Looking out in the front parking lot, the sports car missing a bumper, or the lifted truck taking up a parking spot and a half with its larger-than-life tires may seem like a bit of an eyesore, standing in solitude amidst the great expanse of Subaru Outbacks and minivans that students sport at school.
But standing against the conformity of modern cars, the students who own these unique cars take their daily drives to the next level–not only in style but through their own contributions under the hood.
Most notably adding to the array of singular cars in the lot is junior Daivan Gnanarajah, and his ride, a shiny 1997 C5 Corvette.
Gnanarajah purchased his Corvette in early 2026, influenced by his adoration of his grandfather’s C3 Corvette and his own developed interest in working on classic cars over his years at Shorewood.
Gnanarajah began saving up for his own Corvette throughout the course of his sophomore year, immersing himself in car culture as he chased his goal towards eventual success.
“I worked four different jobs, up to 40 hours a week on top of school, and I saved everything,” said Gnanarajah. “Initially, I didn’t think I was going to be able to afford it, so I gave up on the dream and decided to buy a BMW,” said Gnanarajah. But I waited another six months, and now I own a Corvette.”
Throughout the process of saving up for his car, Gnanarajah began establishing himself on social media. He built a platform of connections and learning through his Instagram account, @c5.daivan, influencing most of the work on his classic car. “You’ll never learn just from one person and just one thing. You have to figure it out for yourself,” he said.
Gnanarajah plans to continue improvements on his Corvette, with his most prominent modification being a transmission swap, alternating from his current stock automatic transmission to a six-speed manual. But it doesn’t stop there. “Beyond that, I just want to do camshaft, headers, suspension, and then call it a day,” he said.
However, Gnanarajah isn’t the only student with a passion for working on cars. Senior Eli Jeppsen, a four-year student of the Automotive Technology Program, works on both cars and his own bikes, most recently his own 2011 BMW 335i and Suzuki Jixster 600 GSXR.
For Jeppsen, the auto-tech program was a main introduction to working on cars, giving him vast opportunities and expanding his own scope of mechanical engineering throughout the class. “I do about half of the work on my car in that class…so it’s been a pretty great opportunity to work on my car and learn a lot,” Jeppsen said.
Through his gained experience in class time and his own research, Jeppsen has successfully made many modifications to his BMW, developing confidence in his knowledge and skills, and working on more intimidating projects. “One of the first things I did was a short-shifter, which took me two weeks,” he said. “I had to lower the transmission and a lot of other things, so that was probably one of the hardest things I’ve done.”
From installing his M3 headlights during class to helping his friends work on their personal builds, Jeppsen has developed a passion for cars, expanding further into his plans of studying engineering in college and leaving him with skills for life.
Similarly, senior member of the Autotech program Evan Seabott translates his childhood interest in cars from his family to his current projects, which he pursues by working on his own car.
Seabott purchased his truck, a 2001 Toyota Tacoma TRD, early in his sophomore year, seeking a reliable and useful car he could depend on throughout high school and college.
Shortly after the purchase, he realized the amount of work that had been cut out for him, both due to personal preference and necessary upkeep. “The more you have your car, the more you notice the amount of things you need to change,” said Seabott.
Much like Gnanarajah, Seabott spent much of his junior year working various jobs to save up for parts, primarily for his vehicle’s suspension, and eventually began his work in May of last year.
Although he was mostly self-taught, with the help of his dad and the occasional hand from a friend, Seabott began to take on advanced projects, altering the suspension and adding various modifications like his unique bumper and headlights.
Even though it takes a lot of patience and trial and error to get it done, for Seabott, the risk is worth the reward and the experience of working on his car. “It’s just one of those things that [makes] you feel a certain type of accomplishment (…)” he said. “Whenever you drive your car, you’re like ‘I did this,’ and it’s a special kind of feeling.”
Whether it’s to challenge themselves, have a “sick ride” to school, or chase their enthusiasm for car culture, students express their passion and embrace their experiences of working on their personal cars, just out of love for the game.
