’74 Corvette Transforms Into Rolling Breast Cancer Tribute

The story of how this ’74 Corvette found new life as a rolling tribute to breast cancer is not your typical restoration story. In fact, there’s nothing typical about it at all.

The owner of the ‘Vette, Jennifer Barnett, bought the car in 2013 for $4,500 as a replacement for her Nissan 300Z. But it’s what inspired the Corvette’s makeover that makes it special.

According to the Indy Star, two weeks after purchasing the car, Barnett was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. The Corvette soon became a place of solitude for Barnett, helping her cope with the diagnosis.

“My husband would put me in the Corvette, and we would lay rubber all around here. We would laugh like teenagers,” Barnett said. “I actually threw myself into the car, anything I could do to keep my mind off the diagnosis.”

However, with medical bills for her cancer treatments starting to pile up, Barnett started considering selling the car. And she would have, had it not been for her family hiding the title.

“That was her car, her safe place,” said Collin, 22, one of Barnett’s three children who kept trying to deter her from selling the Corvette. Lo and behold, six months later, after being rescanned twice for the cancer, doctors concluded Barnett was cancer-free!

But going through the ordeal inspired her to turn her beloved Corvette into a vehicle aimed at bringing more awareness to breast cancer. However, the car needed some work first. So Barnett decided to solicit the help of Jim French, the owner of a local auto shop.

Chipping in some of his own money, French replaced the hoses, the brakes, the fuel pump, and he helped out with the cost.

After collecting the names of 100 women who’d fallen victim to cancer, Barnett reached out to Stan Charles, owner of a vinyl car-wrapping company. Charles had a sister-in-law who had battled breast cancer some years prior, so he was happy to help out.

Together, they have all transformed the car into what is now known as the Rolling for a Cause Corvette.

Barnett now reaches out to other women who are fighting breast cancer and offers them rides in the custom C3. In doing so, Barnett hopes to help lift spirits, like the Corvette did for her.

“The car itself isn’t about getting attention to the car; it’s about getting attention to those names,” Barnett told the Indy Star. “When I thought this out, I thought, ‘What better way than a car you don’t see on the road every day?’”

Like I said, you just don’t come across many Corvette restoration stories as special as this one.

Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>

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Via [Indy Star]