MASON CITY, Iowa - It was a dream nearly a lifetime in the making - a Plymouth man now owns the 1968 Plymouth Barracuda he's coveted since childhood.

Larry Bellard was 12 years old when he spotted his dream car on a Corn Flakes box. The powerful muscle car was being given away in a contest. Through he was just a kid, he convinced his parents to submit his entry.

"I was just sure I was going to win this car."

Although an older woman won the classic, he never stopped looking for the car. Through his lifelong quest, he came across the very car that was on the cereal box in South Dakota. He's got the paperwork proving the pedigree of his Plymouth, right down to the VIN number and color that was displayed on the box. In addition, the car was in perfect condition, and only had 60,000 miles on it.

"I couldn't even believe that fate would bring me back to that very car. When i saw it, it was even the exact color on the Corn Flakes box. After verifying through the VINs and the documentation, I was jubilant. I couldn't wait to give him my money soon enough!"

Now that he owns it, Bellard plans to keep it in top shape without any alterations.
"I want to keep it as original as possible. I'll probably shine it up and clean it up and make sure everything works. That's as how far as I'll go."

Bellard has only owned the car for just a few weeks now, and is working on getting it touched up to show it off when the weather warms up a bit.