2017 Camaro Takes on Deeper Meaning for One Fan

Sure, we all know how great the new coupe is. But for one Californian, the Camaro provides much more than just a fast ride and admiring stares.

Anyone who owns or has driven a new Chevrolet Camaro can attest to the fact that the latest version could very well be one of the best models ever built by Chevy. From all the performance enhancements to the new technology features, the sixth-generation Camaro is a shining example that the push to modernize an iconic automobile doesn’t have to negate the appeal of its classic features.

But for Chanelle Arguello, who recently purchased a 2017 Camaro 1LT Coupe, the allure and history tied to the Chevy sports car takes on a much deeper meaning. It’s a wonderfully compelling story that she shares exclusively with Chevrolet Forum.

The 31-year-old Los Angeles resident has always dreamed of owning a Camaro. It was a fascination that she picked up from her late father, Robert Arguello, who once owned two Camaros before his passing in 2003.

“He spoke about them in such an incredible way that in the back of my mind, it was as if I had to have one, one day,” Arguello tells Chevrolet Forum. “The thing I remember most is hearing the stories and watching how his eyes would light up reminiscing about the memories he had with his Camaros.”

Robert Arguello was far from the typical Camaro owner. The two models he owned, which included a black 1967 coupe and a 1969 burgundy model, were cars that he completely rebuilt himself from the ground up.

‘My dad said the car made you feel alive,
and now I understand what he used to describe.’

Chanelle, who was 17 when her father died, never did actually get to see the Camaros herself. Her father ended up selling both cars just before she was born because he was enlisted in the Navy and had to move the family from Pueblo, Colorado to Jacksonville, Florida. But the photos (like the one above of Robert and his sister) along with all the family stories tied to his Camaros have become an important part of Chanelle’s fondest memories of her dad.

“My father spoke about those cars almost every day,” recalls Chanelle, whose father unexpectedly died from congestive heart failure at the young age of 38. “People would always talk to me about my dad’s cars.”

Chanelle says she specifically bought a black Camaro because her dad owned a black one as well. She even teared up the first time she drove the car, thinking about her father, who would have turned 52 this year.

“It wasn’t because I was sad,” she says about that memorable first ride. “I guess I just felt like my dad was with me. Life sometimes can feel like a full circle, and in that moment, I felt like I was living everything my father spoke of.”

It’s a connection to her dad that Chanelle says grows stronger whenever she’s behind the wheel of her new Camaro.

“Every time I get in my car and start to drive, I think to myself, ‘let’s cruise, dad,’ and start to ride, knowing we are together. My dad said the car made you feel alive, and now I understand what he used to describe.”