LIFELONG ACCOMPLISHMENT

After Years of Searching, a Chevelle Enthusiast Finally Finds the Holy Grail

- SCOTTY LACHENAUER

I like to call John Fardone "The King." It's kind of a joke between us, but I say it with a bit of seriousness. The always humble John just scoffs at my praise, but he knows my words have more than a hint of truth in them. In my small slice of the automotive world he's the Monarch of Muscle, the Ruler of Rust. The Baron of Barn Finds.

John has certainly earned his title. He's been out there hunting, scavenging, and sniffing for signs of these rusty gems for more than 30 years. Modest by nature and radiating a youthful aura that follows him on his trails, he pumps out a childlike exuberance whenever he talks of his favorite subject, those lost, forgotten, and stowed-away muscle rides from the factory glory years of old-school Detroit.

He calls the metro Philadelphia area home, but he's laid claim to a much bigger empire. I've seen social media posts of his exploits in New England, the Midwest, and the southern Atlantic Coast. He's always out there with a closed-lip group of friends who always have an eye open and John's cell number on hand, ready to summon the King to a possible jewel in the rough that's ready to be picked and brought back to life.

The Rare LS6 Chevelle 454

Although John has had the success that would make any car aficionado jealous, there was one classic that had eluded his grasp over his years. “The LS6. Even though it was tops on my list, I just never found one. I had been looking since I scored my first Chevelle. It was the next step for me ... a goal which I never had a I the luck to reach. It's the king of all factory Chevelles," says John.