Unsurprisingly, many members of our staff here at Classic Industries are serious car enthusiasts. By day, we help customers with their project vehicles, and by night, we go home to work on our own. So, when a customer rolls up to our showroom in a nice car, we always try to go check it out. You'll often find our employees peering out the windows to see what just rolled into The Parking Lot.

One of the biggest draws of classic car restoration is the nostalgia factor. There's something truly awesome about finally being able to own that car you always wanted in high school, or being able to buy back the vehicle you wish you never sold. For most of us, these classic cars are more than simple transportation, they're the fulfillment of our dreams. That's why we knew exactly what Michael Lara meant when he said this '72 Firebird is his "lifelong love".

We're always glad to see the third-gen F-body cars getting the appreciation they deserve. Ten or fifteen years ago, few people would have considered the 1982-92 Firebirds and Trans Ams candidates for restoration, but now that these cars are becoming more collectible, the prices for clean examples are on the rise. This white 1986 Trans Am is one of the cleanest we've seen, and shows how much these cars stand out in 2015.

What's the most famous Trans Am of all time? How about the most famous Pontiac of all time? There's a good chance that the answer to both these questions is a single car: the second-gen Trans Am Special Edition. This black and gold icon of the 1970s became instantly recognizable for its role in the film Smokey and the Bandit, in which Burt Reynolds drove the car from Texas to Georgia as part of a bootlegging operation. In fact, in the two years following the first film, Trans Am sales nearly doubled! Thanks to the lasting impact of this movie and its sequels, as well as the car's undeniable cool factor, the Special Edition T/A remains world-famous to this day.

There seems to be a bit of a stigma about owning a convertible these days -- some people just don't consider them to be as cool as a hardtop coupe. However, we'd like to take a moment to defend the merits of the convertible. There's really nothing quite like putting the top down on a beautiful day, feeling the wind in your hair, and hearing the burble of the exhaust behind you as you blast down the highway. It's a visceral experience, and something that everyone should try. And there are few better places to own a classic convertible than sunny southern California.

As classic car enthusiasts and restorers, our cars are often much more than simple machines or forms of transportation. Over many years, our cars take on personalities of their own and become irreplaceable parts of our lives—almost like members of the family. The '67 Pontiac Firebird seen here became a member of Tim Woolard's family back in 2000, during the midst of a stressful time in his life. Tim was acting as a caregiver for his ailing, elderly parents, and the restoration of his rusty old Firebird gave him an outlet for his near-overwhelming levels of stress.

If you've ever owned or restored a classic car, you'll no doubt know that it can be an expensive endeavor. Iconic classics such as the '57 Bel Air and '69 Camaro fetch large sums of money whenever they are sold, even in barely drivable condition. Then there's the cost of parts and labor, which must also be taken into consideration. So, how does a young enthusiast afford to get into classic cars? Thomas Coursey, of Anaheim, California, found a solution to this dilemma via the 1980 Firebird Esprit seen here. It has all the pedigree, V8 rumble, and sculpted good looks that initially attracted Thomas to American muscle cars, but lacks the steep price tag of older or higher-trim models.

What is the fastest production Pontiac Trans Am? This question is the source of much debate, since many factors contribute to its answer, including driver skill, altitude, and tire compound. However, there's no question that the 1989 20th Anniversary Edition Turbo Trans Am is one of the fastest T/As ever, if not the fastest. Car and Driver magazine clocked this limited-production car at a blistering 4.6-second 0-60 time, calling it "the quickest 0-60 sprinter available in any US production-car showroom at any price." The car's 13.4-second quarter mile time may not sound particularly fast today, but in 1989, it was comparable to that of Ferraris and Lamborghinis. It wasn't until almost a decade later, and the release of the LS1-powered fourth-gen cars, that another production Trans Am could come close to these figures.

If you've ever restored a car, you know that setting an accurate timeline for the project can be a difficult task. Everyone starts out ambitious, excited, and ready to complete the build as soon as possible. Then, nine times out of ten, life gets in the way. Often, the car gets rolled into a garage or covered up, not to see the light of day for years at a time. Occasionally, projects are completely forgotten, left to rust and be resurrected as barn finds years later.