Twelve-year-old Powell has a passion for cars, but they have to have his personal flair to really capture his heart. The young car buff was ready to move up from model versions, when he posed his wish to the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® of Eastern North Carolina. He asked his wish granters if he could be a “car customizer”.

All the details for Powell’s request fell into place. UAW-GM sponsored the wish, and Bobby Murray Chevrolet in Raleigh, N.C., offered up its car lot, employees and garage. What’s more, Powell’s unique wish turned out to be the Eastern North Carolina chapter’s 1,000th wish since its inception in 1985.

Bobby Murray Chevrolet gave Powell a day to roam the lot and pick out his favorite vehicle. He chose a black Chevrolet S-10 Sportside pickup. Afterwards, he met with employees to plan the customizing details, which totaled more than $5,600 worth of extras. Powell’s accessories included Chevy bowtie tips for the tailpipes, a ram-air hood with scoop, a front air dam, a purple grill, fog lights, wheel flares, high-performance Scorcher tires on chrome rims, ground effects and Chevrolet’s trademark flames and purple bowtie decals.

Weeks later, an official-looking Powell returned to the dealership with his family. Powell and his siblings – 16-year-old Courtney and 9-year-old William – walked in decked out with Goodwrench hats and shop shirts embroidered with their names. With his family, Murray employees and television station crews looking on, Powell got down to work around 10:30 a.m. The dealership’s service manager and accessories technician assisted him as he labored. Employees let Powell know that, indeed, this was his truck to accessorize, with lettering across the hood scoop that read “POWERED BY POWELL” and lettering across the top of the windshield that spelled out “DESIGNED BY POWELL”.

Around 4 p.m., after an afternoon lunch break to meet Bobby Murray Chevrolet’s namesake, Powell’s creation was complete. As he looked down on his first attempt at real-life car customization, he proclaimed his delight by exclaiming, “Phat!” Powell also wondered aloud if the truck’s new tires would squeal, pointing out that they were the biggest street-legal tires available. To satisfy his curiosity, the dealership’s service manager backed the newly furbished truck out of the garage, pointed it down the drive, stepped on the gas and burned rubber. Powell grinned widely.

Days later, the 12-year-old became one of the few pre-teens to legally drive. North Carolina State Highway Patrol officers allowed Powell to test drive his creation with his family by supervising him on a closed-course track.