A Corvette, a Rolls-Royce, And a Trans Am Under a Tree

The vehicles that turned heads this year, and the stories of the driven owners behind them

For the 11th straight year, The Wall Street Journal has profiled car and motorcycle lovers in the weekly My Ride column. This year’s stories have featured everything from a 1925 Rolls-Royce that makes its home on potholed New York City streets to a “crown jewel” of a lowriding legend. Here are some favorites from 2024.

’54 Chevy Bel Air, a crown jewel for lowriding legend

Oscar Ruelas started a car-themed social club in Los Angeles with friends back when he was barely a teenager. Today, it’s known as Duke’s, and it has chapters as far off as Japan and Australia. A retired longshoreman in L.A., Ruelas has been customizing cars for over 65 years, and this 1954 “Mr. Lowrider” Chevrolet Bel Air is the one he uses most these days. It has everything from door lock buttons that look like bullets to custom etching to paint that “changes color when the sun hits it,” Ruelas said.

To buy this rare Bugatti, he needed money, patience