NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — A Nebraska man has spent years trying to track down a family treasure. He finally found it in a New Mexico garage where it’s been for the past four decades.

This treasure may seem like a rusty, dusty old car, but for Mark Yardley, the Camaro is more than just a car in need of attention. The old convertible has sentimental value, it belonged to his father.

“Back then, my dad was a hell of a drag racer,” Yardley said. “When I was a kid, I helped him work and build the cars,” Yardley explained.

His father retired from drag racing in 1977 and there was no longer any reason to keep the car, so he sold it. Both of Yardley’s parents passed away in 2006. Since then, he’s spent a lot of time reflecting on the memories and lessons learned in his father’s garage.

“I didn’t appreciate at the time how talented my dad was,” Yardley said. “How good he was,” he said.

Yardley made it his mission to find the car, and a few months ago, after years of searching, he found it at Bosque Farms. With tears in their eyes, he and his wife were able to pick it up today, traveling from Nebraska.

Yardley says he’s not sure what he plans to do with the car. “What matters is that it will be in my garage. Every time I go out and open the door, I think of my dad,” he said. “It will never be sold again,” Yardley told KRQE.

Yardley says he plans to restore the car to look like the days his father owned it.