Kathryn DiMaria is one of those teenagers who makes you envious because of her drive and determination, she is also one of those who makes you think that having children might not be the worst thing in the world!
At the age of 12 she approached her parents and told them that she wanted to use her babysitting money to build herself a car so that it would be ready to drive by the time she reached 16. Her parents were a little skeptical at first, but she presented such strong argument that they let her get the 1986 Pontiac Fiero that she so desperately desired.
When I was a little’un I was obsessed with building tree houses and Go-Karts, I never got especially far, partly because there wasn’t a big enough tree in my garden but more because I would usually always get bored half way through and drop my projects like hot potatoes! Though I did complete one project – an incredibly slow and obscure Go-Kart using planks of wood and some sawn off tricycle parts!
Young Kathryn’s get-up-and-go is slightly otherworldly, now, 2 years after she first approached her folks with what seemed like a crazy idea, she has taught herself (with a little help from dad of course) the intricacies of automobile mechanics and is nearing her goal of getting her Fiero roadworthy by the time she turns 16! She can rebuild an engine, use powerful welding tools, use sand blasting equipment and is pretty nifty with the spray paint too!
Kathryn’s car dreams seem to have infected the whole family as they have all played a part in the project, her mom lends a hand with the “creative” aspects of the project, instructing her on things like the sewing of upholstery, her sister is the unofficial Fiero photographer and dad is referred to as the “information technician”!
Her dad also started posting about his daughter’s vision on Pennock’s Fiero Forum and before long the posts about her and her self-built Fiero had amassed a serious following! Sometimes her fans even gripe at her if she doesn’t keep them regularly updated, to which she apologizes and explains that she also has to go to school and soccer practice! What an amazingly driven young lady!
Some of the followers of Kathryn’s post comment on how impressed they are with her passion and determination in taking on such a time-consuming and complicated project and just recently some followers have been asking for Kathryn’s advice on how to deal with their own automobile issues!
She said:
“Okay this is new, people coming to ME for car stuff. Interesting, but I’ll give it my best shot … Thank you everyone for being so patient with me so just spread the word that I AM BACK!!! But literally I’m glad to be working on my car again, I’ve missed my baby (when I refer to my baby it’s my Fiero! Just to let you know).”
Her father summed it up brilliantly, stating: “Is it just me, or do I have a really cool daughter?” Yes sir, it seemed that you do!
Jalopnik has dubbed her “the girl who played with Fieros” and her feat is quickly becoming the stuff of legend amongst the internet’s automobile obsessed community!
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