This article is a part of the My Favourite Car Story series, where we are asking readers to submit their most memorable stories.
In the late 1990s my family and I were preparing to return to Toronto after seven years living and working in the Cayman Islands.
My family left before me so I could stay behind to take care of some matters, the biggest being what to do with my 1991 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce.
It was candy apple red, had a tan interior and a manual 5 speed gearbox. It leaked like a sieve when it rained and I used to joke that when driving in thunderstorms, I had to open the windows to let the water out.
There was no question I wanted to bring this car back to Toronto, but how? I arranged for the car to be shipped to Miami by boat, but shipping it by train or truck to Toronto would be expensive so at the last minute I decided to drive. The big issue was that on arriving in the U.S. the car wouldn't have valid plates or insurance.
I was legally required to remove both license plates before the car was left the Island, but because there were so many foreign workers in Cayman, they had developed a custom to purchase one of your old plates as a souvenir. So I bought the plate for a small fee and raced back to the dockside to put it on the rear of the Alfa before they locked up the container.
My custom broker, with a wink and a nod, arranged for the car to clear Miami customs and I picked up the car a couple of days later whereupon I immediately made for the interstate to start heading up north.
In the 7 years of driving in Cayman, I don't think I ever went over 60 km/h, mostly due to the quality of roads and the numerous speed bumps that littered the Island.
Suddenly I found myself flying along at 110 km/h and being passed by 18 wheelers. It was terrifying. The Alfa is not a big car and it felt every gust. By the time I got to northern Florida, I was a nervous wreck but embolden by the fact I had made it.
While driving through Pennsylvania I was anxious to get home and motoring well above the speed limit when I looked in my rear view mirror to see two state trooper patrol cars barreling up on me. I thought I was screwed.
The two cop cars flanked me and I saw they were both on the radios. Then they both dropped back, read my license plate and cruised for about 30 seconds.
The next thing I knew, they pulled back into their respective lanes next to me and were laughing while still on their radios. At which point, one of them gave me the thumbs up and they both peeled off at the next off ramp.
Two days later, I cleared Canadian customs and I was soon back in Toronto.
I appreciate what I did was reckless and truth be told, stupid. While my friends think I was extremely lucky to get away with it, I think it was a case of good car-ma.
Cars can be about a lot more than getting from point A to point B or horsepower. Every car is filled with memories and we want to hear yours. Do you have a memorable car story? Tell us in 100 words or less and we will contact you for more details. The best stories will be published as part of our new My Favourite Car series. Please use the form below to share your story.
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