Anyone who’s into cars remembers their firsts: the first burnout, first start-up, first speeding ticket, and before any of that — the first road trip to get a project car with their dad.
Whether it’s going to get a pristine Corvette or a clapped out farm truck, it’s the kind of memory that can’t be topped.
This lucky kid got to make the memory of a lifetime with his dad, Vladimir of Invincible Extremes fame, towing a ’67 Pontiac GTO clone project all over the West with a ’70 Buick wagon.
While a run of the mill U-haul truck or suburban would do the job, there’s something special about towing a real muscle car with a classic-taking in the rolling hills and desert sunsets over 6 feet of American steel is something this kid is never going to forget.
The boys started their trip in Arizona, making a stop to check out the Hoover Dam. Before long their wagon, the Beast, ended up losing an exhaust hanger and hit a blizzard in Nevada.
Determined to make the trek and retrieve their neglected A body project they topped off the oil, caught a nap, and soldiered on. As luck would have it, the mountain pass was open after the snow cleared and the trek toward Portland wasn’t stopped dead in its tracks.
After chasing some vibrations on the Buick and hooking up with a tow bar, 38 feet of Buick and Pontiac set course for Arizona. This plan ended up short-lived, with the ’67 Tempest almost immediately breaking studs and losing a front wheel.
Not discouraged, Vlad made some repairs, rented a dolly, and kept rolling. Even with the Buick burning oil and cruising slow, they still made time to stop at an Air Museum and make some father and son time along the route.
Regardless of the car troubles, the weather, or the plans that didn’t work out, it’s pretty cool to see old iron getting put to use like this towing projects and making memories.
No matter what tow vehicle you’ve got or where the next adventure is, this goes to show the most important part of being a car person: getting out there and driving somewhere.
This is definitely an American road trip neither of them will forget, and one duo of project cars we look forward to seeing Vlad work on more with his whole family…
