By LARRY LANG
Special to the Daily News
In 1969, my father, who was 31 at the time, found a way with three kids in the house to convince my mother that he needed a 1955 Corvette.

Well, they worked it out with a total purchase price of $1,000. They had $425 and financed the remainder over 12 months at $47.92 per month — no interest! I saw the original paperwork the other day and could not believe it.

I remember going with Dad to car shows as a kid with the car and always was in awe of it and would dream about driving it. I recall one time all three of us kids were in the car, driving to the beach. I have no clue how we all fit in there, but I remember having to sit close to Dad and move over when he shifted gears while my little sister curled up in the floorboard below our feet, my brother next to me on the lap of my Mom.

It was all not good, as the car was in the garage one day when I was playing basketball at the age of 10, and I made a bad shot that shattered the garage-door window. When I ran into the garage, I saw the glass all over the trunk lid of the white Corvette. I thought I could easily solve it by taking a rag and brushing the glass off, but what I did was scratch the paint even more. It was a long time before Dad got home from work, and even longer to fill him in. I have long forgotten the pain of the punishment, but the scratches are still on the trunk lid.

Yep, Dad still has the car, or did up until a few weeks ago. About six years ago, I finally was able to convince my wife that we needed a ’56 Corvette. I had all sorts of old cars prior to that, but what I wanted was a car similar to my father’s. I sold a ’34 Studebaker hot rod to get the car. Well, I got a beautiful red-and-white ’56 that I have driven five or six times more than 450 miles round-trip to show the car with Dad’s ’55. We had a great time showing the two cars, as a ’55 Corvette is pretty rare, and showing it with a ’56 is even more special.

I visited Mom and Dad in March of this year to go to the Run to the Sun Rod show in Myrtle Beach, S.C., together with Dad and our Corvettes. I had no idea that would be the last time the cars would be shown, but it is not what you think. On the evening of the show, Mom and Dad brought my brother, sister and I into the kitchen and asked us to each bring a dollar. We all gave them a dollar, and he said, “You now are the owners of the ’55.”

After much discussion, we realized that this was Mom and Dad’s gift to us. They told us that they wanted to show their appreciation to us and now it was our responsibility to take care of the ’55. Dad said he had 42 years of fun driving the car, and he was ready to pass it on. He also told us that he had heard of stories of families pulling apart when a member dies over possessions, and they did not want that to happen. So, it was up to us three to decide what to do with the car.

I met with my brother and sister and told them I would shock them some more. They knew how much I loved my ’56, but I realized that owning the ’56 was a tool to appreciate the ’55.

I have done some work on the ’56 and know a lot of it ins and outs. Dad only let me drive the ’55 twice before — once in my 20s in a parking lot and then one time in my late 30s, but only up to second gear.

He was particular about the car, and proud. So, if I was going to learn about it, I had to do it on my own car.

So, I told my siblings that if they agreed I would sell my ’56 so that I could buy their shares. I never thought twice about it. They agreed that would be the best for them and the car. A few days later, I called my older brother and we talked for a while. I told him, “I thought you would get the ’Vette.” He then said, “Brother, I always knew that you would get it.”

I think we both shed a tear that day.

My brother helped me list the ’56 on e-Bay, and in two days it was sold. Of all places, it was shipped to France! So, we started making arrangements to get the ’55.

I am in the Down East Cars and Classics car club, and its president is Tommy Respass. I told Tommy about the car, and he immediately said, “When are we going to get it? I will bring my trailer.” We made arrangements to get the car on Saturday, June 4. It was a special day, as Tommy picked me up with his son, Robert. We had great conversation going down to get the car. The ride home was just as fun, watching all the folks on the highway twist their heads and ask all sorts of questions at the gas stations.

When we got it to my home, Tommy said, “ I would not have missed this for anything. It is so special that you and your Dad have this bond, and now you get to drive and enjoy his car.”

Oh, the best part — the scratches that were on the trunk lid from 1976 are still there. Dad never touched them up. He left them there so I could be reminded 35 years later on Father’s Day that when I would polish the ’55 Corvette I would bring back a rush of childhood memories of driving my own ’55 Corvette someday.

I will have the car at the AACA car show today on the waterfront in Washington.