You’ve seen the classic cars on the road—those that were exceptionally restored back to their former glory. Maybe you’ve attended a car show or two over the years and seen them up close and personal: the 1950s Bel-Airs, the 1920s Model Ts, the muscle cars of the sixties and seventies. They are hard to miss. The hours of love and thousands of dollars that go into rebuilding and restoring these vehicles are countless, but to those who have done it, it’s a badge of honor.
Roní McHugh of Rochester is one of those people. She’s poured her heart and soul into her labor of love. McHugh finds an immense amount of pleasure in restoring classic cars. In fact, one could say it’s simply in her blood.
Last year, McHugh and her husband, John, finished restoring a 1968 Plymouth Barracuda notchback that she bought in 2017. The car is unique in its own right, not only because it’s a classic, but because of its distinct features that McHugh herself chose.
First, it has a custom center console with a cup holder large enough to fit her coffee. And although the car is a ’68, she borrowed style from future Plymouth years when she chose the sublime green color from the 1970 model line. Car enthusiasts may also remember the floral mod top and matching seats from the 1969 Plymouth Barracuda. You guessed it—although her car is a 1968, McHugh has a custom floral design on her ’Cuda’s top and seats that she says is a nod to the 1969 mod top.
“This car was not meant to be a mod top,” she says. “It was actually built the year before.”
The custom license plate on her car? FLWRPWRD for Flower Powered. The pattern becoming her signature.
“I have put the pattern on pretty much everything,” she says, while listing off items like phones, purses, dresses, and even shoes. “Anyone who knows me knows me by the floral top.”
She even decked out her Jeep with a custom-printed floral top as well. In fact, she’s created an entire business around the print called McHugh’s Mod Tops. She creates and sells custom apparel, some of which features the floral print.
McHugh started restoring cars when she was a little girl, with her dad. He was heavily into Mopar vehicles, and he loved the sublime green color—the same green on eye-catching Barracuda.
“He always had sublime green cars, and I think that started my infatuation with cars and high-impact cars,” she says.
In fact, she and her husband first met when the pair were both members of a local Mopar car club more than two decades ago. They were friends at first, and John was married. They lost touch for a bit and reconnected years later and began dating. They’ve now been together about twenty years, and they don’t regret a day.
“That’s our passion! Each other and our cars,” Roní says, and John agrees.
It took the couple about seven years to fully restore the Barracuda. They had car parts everywhere around the house, garage, and attic. Family and friends would inquire about it frequently enough that McHugh recalls: “I had a shirt made that said, ‘No my car is not done yet,’” she says with a chuckle.
The couple is planning to take it to Columbus in August for the Mopar Nationals, an annual event at the National Trail Raceway that features a classic car show with myriad Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles on display. This year’s event will pay special tribute to the Chrysler brand, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
According to data from the Hagerty Agent, a firm that specializes in insuring classic cars, there are around 43 million collector vehicles in the United States, about sixteen percent of the total 275 million vehicles registered. The data firm reports that ninety percent of car enthusiasts plan to attend an auto event like the Mopar Nationals within the next few years.
Of those 43 million collector vehicles, Hagerty reports that 58 percent of owners say they own them because they are fun to drive. Another 46 percent like the visual appeal or look of the cars.
The McHughs definitely agree. They find the most enjoyment in just being together with their cars.
“Sometimes we just like to go for a ride and take the car,” she says.
In the years they’ve been together, the duo has restored dozens of cars. Most they’ve sold after a couple of years.
“We have fun with our cars. It’s our passion,” she says, underscoring her belief: “Drive ’em; don’t hide ’em.”
And although McHugh has had many classic cars in her lifetime, she’s not letting go of her custom Barracuda. The car is uniquely hers.
“You can bury me in it,” she says. “This one is staying.”
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2025 issue of (585).
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