If you’ve been here for a while, you’ll know that the parking lots at Juan Diego have never really been host to any extremely unique or cool cars. However, within the past half a decade or so the students at JD have been increasingly willing to bring their special cars to school. It could be argued that this trend has peaked this year or in the few years past, as the cars here recently have been some of the most unique so far. To start, we’ll cover senior Adam Green and his 2006 Saleen Mustang.

Adam has owned his car for about 4 years. It’s sentimental to him because it’s the first and only car he has ever owned. According to him, his favorite memory with it is drag racing in industrial lots, which you’d know is a pretty good choice if you’ve also done it. 

It’s different from a stock Mustang from the same year in some pretty major ways that really make the car special. Instead of the 2.5 liter V6 that was typical in a stock 2006 Mustang (excluding GT models), his Saleen has a 5 liter V8 with a specialized, custom Saleen interior as well as a Saleen body kit which makes the rear of the car noticeably differently shaped from a regular Mustang. His is the 72nd of 1,611 total Saleen Mustangs made in 2006. 

The next car we’ll look at is Gio Hernandez’ Caddy. It’s a 1988 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham d’Elegance, arguably a peak for the malaise era of cars. His favorite memory with it is taking it out for the first time, one of the best experiences with a new car, especially when yours looks like his does. 

You can instantly tell when Gio’s coming, and if not by the late-80s pimp aura you can’t help but feel when you look at it, then by the reflection of the Sun on his massive chrome spoke wheels. He didn’t make it clear what brand they were, but the car definitely wouldn’t be the same without the character they bring to it. Gio says the car means a lot to him because it was his very first car and it’s an extremely beautiful one. 

To finish, we’ll cover my own 1923 Ford T Bucket because of the insistence of multiple people. The car has been in my family since my dad bought it from a Wyoming man in 2006. He and my grandpa worked to fix the innumerable crippling problems with the car over the years until it sat in a neighbor’s garage for four years when I got my driver’s license. It is immobilized frequently and has only been drivable for about a year total out of the past five. 

My favorite memory with the car is getting driven to little league games in it as a kid. It is a 1923 Ford Model T body with a 383 Chevrolet engine and a supercharger. The car has existed as is since the mid 1980’s. 

Keep in mind there are many other cars that couldn’t make this list but deserve love regardless. As this senior class leaves and brings with them a lot of the rides that have made Juan Diego’s parking lot unique, it’s up to the classes that follow to continue to show love and be willing to bring their cleanest cars to school, and as of now, that future looks pretty bright.