‘It’s bittersweet’: Local father honors son’s memory through restored Camaro at AACA Grand National Competition | Allentown Area

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Nearly 500 championship-level antique and classic cars from across North America are gathering at the NB Center in Allentown for the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) Grand National Competition.

For Northampton County resident Greg Anthony, showing his 1969 Camaro Z28 is only part of the story.

Anthony bought the car from his brother in 1971 when he was 17 years old.

“Back in the days, you had the music, you had the cars, and you had the girls, and this is a major part of it,” Anthony said.

He put nearly 100,000 miles on the Camaro before eventually placing it in storage, where it sat for about 40 years.

The car was later restored over six years by Allentown’s RB Collection.

Owner Al Ruozzi said authenticity guided every detail of the restoration, from engine stickers and wiring to the original dealer decal.

“You can’t over-restore,” Ruozzi said. “That’s how it left the factory. That’s how it is.”

Ruozzi said the goal was to return the Camaro to exactly how it would have appeared when it was built in December 1968.

But he said the restoration was about more than factory specifications.

“Most important is bringing back the same emotions to Greg,” Ruozzi said. “He sits back in the car, he feels like he’s back in 1971, and that’s the beauty of it. That’s why the restoration with authenticity is important.”

Anthony’s Camaro will join hundreds of other championship-level vehicles at the NB Center for the AACA Grand National Competition.

The event brings together some of the highest-level restored and preserved vehicles in the organization, with judges examining details that casual observers may never notice.

Steve Moskowitz, CEO of the AACA and one of the event’s head judges, said even factory assembly-line markings can matter.

“You’ll see chalk marks that were made by the people on the assembly line,” Moskowitz said. “We’re looking for those chalk marks to be on there.”

Moskowitz said preserving the cars also means preserving the stories connected to them.

“These people are keeping history alive with their oral stories and everything else about their cars,” he said.

For Anthony, the story preserved inside his Camaro includes multiple AACA awards — and a much more personal connection.

His son Dominic initially helped with the restoration and was expected to inherit the car.

Dominic died in 2020 at the age of 30.

“It’s bittersweet,” Anthony said. “I wish my son was here with me to enjoy it, but he isn’t.”

Today, driving the restored Camaro can take Anthony back to his own teenage years while also reminding him of the future he expected to share with his son.

When asked what Dominic would think if he could see the finished car, Anthony smiled.

“Oh my God, I would have to hide the keys from him,” he said. “It would be awesome.”

The AACA Grand National Competition is open to the public Saturday at the NB Center in Allentown.