Florida Gator Fan Pimps His Ride
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Posted: 7:06 PM Jan 11, 2009
Florida Gator Fan Pimps His Ride
Florida Gator fan decks his ride out for the game.
Reporter: Josh Gauntt
Email Address: joshua.gauntt@wjhg.com

Gator Car
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"“I've always been a Gator fan since I was born."

If you think you're the biggest Florida Gator fan, well think again.

Mike Santiago might have you beat.

Santiago is a Panama City Beach Postal Service worker by day, but on the weekends, he's a die hard Florida Gator. And with Florida winning its 2nd national championship in the past three seasons against the Oklahoma Sooners Thursday night, Santiago says the win makes his ride even sweeter.

"It’s a Plymouth acclaim 1993," Santiago said.

His Plymouth is all decked out, from his Tim Tebow shrine inside, to his gator on the roof...

"There’s no gator car out there like this, you get a lot of orange and blue cars but this is unique," Santiago said.

It even plays the gator's fight song.

"I think the horn does it," Santiago said.

Santiago’s been working on it since last season.and as you can tell he's come a long way.

While most Florida fans will settle for a national championship t-shirt from, say, university gifts and apparel in the Panama City mall, that wouldn't satisfy Santiago.

He says he plans to add even more paraphernalia to gator bait.

"My wife, she doesn't want to be near it, but she supports me on it,” said Santiago. “She knows it's my hobby. Instead of me doing something. I work on my car and have fun.”

Santiago travels back and forth to Gainesville each season.

He tells us, his car has well over 100,000 miles on it, but he says it's well worth it.

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