Randy McLean’s love for antique cars goes back to his childhood. “My father had cool cars and sold car accessories when he was a teenager,” he says. “He had a 1961 and a 1963 Chevrolet Impala. He was a Chevrolet guy and disliked Fords.” His father also worked for E.I. DuPont in the automotive paint division for over twenty years, calling on body shops and selling paint to auto parts companies.

Randy bought his 1973 red Corvette convertible in 1989 in Pinson, Alabama. He named it Alva Randolph after his grandmother, who passed away in 1973—the same year the car was made. Though Randy didn’t personally do the mechanical work, the car underwent a full refresh: the engine and transmission were rebuilt, the fiberglass body repaired and repainted in the original factory red, the chrome and plastic bumpers restored, and new interior carpet installed. Today, the car remains 95% stock.

His love for the 1973 Corvette started the moment he saw one in person. “My parents were shopping for a new Monte Carlo. We walked into the showroom of Richard Kelly Chevrolet in Huffman/Roebuck. Ironically, my first job was working at that dealership in the new car preparation department—basically, I washed new cars that were going to be picked up.” That day, he spotted a brand new 1973 Corvette. “I asked the salesperson the price, and he said $6,000. It sounded like a million dollars in my fifteen-year-old mind. The Monte Carlo was $4,200.”

“Corvette owners wave at each other on the road when they pass each other,” Randy says. “After a drive, I report the number of waves Alva Randolph received. Driving my time capsule with the 4-speed manual transmission, manual roll-up windows, and the bright light button on the floor is like therapy. It reminds me of my father and living the dream.”

For Carl Caughran, classic cars are rooted in childhood memories. “Growing up in a small town in the ’60s, cars were everything,” he says. “We knew everything about them… but we couldn’t afford them.” That early fascination never left, even as life moved on.

Carl owns a remarkable trio: a 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback, a 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS, and a 1965 Chevy C10 “Patina” Truck. He takes pride in performing minor repairs and upgrades himself—improving the cars while preserving their character. “They remind me of growing up in Talladega years ago,” he says. “It’s also fun to stop people in their tracks.”

Among Carl’s collection, the Chevelle SS holds a particularly unique story. “It was built in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada,” he says. “The person who restored it actually worked on the production line with his father when it was built. He built this car twice!”

Sam Peavler’s love of antique Fords runs deep—and wide. He owns five vintage Fords, including two 1963 Thunderbird Landaus, a 1966 Thunderbird convertible (currently unfinished), a 1965 Falcon V8 4-speed convertible, and a 1966 LTD. “I’ve always been a Ford fan,” he says. “I grew up around the local Ford dealership in my hometown of Henderson, Kentucky. I always wanted to be an auto body repairman, even though I spent eight years in college.”

Sam restored all of his cars himself, with the exception of the Falcon, which was already restored at the time of purchase. As a retired auto body repairman, he still leaned on the expertise of trusted friends—Ken Brimer, Chris Hatfield, and Greg Kramer—for help with the mechanical side of things. His passion is evident in each carefully revived detail.

Sam’s most fascinating car story centers around his 1966 LTD. He first saw the car at Crestline Shell in Mountain Brook nearly two decades ago, where it still had all five original tires—including the unused spare in the trunk. The shop had invested $2,000 making it roadworthy again, only to find out the owner had left for Europe for 18 months. Sam left his contact information and, incredibly, got a call a year and a half later—only to learn the car had been towed away.

Tracking the car down led him to the original owner, who had donated it to a local charity. Sam rushed to the Exchange Club the next morning to buy it—only to be told it had been stolen overnight.

Eight years passed before he spotted the LTD again, sitting on a bargain lot in Florence, Alabama. Though its condition had declined, Sam sprang into action. He returned to the Exchange Club, paid $500 for the car’s original paperwork (including the license receipt and stolen car report), and worked with Birmingham Police to reclaim and impound it. The next day, he trailered the car home and spent four years restoring it in his barn.