Reaching speeds upwards of 95 mph, Ron Erickson and Matt Conte raced their Subaru to a third-place finish in the open light class at the Rally in the 100-Acre Wood in February. The national championship performance rally in Salem, Mo., led drivers through the Ozarks wilderness over unpaved county roads.

“We call her Ol’ Smokey — for obvious reasons when you start her up on cold days.” Barbara Skaggs, ME’85, is referring to her family’s 1942 Dodge WC52, better known as a “weapons carrier” in the military. Years ago the veteran vehicle found a new life with the family.

Many cars have a series of owners before they are scrapped or otherwise retired. It’s rare for a vehicle to find a permanent loving home that spans generations. Montie Gauss’s 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster is one of the lucky ones.

Love at first sight isn’t something that happens only between people. In 1952, the U.S. Air Force stationed Milton Hiekenin southwest France, where he bought his first car, a 1953 MG-TD Roadster.

First sold in December 1927, the Ford Model A was the second huge success for Ford Motor Co., replacing the Model T, which had been in production for 18 years. The car came in four standard colors, but not black. By the end of production in 1932, nearly 5 million Model As had been sold.

Since she was a young girl, Nicola Utterback Nelson, EE’66, MS EE’71, has wanted to own a convertible.

About five years ago, Ghassem Takmil, ChE’77, reluctantly turned in his 33-year-old French Renault to an Iranian junkyard. The government gave him the equivalent of roughly $1,200 — about what he originally paid for it — to junk the car, under the condition that Takmil purchase a vehicle made in Iran.

Brian Mullen, GeoE’08, bought his 1989 Toyota 4Runner off a gas station parking lot for $2,000 back in 2002.

Designed by Harley Earl, the Chevrolet Corvette was first introduced as a concept car at the GM Motorama in 1953. It came in polo white with a red interior and a black top — and that was the only option.

“I didn’t pick my major for a good job or a membership to the country club,” says Bob Toy, ME’72. “I did it so I could race.”