Florence Cazenave, reporter
10-30-2007
Once upon a time, there was a young girl who decided to participate in a beauty pageant. In the pageant interview, she expressed an interest in cars, so her father planned a project for them to work on together.
The father owned an automotive shop and had a passion for hot rods, and together they assembled a car. The girl went to school during the day, and helped her dad at night. The car was to become her 16th birthday present and the girl’s first car.
Sounds like a feel-good Lifetime movie, right?
It happens to be a true story.
Harrel and Anna Beth Lamkin are the father-daughter duo that built a car, participated in Hot Rod’s Power Tour and garnered national recognition.
In 2005, Harrel found a 1976 Pacer X abandoned in a backyard.
“The Pacer X was originally going to be a daily driver, beat-around car, but it snowballed with plans to make it one-of-a-kind,” Anna Beth said.
The pair worked on the car for a long time. The Lamkins said parts for the Pacer are practically non-existent, so restoring the car was difficult. The car was painted a bright purple because it’s Anna Beth’s favorite color. It was dubbed Mopacer after its makers: Pacer and Chrysler’s Mopar.
They finished the car two hours before leaving for the Power Tour. The goal of the tour is to redesign and engineer cars in unique ways. For many people, it’s a good way to put their networking skills to the test and make business contacts. For others, it’s just a fun road trip through seven states.
The tour lasted seven days and not many cars made it. The Lamkins completed the tour with only 25 miles of test drive. Afterward, the cars that made it were treated to the Long Hauler’s ceremony.
The Lamkin team caught Hot Rod magazine’s attention. They were featured in the magazine in six pages along with 24 pictures.
People now recognize Anna Beth and refer to her as “Purple Pacer Girl.”
In a world where today’s youth value celebrities’ latest antics and idolize those who become famous for achieving little, few people stand out in a crowd for having a note-worthy dream and finding the means to make it come true.
Glossy magazine pages feature blond celebrities who make careers out of acting silly in front of a camera. Blond Anna Beth plans on attending Louisiana Tech University and majoring in mechanical engineering.
There is much to be learned from the Lamkin family. For instance — determination and hard work pay off.
Projects like this one are a good way to bond with family members and foster family values. Earning national recognition doesn’t have to be about scandal and lies. It wasn’t for the Lamkins. The adventure brought not only good times and a taste of fame, but it harvested ideas and plans in the making. This project served as the pathway for major things for the family. Maybe one of these days you’ll see a miniature purple Mopacer, packaged, branded and labeled in a toyshop.
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