969 Dick Harrell 427 Camaro

The 2013 Classic Industries SEMA display, booth #23975, will be hosting two world-class Camaro builds this November. One is a unique 1969 427 Camaro, a collector car built by drag racing pioneer “Mr. Chevrolet” Dick Harrell. The other is a Smokey Yunick inspired car, a 1968 model built by renowned custom car builder Bodie Stroud for actor/comedian Tim Allen.

For enthusiasts, a car's story can be just as important as the car itself. Whether it’s spending memorable moments in the garage with dad, date nights and cruise-ins with that special someone, or highly-embellished tales of well-earned race victories, a car with a unique history becomes much more than mere transportation. It becomes the main character in its own story. This unique 1969 Camaro was built by one of the greatest legends in drag racing, Dick "Mr. Chevrolet" Harrell, and the story of its development is fascinating. Read on as we take a look back at the history of the Dick Harrell Camaro, and examine how this rare vehicle became part of the Classic Industries collection.