What happens when a young girl decides she needs to learn about cars—and is told she doesn’t belong in the garage?

For Katie Urbanek, that moment happened when she was growing up just outside Detroit.

Born in Western Michigan and raised in Pontiac, Katie grew up surrounded by the automobile industry. Almost everyone she went to school with either worked on cars or had family members who worked at one of the nearby car plants.

Cars were simply part of life.

Even at a young age, Katie was paying attention.

Her mother drove a 1959 Rambler station wagon, and Katie realized that the local gas station across the street wasn’t treating her mother fairly. Katie knew she needed to learn about cars so she could take care of herself.

So she signed up for auto shop.

But she was told she couldn’t participate because she was a girl and would be a distraction.

At the time, girls wore skirts to school. Katie even offered to wear coveralls so she could participate.

She begged.

She pleaded.

They still wouldn’t let her in.

So Katie found another way.

She convinced the students in the class to teach her what they were learning. After school, every day, she learned from them.

And that determination became the foundation for a lifelong love of cars.

Today, Katie owns five classic vehicles, each with its own story.

We’ve spent the last several weeks getting to know those vehicles:

Her 1985 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz Convertible—a rare Cadillac with a personal connection to her late husband.

Her 1954 Plymouth Savoy, “Mildred,” purchased from the family of the woman the car was named after.

Her 1961 Volkswagen pickup, a remarkably simple and rare truck with no radio, no air conditioning and not even a fuel gauge.

Her 1973 Dodge pickup, a true workhorse that Katie uses around her property and as a daily driver. She even helped rebuild its engine and knows the details of the combination, including the carburetor.

And her Volkswagen Beetle, mechanically a 1963 but titled as a 1964, which brought her back to the car that was her first automobile. After her son helped her find it in Florida, she had the rusted beach car fully restored.

Five vehicles.

Five stories.

But this is really one story—the story of Katie.

Her passion for cars isn’t about collecting something valuable or following trends. She considers herself a purist and believes cars should, whenever possible, be preserved the way they came from the factory.

So I asked Katie one final question:

What advice would you leave with us?

Her answer says a lot about the way she sees cars—and the way she has lived her life.

This is Katie’s story.

This is Cruising365 Originals.

Keep On Cruisin.

Contact me at den@cruising365.com

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