Imagine taking years to finish a labor of love and in mere moments the work you did was ruined. That’s what happened to an Iowa man and a classic car.

The shiny silver 1961 Corvette was entrusted to Ray Shimak of Ray’s Collision of Mason City, Iowa who was restoring the hot rod for a former Mason City businessman who relocated to Florida. For 15 years, the car was painstakingly being put back in original condition.

Any good mechanic or body man would make sure a vehicle was road-ready before returning it to the owner no matter if it were a jalopy or this beauty worth $60,000 in its fully restored condition. Somewhere on the streets of Mason City, this check ride got sideswiped when a driver suddenly switched lanes damaging the right front and rear on Tuesday morning.

Imagine poring through old manuals to make sure every part was as close to factory original as possible. Then since this was a special project, it was only during nights and weekends that the car was restored out of respect for the regular customers who needed immediate attention.

According to the Mason City Globe Gazzette, Shimak will get the new repairs done by the end of the year. However, the blow of extra work and time spent to re-restore the car was softened by Lee Snell, the intended recipient who is willing to wait a couple more months for the prize.

As for the fault in the accident, it is unclear who will have to break the news to the insurance company. KWQC-TV reported that the estimated damage to the ‘Vette is in the neighborhood of $20,000.


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