Owner: Josephine Botchway / Location: Dallas, Texas / Found On: Carmax / Purchase Price: $21,000 / Months Owned: 21
The first time I saw one I was 19 years old. I knew it was the car I wanted, and I spent nearly a decade dreaming. It’s rare to see one, and every time I did, even as the years went by, I was always impressed.
It’s really the design. It made me care about what it was. There just aren’t a lot of cars out there that look like that.
A little before October 2017, my old car broke down, and that’s when I decided to go for it. It had been a plan for years, and I said, “Well, I might as well. I spent a lot of time researching,” and then drove four hours to Houston to get mine.
I haven’t made any changes to it just yet, but the previous owner changed up a lot of stuff, including the tires and the rims, which are different sizes, front and rear. It makes the car look even more awesome. The interior is a bit small—it’s just a two-door—but the black and yellow color makes up for it. I love the fact that it has the LS2 V-8, the Corvette engine. It’s really loud; it’s a sports truck. I’m not racing anyone, but I love the sound. I get goosebumps every time I turn it on.
A few months after I bought it, some problems started popping up. Four lights went on in one week. The downside about this car is that finding parts is really hard. They didn’t make many, and parts, let alone labor, get really expensive.
I use the car for work. I have a business, Josey’s Cakes and Catering, and the truck works really well for it. There is a lot of space in the bed for all my food, equipment, and any other stuff I need. Plus, it grabs attention. Whenever I pull up or I’m delivering to a customer—the look on their face. It’s really nice. They always want to ask me questions, even take a look inside while I deliver their meal. That makes me feel really good.
I always have good conversations with people who know about it. When I meet some people, even at gas stations or stoplights, they’ll say, “I remember when this car came out,” and they’ll tell me about the first time they saw it and what they thought about it. And kids love it, too. I drive it a lot for work, but driving with the top down in downtown Dallas on a summer night when the weather is nice, that’s when it’s really beautiful.
This article appeared in the July/August 2019 issue of Popular Mechanics. You can subscribe here.
