Albert Traille lives in San Leandro with his wife, Patty, and son, Justin. He works for National Security Technologies in Livermore.

Out of all the muscle cars and hot rods that I have owned since I started driving in 1975, this 1932 Ford Roadster is by far the biggest kick to drive. It's the closest thing to riding a motorcycle you can get without wearing a helmet and having to balance!

This car is no trailer queen, though. If you ever see it on a trailer, it's because it broke down. We have driven it to car shows, picnics, birthday parties, Little League practices, games, the driving range, golfing, work and school transport. Any chance to get behind the wheel of this smile-maker is taken advantage of.

Once it gets pushed out of the garage and the 1964 Chevy 327 engine (fed by three Rochester carburetors on an Offenhauser intake) barks to life (through the baffled Lake headers), whatever problems or stress I felt just melts into a stupid ear-to-ear grin. One of the fun things that my son, Justin, and I like to do is see how many car alarms we can set off by the sound of the motor and exhaust. Every time an alarm chirps or goes off, we start laughing like little kids.

We didn't build the car to be an attention-getter. We built it for the fun of the father-son project and because it was what we wanted. We don't care about what anyone thinks of it.

Everything that can be done to a 1932 Ford has already been done over the years, but what keeps the juices flowing is trying to come up with a combination of parts that represent my unique take on this classic car. Searching for three years to find the perfect set of 1936 Ford headlights to put on it was immensely satisfying. Choosing 1958 Harley Davidson taillights and 1940 Ford wheels made it different from all others. Scoring the 1937 Chevy heater online, removing the core and restoring the case to make a glove box out of it was pure bliss.

Another benefit of the hot-rod hobby is going to shows and meeting and talking to fellow enthusiasts and spectators. We have made lots of friends that we see three or four times a year at shows around the Bay Area. Talking with car fans and answering questions, or letting little kids sit in the car so their parents can take a picture of them in it, is just plain fun. Just think - my '32 might have planted the seed for the next generation of hot-rodders!

I get asked all the time, "How fast will it go?" I answer, "Faster than I want to drive it." My favorite question is, "How many miles per gallon does it get?" I tell people that it's not miles per gallon, but smiles per mile, that matter.

But the biggest joy of this car is the bonding with my son and friends that comes from the time in the garage spent building it together. You cannot put a price on the joy and friendship involved in this hobby, from the frosty beverages, pizzas, BBQ's, dirty hands and busted knuckles to the unmitigated joy of the sun on your head and the wind in your hair as the miles roll by under the tires.

God willing, when I am blessed with grandchildren they will be picked up at school by the old man in the old car, and they can drip ice cream all over the seat as I pin their little heads back into the seat when I stab the "go fast" pedal.

We want to know what you drive and why! Submit story ideas with the subject "My Ride" to

