Any good racer, mechanic, or enthusiast will tell you that there’s a little bit of luck floating around our automotive universe.
Sure—skills, effort, and talent are incredibly valuable—but when a tiny screw stops rolling millimeters short of an intake port or a loose bolt holds on just long enough for us to make it home, we’re thanking every rabbit’s foot and horseshoe we can find.
And from what we gather, a lot of you feel the same way. That’s because, when the Summit Racing folks posted the following question on their Instagram and Facebook pages, the Reader Contributions poured in from all over the place.
What Was Your Luckiest Automotive Moment?
After reading through them all, we collected our favorite responses and listed them below. Have you shared any similar experiences? Grab your four-leaf clover and tell us about it in the comments section at the bottom of this article!
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- “I had the crank pulley bolts shear off at a red light and the pulley hit my hood. That would have been far worse at a higher rpm.” – Matthew P.
- “Pulled over for speeding, cried, officer laughed and let me go.” – Rebecca M.
- “My 427 Stroker fired on the first attempt AND idled without any help.” – Natalie M.
- “I rolled my 1972 Duster down an embankment—nobody got a scratch on them; car was totaled.” – Edward B.
- “I spun a 1966 Vette on a street with cars parked on both sides and didn’t hit anything.” – Glenn L.
- “Perfect RT and a 9.00 on a 9.00 index (1/8th). I couldn’t do it again if I tried….and, trust me, I tried.” – Bob A.
- “I was the faster car in a bracket race. When I left the line, I broke the transmission and couldn’t make it to the finish. My opponent drove through the finish line, breaking out and handing me the win.” – Jody A.
- “My first ride in a fast car was in a 1972 Pantera. Hooked on speed ever since—I will never forget that day.” – Fred C.
- “Hit that button, and didn’t blow blow the motor!” – Robert E.
- “Trading-in my car only to find it went up in smoke the next day; best deal of my life.” – Don U.
- “Back in 1969, the CHP didn’t take me to jail for doing twice the speed limit.” – Mo K.
- “I broke a pushrod in my Galaxie and only found half of it. I found the other half when I rebuilt the motor years later under the intake—never caused an issue.” – Rheinhardt F.
- “Getting back my first car 13 years after selling it, with my name still on the title.” – Shaun H.
- “The steering shaft coupler separated right after I pulled into a parking spot.” – Cyote G.
- “Completing Drag Week with a car that was rebuilt in 2 weeks and didn’t move under its own power for the first time in 9 months until tech line.” – Tyler B.
- “Bought what the seller thought was a stock 350 but it was a 4 bolt stroker, cammed, and reworked heads.” – Bob C.
- “My Dad bought a 1967 Cougar and gave it to me for my birthday, 19 years later.” – Mike T.
- “Finding a rebuilt AMC 390 out of a Rebel Machine a week after I bought a Rebel Machine that was missing the original engine.” – Josh J.
“No joke, the bolts holding the clutch bellcrank to the bellhousing in my old Jeep CJ sheared off—seconds after leaving the highway, as I was pulling into the Summit Racing Retail Store parking lot! Suffice it to say, the fortuitous timing made for an easy fix and a fun story.”
Paul Sakalas – Editor, OnAllCylinders
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