Man Surprises Older Brother With Restored ’69 Mustang Over 30 Years After His Original Dream Car Was Destroyed

Editor’s Note from Brandon: Earlier this week, Evan Leeder, a loyal BroBible reader, DM’d us on Instagram about his father getting the surprise of his life from his younger brother. Evan’s uncle surprised his older brother by showing up in his driveway with a beautiful restored ’69 Mustang — the same car he owned and loved in the early ’80s, driving it all around New Jersey until it was destroyed in a storm in 1984. It’s an act of brotherly kindness that’s the very definition of a Bro move, one of our core values as a digital publisher called BroBible. We’re proud to tell the story here on BroBible today, in Evan’s own words. It hits all the feels. 

If you have a similar story of epic Bro moves, drop me an e-mail at brandon@brobible.com or slide into our Instagram DMs

Back when my dad was in high school he worked landscape for an old man during the summers. One summer, in return for his work, the guy sold him his Silver Jade (the green color) 1969′ Ford Mustang 302 for $300. My dad loved that car. He used to drive it everywhere. He had the car from 1980-1984, during the prime of his life and would race his friends up and down the Garden State Parkway — A Jersey guy through and through.

In 1984 a huge Nor’Easter hammered Brigantine, New Jersey, where my dad was living at the time. He wasn’t home that weekend. The storm got so bad that the ocean flooded the streets and unfortunately destroyed the car. There was no repairing it. My dad was understandably very heart broken, he was planning on keeping the car and someday passing it down to his kids.

About a year ago, my Uncle Glenn — my dad’s youngest brother — began searching relentlessly. He traveled all over the country looking for the same model, often stumbling upon one only to find out that it was eradicated by rust and water damage. He finally found a model in Texas that was in great shape with zero rust and with most of the original car still intact. It was the exact same model my dad had back in the day. The same color as well! After close inspection, he purchased the car and had it shipped to his home outside Atlanta, Georgia. For the past year — unbeknownst to my family — he has been slowly and meticulously restoring this car.

On May 7th, my dad heard a rumbling sound come up the driveway. He walked outside to find a beautifully restored green Mustang in his driveway with my Uncle Glenn hiding nearby. My uncle had rented a trailer and driven the car up from Atlanta overnight. He shocked my dad with the coolest most thoughtful gift ever — it wasn’t even my dad’s birthday or anything.

It was truly one of the most profound acts of generosity I have ever seen and something that we will never forget.

Here’s the moment the surprise happened…


…Along with more pics of the beautifully-restored ’69 Mustang:

 

 

Brandon Wenerd is BroBible's publisher, writing on this site since 2009. He writes about sports, music, men's fashion, outdoor gear, traveling, skiing, and epic adventures. Based in Los Angeles, he also enjoys interviewing athletes and entertainers. Proud Penn State alum, former New Yorker. Email: brandon@brobible.com