Three of the best motoring-inspired tributes to fathers posted on YouTube

Larry Benson (right) and his son Aaron enjoying a special moment in a 1953 Hudson Hornet photo: Aaron Benson’s YouTube video

The popular site YouTube has regularly brought stories about a son’s celebration and appreciation for all the hard work and sacrifice a father does for his family. These amazing moments are for everyone in the world to see and appreciate.

Here are some of them.

Deep Wells saved the day

Five years ago, Tanner Brownlee, then 15, lost his father who was killed in the line of duty; the elder Sam Brownlee was a deputy for the Weld County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado. Last month, his father’s old patrol car was being auctioned off in a charity organized by the county. Brownlee tried to make an unsuccessful bid for his father’s 2010 Dodge Charger patrol car; it eventually went to a rancher named Steve Wells for a hefty amount of $60,000.

Quoting Colorado’s 9News report, Wells took the keys and turned to Tanner and said “Tanner, here’s your car.” According to the younger Brownlee, the two men have never met before. “It means so much to me,” he said.

The money raised from the auction was for the benefit of fallen officers and Wells’ bid of $60,000 was way over the estimated value of the Charger, which was only around $12,500 before the auction. “Realizing how much this car meant to him, I understand it now, and I want to keep that and hold onto it,” Tanner reportedly told 9NEWS before the auction. The younger Brownlee and his brother didn’t have much to remember their father so by trying to make a bid to buy his father’s old patrol car will strengthen their connection.

“He put time and work into it. He drove it every day, and so to have something like that will be bigger than a lot of things I could have gotten,” Tanner said. Wells declined to be interviewed, but he is reportedly a rancher who owns thousands of acres of land in Weld County known for rich oil deposits.

Son tricks dad

Larry Benson had a lot of happy childhood memories in his family’s 1953 Hudson Hornet. So Larry’s son Aaron searched on the Internet for this particular car and was able to successfully find one to fulfill giving his dad his dream car. After tracking down and checking on the paperwork, Aaron managed to purchase this rare collector’s car and documented this event on a video and posted it on YouTube.

“Growing up, he was always such a great dad to me and always believed in everything that I did. I just felt there was no better way to repay him than to give him something that he’s been wanting for such a long time,” Aaron said in his video.

Aaron managed to trick his father that he was going to do an interview with a car website, so it would give him an excuse to film his father and his reaction up to the moments leading up to the big surprise. It was all worth the effort and the big payoff, for Aaron was seeing his emotional father reading his note, which came with the car. “A dream come true for you and I, both,” the note reads, “I hope you enjoy this for many years to come, you have earned it.”

Grandson ruins surprise

A father who recently celebrated his 60th birthday got a surprise gift from his son. And as the family was taking videos to record this special moment, his young grandson spoils it by shouting “We bought you a car!” The “surprise” was a fully restored 1968 Pontiac GTO the only thing he could say on cam was “Oh, you’ve got to be (bleep-bleep) me.” The video was uploaded sometime in February and according to 4wheelonline.com, they had a written account telling them about some of the details of this video: “When my father-in-law was 16 he owned a 68 Pontiac GTO. Bought and paid for with his own hard-earned money. He and my mother-in-law have such great memories of those times and that car. A while back they found some old photos of the GTO. There it was, green with a black vinyl top. The myth, the legend, Pop’s GTO.”

“Listening to the stories and looking at the pictures, my brother-in-law became inspired, and began the journey of locating and restoring a (not his first, I might add) similar if not identical car. This week my father and mother-in-law celebrated their 60th birthdays. All of their children were there to celebrate with them. This video is of my brother surprising his father with the gift of a lifetime. And no, my 3 year old did not spoil the surprise. Enjoy,” the account said.