Sometimes it’s the simplest moments in life that can shape a person’s future, leading them down a path fed by experiences from an early age. Being born into a performance automotive family, it was only a matter of time before Pete Dayotas Jr. of North Grafton, Massachusetts, came face-to-face with fate. When your earliest memories revolve around climbing into a hopped-up T-bucket packing a dual-quad-fed small-block Chevy, it’s easy to see the switch being flicked on in a youngster’s mind. The combined scent of fuel and oil mixed with chrome and metalflake of his uncle Paul Dayotas’ hot rod was all it took to lure him in. At the same time his dad, Pete Sr., set the pace with regular visits to New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire, to feel the thunder along with traveling to local events like the World of Wheels and Boston Area Roadster shows. Following the sounds of a sizzling fuse being lit he wasted no time heading to a grand finale with building the wicked ’65 Chevy El Camino laid out across these pages.
