Teacher Fired Over Car Restoration Gets Last Laugh

A Thing Of Beauty

As the tarp came off, as Travis had suspected, there was a car underneath it. It was certainly old and must have been under there a long time judging by all the dust. Still, it was crimson red and beautiful.

Travis walked around it. It was definitely Freddy’s type. He had loved old cars. However, Travis had never heard him mention this one. As he reached the front, Travis whistled with admiration when he noticed the badge. This wasn’t just any old car. It was a classic Corvette.

The Request

To Travis’s surprise, Mrs. Stanmore asked him to take it with him. She said that it was too old and took up too much place. It was also a pet project of Freddy’s that he never completed. that also meant that it brought back too many sad memories for her.

Travis felt touched that she chose him of all people to gift the car to. He was more than happy to accept her offer. Travis was also something of a petrol-head and couldn’t wait to work on it. He had no idea that Mrs. Stanmo0re had other reasons for giving it away too.

The Move

The next day, Travis hired a tow truck to hook up the old car and get it out of the garage. It was an inexpensive and time-consuming process but Travis felt like it was definitely a worthwhile investment.

Eventually, the car was back at his place. For over a month, the car became as important to him as it was to Freddy.  Travis sunk quite a bit of money, time, and effort into the vehicle but had managed to get it running. There was just some minor bodywork to go. He was excited but soon regretted ever getting the car back into running order.

All Done

Travis lived alone so it wasn’t hard for him to keep the project a secret. Feeling excited about what a head turner the car was going to be, Travis couldn’t wait to see the look on everyone’s faces when he took it to school.

There was a small problem though. Travis realized that he might end up having some issues with the principal. After all,  students weren’t allowed to have modified sports cars at school so he was probably breaking the rules himself with the Corvette.

Hitting The Road

Deciding to worry about that later, Travis worked on the last night. It was past midnight when he was finally able to start up the old girl. The loud raw of the engine and the way the engine rattled beneath his feet was exciting. He could practically feel the car’s power already.

Travis finally got himself off to bed with a smile. He could not wait to turn up at the school the next morning and see the look on everyone’s faces. Unfortunately, he had no idea that things would end up being nothing like he imagined.

Monday Morning

It was Monday morning, and he arrived at his place of work – the school where he taught. He imagined he’d see students and teachers alike spinning their heads to see his new car.

But he would spin one head too many, and the principal would storm out to meet him. He could see a scowl on his face. Something was very wrong. All the principal said was, “That car, do you understand what you’ve done?”

Confusion

Travis was confused. He stammered his words and asked the principal what the big deal was. They walked to his office to have a private conversation. The principal was fuming. He repeated his question, “What’s the big deal?”

He explained, “Do you have any idea where that car came from?” Travis was confused. Surely there was a misunderstanding? But then he was let in on a secret. It was something that would change everything.

Missing

The old Corvette that Travis now had in his possession had a troubled history. The problem with owning the Corvette was that it was never his old friend’s to begin with. The car had gone missing in the late 1970s after only clocking 24 miles!

It had gone missing from the race track that it was performing at and was never seen again until Travis had driven it to the school that morning.

Mystery

After everything was said and done, Travis knew he had to try and make things right. He would have to return the car and make amends. But there was still one mystery left – how did his friend get the car in the first place?

He knew he wouldn’t get any answers out of his widow. She seemed as clueless about the car as he was. It was clear that the full story would be buried with his friend.

Transferring

But Travis, unfortunately, had to transfer schools. There was a big problem with him bringing the car to the campus. He didn’t care too much. Even though he was essentially fired, he knew he’d get the last laugh. After contacting the original owner, he managed to strike out a deal. He was an understanding old man that believed him when he said it was all just a misunderstanding.

He managed to keep the car after paying a small amount of money to the owner as a recompense. But this wasn’t the first time someone has found something incredible rotting away in someone’s garage.

Spiders And Rats

Bracing herself, she lifted the garage door open with a creak. She knew that her grandmother hadn’t had it cleaned for 20 years, so she expected spiders and maybe even rats. Shuddering at the thought, she peered in.

The light scattered through the floating dust motes, and when they settled, a shape began to emerge from the darkness, and she jumped with a start. But it wasn’t a spider’s outline she saw, it was something much bigger than that.

An Interest In The Unusual

Eriegin is a Reddit user and is based in the US. She has a passion for street food, especially Asian cuisine, and has traveled extensively through Asia.

She frequently posts images of the unique fare she finds while traveling abroad and has an interest in collecting unusual experiences. However, not even she was prepared for what she found lurking in her grandmother’s garage

Oddities

One day, the intrepid Redditer was asked to come and help clean out her grandmother’s garage. Her grandfather had passed recently, and it was time to get his estate in order.

Other Reddit users have dedicated entire threads to the oddities that they have found in their grandparents’ houses, but all of these trinkets were nothing compared to what this Reddit user found that day.

Tough Times

Eri was struggling financially. She was studying relentlessly and was finding it hard to make ends meet. Her stomach clenched every time a new bill arrived, and she was afraid she would be unable to pay it on time.

She had now also taken on the long and tedious process of tying up loose ends in her late grandfather’s estate. Little did she know, she was about to discover something about her grandfather that would change her life forever.

Secrets

If only Eri had known that her life was about to be changed forever by what was behind grandma’s garage door, amid the dust and chaos.

When she was asked to come and help clear the garage out, she never could have imagined what her grandfather had kept hidden from the rest of the world.

Sleepless

Eri found the process of dealing with her grandfather’s estate time-consuming. Each day, she and her grandmother would sit together and go through each document painstakingly, and she would go to bed each night with the numbers and equations imprinted on her retinas.

Her anxiety grew when she thought about the preparations that had to be made for her grandmother, and sleep would not come. The numbers were not looking good.

The Dreaded Day Arrives

As the entire picture of her grandmother’s finances came slowly into view, she realized that she may have to go into an assisted living facility.

She hadn’t told her grandma the news, yet. She dreaded each day and tried to be as useful as possible. But she knew that she couldn’t keep the news from her for much longer. Then the terrible day arrived.

A Heavy Heart

Eri awoke that morning with a terrible feeling of heaviness. Today was the day she would have to break her grandmother’s heart. She dressed and walked down the stairs.

Her grandmother was suffering the loss of her husband, but she put on a cheery face for Eri when she greeted her. They sat at the lonely table in the big, empty house, and ate breakfast in silence. Then her grandmother broke it by asking Eri to start clearing the garage.

Lifting The Tarp

Eri’s grandfather had been a secretive man, and the garage had been his domain. When Eri opened the door, she never had ever expected what had been lurking inside all along.

Could it be? she thought as she saw the lettering on the back of the piece of metal, just peeping through. There, underneath a dusty tarpaulin, was a masterpiece that had been secreted away and forgotten. Until now.

Masterpiece Lost In Time

What Eri found in her grandmother’s garage that day left the internet in a flurry. There, in the corner, was a 1982 LP500S Lamborghini Countach, one of the rarest supercars in the world. Only 321 of these cars were ever made! It had been there for decades, gathering dust.

But that wasn’t the only hidden gem that she found that day…

A Second Supercar

Tucked away at the front of the Lamborghini was a faded Ferrari 308, and although not as impressive as the Countach, it was an incredible find!

Eri was amazed when it dawned on her that it is the same iconic car that was used in Tom Selleck’s Magnum, P.I. and is highly sought-after by collectors. What an amazing windfall!

A Rare Find

The Lamborghini Countach Eri had stumbled upon in her grandmother’s garage turned out to be a 500S model.

The supercar packs a 4.8-liter V12 engine and could have fetched between $400,000 to $500,000 in its peak. Even in their decayed condition, the Daily Mirror estimated that the Lamborghini and Ferrari could still be worth around that amount together.

Hidden For Decades

Eri’s “late grandpa bought [the Lamborghini] for his exotic car rental business in 1989, but after insurance costs became too high for him to operate the company, he kept the cars in leaky garages for 20+ years instead of selling them.”

Eir revealed all on Reddit after speaking with her grandmother about the classic cars. And she is very glad that her grandfather had kept them for as long as he did!

Interest Quickly Grows

Interest quickly grew on the Reddit thread when Eriegin revealed her incredible find, with many users wanting to buy the cars and “rescue” them from life in the garage.

One user wrote: “There should be a Child Protective Services you can call for cars…I’d adopt that baby and put some blood, sweat, and tears into making it a new good life.”

Hidden Gems In Garages All Over The World

What one Reddit user found when she opened the garage door changed her life forever. She and her grandmother were struggling financially and had no idea what kind of goldmine they were sitting on the entire time.

Next time you’re asked to help Grandma, I’m sure you’ll scramble to help. Who knows what other gems are hidden all over the world in garages, gathering dust and forgotten.