COEUR d’ALENE — From the time that he was a child, Thomas Chaffin has always had a love for muscle cars. It was a passion that his father, Keven Chaffin, encouraged. 

The father-son duo enjoyed attending car shows together, especially Car d’Lane. When Chaffin was about 14 years old, they began working on their own project: a 1979 Chevrolet Camaro. It was an activity they could share while Chaffin’s dad battled cancer.

“He couldn’t get out to do all the activities a father and son would do,” said Chaffin, 29. “We stuck to the garage.” 

They didn’t have much money to put into the Camaro, but the time they spent together and the memories they made were priceless. 

“It was always a dream of ours to have it in Car d’Lane,” Chaffin said. 

That dream will come true tonight when thousands line the streets of downtown Coeur d’Alene for the classic car cruise at 6 p.m. 

Chaffin will drive the matte black Camaro in honor of his dad, who died in 2019. 

This year, Car d’Lane represents a kind of homecoming. Chaffin enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps soon after graduating high school and lived away from him hometown of Coeur d’Alene for nearly a decade.

He returned to North Idaho in 2023. It was then that he decided to make restoring the Camaro a priority. Close friends and family members lent their help to the project.

“It’s come a long way in just a year and a half,” he said. 

Since its inception in the 1990s, Car d’Lane has become a beloved Father’s Day tradition for families in North Idaho. The holiday weekend is particularly special for Chaffin this year, not only because of the tribute to his dad. His own son was born in February. 

The baby boy is named Keven, after his grandfather. 

“I can’t wait to work on the car with him when he gets older,” Chaffin said. 

The Friday night cruise promises to be an emotional one, filled with sadness as much as excitement. 

Chaffin said he doesn’t expect the Camaro to win any awards; he didn’t complete the restoration to earn accolades. His goal is for the car to resemble the father-son project it was always meant to be.

When Chaffin takes the wheel tonight, the memory of his father will be with him.

“I wish he were here,” Chaffin said. “I’m glad I’m doing it.”

Car d’Lane will kick off tonight at 6 p.m. with the classic car cruise and continue Saturday with the show and shine from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Both events are in downtown Coeur d’Alene.

    Thomas Chaffin finished restoring a 1979 Chevrolet Camaro in memory of his late father.