With 2014 quickly coming to a close we take a look back at a few stand-out rides from this year. Every car or truck that we feature in our magazine is undoubtedly special in its own right. Not only for the special qualities that the classic vehicle permeates–but just as important, because of the personal stories that each owner can relate about owning vehicles steeped in romanticism and tradition.

For the full feature on each vehicle in this article, click on the link at the end of each mention.

Mike Peltier’s All Steel, “Old School” 1930 Ford Model A Coupe: “When I was 14, dad needed to stop at a junk yard in Russia, Ohio and asked me to come along,” Peltier told us. “I don’t know why he needed to stop. It didn’t matter; a chance to go to a junkyard on Saturday with my dad? Heck yes!”

“There I saw a beautiful (to my eye ) junked 1930 Model A Coupe that only had a ‘little’ rust in the quarter panels. I thought to myself, I could buy this and fix it up. I had two years to do it in before I could drive.”

“To my surprise, Dad was getting interested in it with me and persuaded the junkyard guy to let us have it for $90. Oh boy, did I want to buy that car! But it would not be. Dad, although he was a little excited too, quickly came to his senses and said there was no way he would let me buy that thing.” Read more.

Scott McCann’s ’32 Ford, An Authentic Flats Racer Worth Its Salt: “This car raced at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1952 and also at quarter-mile tracks in the Denver area from 1949 to 1953,” McCann explained.

“It was then put away in a warehouse for a long nap until 2012. That’s when I bought it. At that time nobody knew that it had racing history because the sides of the car had been painted over with a dull looking brown color. I liked how the paint on the deck lid and top part of the car looked, so I started removing the top layer on the sides and found the original race numbers still there. Then, with the help of some long time hot rodders in the area, some history started coming in. We found it listed in the 1952 Bonneville program and also some photos of it on the Salt Flats in 1952.” Read more.

Purple Majesty: The Sum Of Many Parts Equals A Homemade Masterpiece: “I remember going to the Oakland Roadster Show with my father and uncle when I was young. I quickly got into building model cars and I would often go to school with glue and paint on my fingers. Other times, I remember hanging out with my uncle, who ran a car club called “The Regents” out of my grandmother’s basement. I would sneak around my uncle’s friends’ cars while they had their meetings and would climb inside of them. I was pretty sneaky for a fourth grader.” Read more.

Which of these three spotlights strikes a chord with you and why? In the fast-paced work setting that is digital publishing it’s easy to lose sight of the truly special stories that fall on our desks, we run into during events, or that are submitted to our inboxes. But the fact is, it is, and has always been, the lives of those that we report on that in turn, give this magazine life.