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CARTERVILLE, Mo. (KSNF) – No one forgets their favorite car as a teen. That one car that you ended up selling when you got older, but you’ve secretly hoped you’d get it back someday.

That’s one Carterville man’s story as he got the surprise of a lifetime.

“I got it when I was 19, right out of high school. One of my first big purchases,” said Daniel Ipock.

He has fond memories of his yellow 1966 Mustang, but, soon, life happened.

“Actually [at] 23 I met my wife. And at 24 I ended up selling the car to her dad,” said Ipock.

It stayed in the family, so to speak, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make as he suddenly became a step dad to three young girls.

He said, “These girls are my life.”

When his father-in-law passed away, his brother in-law made plans to sell it to someone outside the family. That is until his eldest step-daughter devised a plan.

“Twenty-three years old, taking on three kids. That’s insane, you know, to give up something that means a lot to him, that was really cool for us. So, me and my mom kind of schemed a little bit a talked about it. And we got with my uncle and bought it back for him. It was really cool just to be able to give it to him,” said Jada Atherton, who gifted the car to Daniel with her two sisters and mom.

“They pranked me saying they sold it, I didn’t want to see it go. And when they actually gave it back to me, it was a big surprise,” said Ipock.

His reaction has captured the hearts of thousands of fans on TikTok, and the video now has more than 3.8 million views.

@jadakatherton_

#greenscreenvideo #greenscreen p.s. that was his first car that he built… #pranked #fathersday #memorialday #HoldMyMilk #FriendsReunion #fypシ

♬ The Good Ones – Gabby Barrett

“Not ever did I even remotely think that the video would get as much love and support as it has,” said Atherton.

“10 years, it’s been sitting over hear at her dad’s house. I’m just glad to get it back,” said Ipock.

“He stepped into my life at the age of 8 years old. Stuck around for this long, I mean, He stepped up in a lot of ways that not only that I wanted for a dad to do, but that I needed,” said Atherton.

It’s a priceless gift, for a priceless bond.

Ipock said, “It just melts my heart to know that my kids love me as much as I love them.”