David Walker's '68 Corvette

As a parent, it’s always difficult to watch your children grow up. They become more independent and often, it seems, more distant. In times like these, it’s a blessing to have some tie, some common interest, that you can rely on to revive a relationship or at least spark a good conversation. David Walker of Royal Palm Beach, Florida, and his son Brandon have been building just such a special interest in Corvettes together since Brandon was 9.

Having grown up in the musclecar era of the ’60s, David had always wanted a Corvette. Like they often do, though, bills, time, and life in general got in the way. It wasn’t until he was 42 years old that he finally decided to find his dream Corvette. He first saw this beautiful British Green ’68 in the classifieds one Saturday morning. Green not being one of his favorite colors, David put it at the bottom of his list of Corvettes to check into. In spite of the color, he fell in love as soon as he saw it. After weeks of negotiations and inspections, he brought his long-awaited Corvette home.

Little did David know that what began as his personal dream-come-true would become young Brandon’s as well. The two worked tirelessly to restore the ’68 to its original condition. Novices at first, they made mistakes along the way, but also made many friends in the Corvette hobby who were willing to help. After a few months they got the hang of it, and soon they were entering car shows—and winning!

Three years after David and Brandon began their Corvette project, they have eight show awards to be proud of, including Class Most Outstanding at the Corvette/Chevy Winter Nationals, and Best of Show at the Deerfield Beach Holiday Classic Car and Truck Show. Both will tell you, however, that the show awards don’t compare to the joy they’ve found in the Corvette hobby. As David says, “Thanks to this project, Brandon and I have a common interest that we can enjoy together for many years to come.”