You're a young girl, and you live in the 'Need For Speed: Underground' era.
You own a Ford Probe.
You turn it pink, stance it and beef it with a wide bodywork.
You then go and win it all in the tuning contests.
Next, you see a Miata.
You want to learn how to drift, so you buy it and force feed it.
You then try to shove a big V8 in it, but it doesn't fit.
So you buy a BMW E30 to host the big lump.
Then you turn it into a drift machine and win a European championship with it.
If you're curious how Ramona Rusu did it, just click the link on the screen.
Behind these many acquisitions, there are Smart ForTwos sacrified in the process.
It's not that she hates the Smarts, but she's in love with every car in her collection, no matter how pink it is.
So she kept them all and we paid Ramona a visit to find out more about her and her garage's history.
Host: How many trophies do you have?
I have no idea
Host: How many cars do you own?
I don't know
Host: Perfect. What's the fastest you ever drove?
I can't remember
Host: How many accidents did you have?
About three or four.
But they were small.
Host: Do you like pineapple pizza?
No.
Not at all.
Host: What was your first car and why?
A Ford Probe.
Why? Because an Opel Manta, which was my dream at the time, was too rusty,
and I fell in love with a Ford Probe.
Which kinda looked the same.
Host: A Ford Probe that now looks like it's from the cover of a NFS game.
Yes, those where the times when I started working on the car.
Host: Is there something that you haven't changed on it?
The engine.
And the chassis.
Host: The engine is?
The engine is a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter with 116 hp.
Back then it was all about 'Low & slow'
Host: Following the list of things that make a cool car in Need For Speed;
Does your Ford have air suspension?
It does.
Host: Does it have pearlescent paint?
Yes.
Host: Does it have a custom interior?
Yes.
Host: Does it have a cool sound system?
Not really.
Host: Ok. Your second car?
My second car is the Mazda.
Actually, there were some Smart cars in between.
Host: Mazda. You bought it stock, probably.
Yes.
Host: And it now looks like this.
Like this, how?
Host: Like this... porn thing, so to say.
Yes, it's a sexy car, true.
Host: It is.
Host: Hot damn!
Host: But what did you do to it to make it look like this?
We're talking about the engine here, because otherwise the car's still pretty much original on the outside.
I mean, it just has some wide wheels.
Host: What engine?
A 1.6-liter engine. It was naturally aspirated, 116 hp.
The first upgrade stage was a turbo,
where the car got to 183 hp.
Then came another upgrade stage, I don't know how else to call it - stage 2 for me, probably.
With this, the car almost reached 300 hp.
Host: So it means that this one isn't made for show, although it looks this good,
but it's modified for performance.
Yes, it's made for performance and for my own personal satisfaction.
With this car I went to my first drift stages, then I saw that it't not really the best car for the job,
and I got into time attack events.
Of course, not at a national level, but at regional events,
where the car performed pretty good.
Host: The third car.
Host: Do you have any other cars? This interview is going to take a while, right?
Host: Ok, the third car.
The third car...?
I think it was the BMW E30.
If we don't count the other Mazda that was a wreck, actually a failed attempt.
It was the BMW E30.
Host: You used it just for racing?
No, I started using it as a road car.
And then I transformed it into a race car.
Strictly for drifting.
Host: The fourth car?
If I remember correctly, it was an S13.
I bought it with the idea of replacing the E30 as a drift car,
which even today is a very good drift car,
but for this to happen I would have sold the E30 to get the money for the S13,
but from my calculations, I couldn't do it, because the S13 was much more expensive to prep.
So I forgot about the S13 and now it has another owner.
Host: Tell me what you drive today
Today I drive a BMW E92, because my other cars got me from A to B,
but not much further than point B.
I mean, you see, every one is modified.
To get to Germany, to cover 2,000 km, I don't know if I could count on them.
Host: In a Mazda MX-5, your back hurts a lot.
Exactly. You can't really stretch your legs.
And I probably sold a Smart once again,
I gathered more cash, I borrowed some money,
to get myself a new car.
To see what a newer car is like, and I really liked the E92.
Host: But, I saw pictures of a red car that's really really nice, even though it's not really new.
Yes. The C3 Corvette is the newest buy.
It's - again - a very old dream of mine.
I thank God and everything He created so that this car finally got to me
and it's perfect and we complete each other perfectly.
Host: Will you race it or keep it clean, just as a daily driver?
You know how it is: never say never
I don't know. The idea is to use it as a daily driver, to cover as many kilometers as I can,
but the car will remain a beautiful classic.
Host: This means that you want to restore it.
Yes. I want to restore it as soon as possible.
Host: The C3 had a lot of variants. What engine does yours have?
My Corvette has a 5.7-liter engine, it's a small block,
it has less than 200 hp, but it's got a nice torque number and it makes you feel very nice.
Host: Do you have any other car that you can think of, that you use
and haven't lost in that pile of Smart cars?
I don't have any more Smarts.
But yes, I also have a Subaru.
A Subaru that I don't yet fully understand,
so that I can race with it or just get along with.
We still have a lot to learn one from the other.
Host: Do you drive it on the street or do you just keep it in the garage to use it in the Winter Rally?
No, the Subaru is street legal.
All my cars are street legal, except the drift car.
And I drive it on the street, how can you not drive a boxer on the street?
I mean, how can you not listen to that sound?
And, anyway, it's black, like I always wanted all my cars to be.
Of course, every car lover wants or thinks about a lot cars and would like a garage full of cars.
And every car lover would want to drive all the cars at once, if it was possible.
I really enjoyed seeing you drive two of my cars.
And finally I saw them cruising and observed their beauty from another angle.
Host: Just so you know, I'm free on weekends, so if you ever want to see your cars from outside,
give me a call and I'll gladly drive your cars.
Ok. I think you can get a really cheap plane ticket.
Host: Yes, yes. We can make it happen. It's not a problem.
From America to Europe and Asia, Ramona gathered praise-worthy machines in her cosy garage
and took much care of every single one of them.
The latest entry, a red Chevrolet Corvette, is getting ready of a restoration process.
Up next, long trips are in the book, but that's all she could tell us fro now.
If there's anything to learn from this experience, it's that a car collection's sentimental value
surpasses its material worth.
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