orn and raised in Ohio , Josh Baker spent most of his childhood dreaming about fast and flashy muscle cars . Baker ’ s father , Don , always had some kind of kickass car around , fueling a growing passion into his teenage years , but “ as my dad started getting older and the family kept growing , the fun cars started disappearing for vans and work trucks ,” Baker recalls .
“ My father has always been in construction and my mother is a nurse . She made it through college with five kids , had a 4.0 and worked two jobs while doing it . I still don ’ t see how she did it , but those were the kind of people I was raised by and they taught me to always work hard for what you want .”
Most of Baker ’ s family worked in the automotive field , especially at the General Motors Plant in Lordstown , Ohio . “ My dad and family have always been gung-ho GM for as long as I can remember ,” Baker says . “ But when it came down to getting my first fun car , I somehow steered the opposite way .”
Josh had always loved driving fun cars , but never had one of his own until at 23 years old , he finally decided to pick one out . “ At the time , I had really wanted a Pontiac Trans Am , but they were a little out of my price range , so I settled looking for the next best thing , which was an F-body Camaro . I took a few out for a test drive , ( but ) me being the big guy that I am , it just didn ’ t feel like a suitable daily driver for me . So I ended
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JOSH BAKER ’ S BAGGED AND BOOSTED 5.0
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By Kevin Cox Photographs by Lars Jepsen
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