MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — A 59-year-old dream came true on Thursday morning for 71-year-old Army veteran Daniel Boura.

“It’s been a dream of mine since 1964; it’s been a dream of mine since I fell in love with it,” Boura said.

Boura has always dreamed of owning a Shelby Cobra but said life didn’t work out in a way to obtain that dream. Instead, he shifted the dream to one day have the chance to take a spin in the sports car.

Boura is a patient at the Veterans Recovery Resource Center where he spends a lot of time with peer supporter Rhondi Foley. One day, he shared stories of his childhood and how he would spend time working on cars with his dad. Including that his dream car was a Shelby Cobra.

When Foley heard that, a lightbulb went off in her head.

“I thought I got to get this man a Cobra,” Foley said.

But it’s a task that was put on high urgency due to a recent diagnosis.

“He said to me that was his dying wish,” Foley said.

Boura is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Doctors believe the disease was caused by toxic exposures during his time in the Army from May 1971 to 1974 and again from June 1981 to 1986.

Foley put the word out that she was looking for a Cobra for Boura, and that word traveled to a car show in Las Vegas. David Steel was at that car show and immediately volunteered.

“Anytime you get a chance to give back to our folks that put their lives on the line for our freedom, how could you say no,” Steel said.

Steel went back to Chicago after the show, packed up his Shelby Cobra Superformance MK III built in 2004 and brought it to Mobile.

He surprised Boura with the opportunity to live out his dream.

“I got what I wanted; I got the ride of my life. Let’s put it that way,” Boura said.

Boura said it was the perfect way to celebrate Veterans Day and his birthday on Saturday.

“The car is awesome, and the ride is awesome,” he said. “Everything just worked out perfect.”