JIM & MATT DADAS

tinuing the legacy of his father ’ s original race car always stuck with Matt .

“ Since I began racing big cars , it was a dream of mine to replicate my dad ’ s race car ,” Dadas said . “ If the house fire never happened , I feel I ’ d be in the seat of the original ‘ 67 Camaro .”

In 2019 , Matt set a plan into motion to recreate his dad ’ s race car when he stumbled upon a Craiglist ad for a white 1967 Camaro . After racing the car for two seasons , it was dropped off at R & R Auto Body in Cleveland , Ohio , to be painted black , as far as Jim Dadas knew .

However , the team at R & R Auto Body knew the real plan : to bring the history and legacy of the Dadas ’ race car back to life . For the familyowned body shop , this project hit much closer to home than other projects , as it was R & R Auto Body who had originally painted Jim ’ s car back in 1987 . Owners Dave and Mary Roemer , who have since become close family friends with the Dadases , even

confusion from seeing his friends and family members standing in the middle of his front lawn began to set in . However , it quickly turned into a combination of shock and joy when Matt gave the queue to step away from what they were hiding behind them – Jim ’ s race car . located the original color codes from their archives that were used to paint the car over 30 years ago .

When the phone call came to pick up the car , Matt was giddy with excitement and then instantly greeted with complete satisfaction once he laid eyes on it . The car was a perfect replica of

his father ’ s original light and metallic blue , red , and white paint scheme .

“ It ’ s literally perfect ,” Dada said . “ The Roemers and every one of their guys made this thing a dream come true for me and my family .”

When the day finally came to pull off the surprise , Matt was able to keep Jim away from the house for a few hours while his mother , Lisa , sister , Lauren , and girlfriend , Carly , placed a big red bow on the windshield and surrounded the car with old racing photos from Jim ’ s career .

As Matt and Jim pulled into the driveway ,

While Jim is not an easy guy to surprise and is typically a man of few words , Matt admits that tears were shed and emotions were flowing when his father realized what Matt , his family , and his friends had done for him . Jim was absolutely caught off guard not having known what Matt had in store for the car when it was dropped off for paint . While a few people questioned why Matt didn ’ t get the car completely up and running , he confirmed it was his very intention to surprise Jim with the car as a roller .

“ We will put the motor in and get it running together , Matt said . “ My dad is my best friend , and I wouldn ’ t want to put it together without him .”

On the surface , Matt ’ s actions can be seen as a genuinely thoughtful gesture from son to father , but as most drag racers know , it goes far beyond that . The sport of drag racing has a rich history , and racers like the Dadas family cherish that history . Matt can now live out his dream of racing alongside his dad in a car that represents so much to both his father and his family .

Together , the Dadas family can create new memories and write new history with this race car . While it is easy to get caught up in the modern world of shiny new things , this beautiful 1967 Camaro serves as a reminder for all to remember where they once came from to appreciate where they are going next . DI

46 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 188