Autoblog

Car junkies are generally a close-knit bunch. They form local clubs, stage weekly cruises and car shows, and generally spend a lot of time working on their cars and helping each other out. Over at the NASIOC forums, one member posted a story that illustrates how close these relationships become.

The poster, who goes by the alias "Gherkins31," tells the the story of his friend, Mark, who is afflicted with Lou Gherig's Disease. Sadly, his condition has reached a point where he is unable to walk and has limited arm strength. He couldn't work on his Mazda RX-7 project car anymore, and any hopes he had of seeing it transform into his dream ride seemed to be dashed. It still needed a great deal of work, as shown in the "before" shots at NASIOC.

Then, his friends stepped in.

They stole the car Overhaulin'-style and pooled their time, effort and wallets to make the once-unlikely dream a reality. Three weeks and $13,000 later, they surprised Mark with the car you see above. Its name, spelled out in a windshield graphic, is "Mark's 7."

Oftentimes, a car's restoration is called a labor of love -- a reference to the owner's feelings for his vehicle. In the case of Mark's 7, it was exactly that: a labor of love -- the group's love for a friend who, in his time of need, they treated like a brother. We congratulate them all on a job well done.

Thanks to reader Sean G. for the tip.

[Source: NASIOC forums]