One guy who refused to let his ride die was Luke Jonavic from Ontario, California, who we found eating lunch on his hood says his '75 Cadillac hearse might be, "haunted and determined to remain non-functional. The hearse is one of the coolest cars ever made." He went on about how the ride could use a new engine, new working gauges, new upholstery and a whole lot more to bring it back from the dead.
Take Lance Carter from Compton, California, who had a ride closer to the flavor of a lowrider with a four-door '65 Chevy Impala called "Two-Tone Ugly" (that's cold!). The ride has an old radio and one speaker. His idea of a clean hookup is "22-inch rims, paint job, sound system and a digital dashboard." Like Vanna White showing off a boat, Lance pointed to a serving of rusted and well-worn bodywork, "Older cats like it, Pops likes it. People wanna buy it." He also admits that he doesn't get any looks from the ladies. Gee, wonder why?
One owner who surprised us was Benno from Irvine, California, who displayed no visible signs of bodily pain when he exited the front seat of his four-door '71 Plymouth. There was a giant crater with protruding springs in the driver's seat! "I've had the car for six years and love it," he says with a grin. His fix-it aspirations are to have the rear doors "suicided," shave off all of the emblems, get a sound system with a drop-down DVD monitor and much much more. Still others had tales of multiple hit and runs; runaway shopping carts; sneaky potholes that they didn't see; front, rear and side fender benders; burglars and just plain ol' bad luck. There seemed to be several vicious culprits in how their precious cars came to be in their present condition.
The MTV and G.A.S. event lasted all day and owners were interviewed by the crew and given waiting instructions for the months to come regarding a spot on the show. So with a duplicate set of keys and broken alarm fobs, they sparked, sputtered and billowed exhaust back home with their fingers crossed and good luck charms swinging from the mirror.