What vehicle took you to prom?

Odds are we’ve all looked to beg, borrow, rent, or buy a nicer car for an occasion, be it a senior year promenade, fall homecoming, winter social, or a Sadie Hawkins dance. Maybe we needed to foolishly impress that special someone. Perhaps we wanted something as nice as the tuxedo/dress we had purchased for the event. No matter, we forked over a lot of cash for our high-school dances—why should our vehicle be any different?

While a limo is never the wrong answer, I bet the Hagerty Community has stories from its delightful youth that include acquiring a special vehicle for a special high school dance. Here are a few shots from my senior prom in the month of May, more than a couple of decades ago.

Yup, that’s 18-year-old Sanjeev, back when I’d actually get upset by stupid jerks careless folks taking it upon themselves to correct the spelling/pronunciation of my name. But I matured, and my growth from adolescence to whatever I am today has been surprisingly plateau-like. Former high-school classmates tell me I haven’t changed a bit, and perhaps my prom machine proves the point: a 1991 Lincoln Mark VII Bill Blass with 1990s-rad purple pinstripe applied at the factory.

The stripe matched my date’s sparkly fuscia dress, but color coordination wasn’t why I picked it. (I loved the car I drove back then and fully expected to use it as my prom vehicle. No surprise, it turned into Hagerty’s Project Valentino.) My mom insisted that I not drive her hand-me-down car and that I upgrade my designer-series Lincoln game instead. No 130-horsepower Valentinos for my prom; I was getting a 225-horsepower Bill Blass to go with that tuxedo.

Of course, Mom didn’t throw out the horsepower figures, nor would my date care about the improved powerband from post-Malaise-era engineering. But I already crushed the spirits of a classmate when racing the Bill Blass—which belonged to Mom—against his throttle-body-injected 5.0 Camaro, so I knew a giddy little thrill merging onto the highway was in my future. Turns out the Lincoln Mark VII’s healthy, high-output mill wasn’t too far behind that of its Fox-body brother, the 1986–93 Mustang. And sleepers like this Bill Blass were extra special back then, as there was no internet to spill our automotive beans.

No matter, my prom was fun, and my date is a friend to this day. The Bill Blass didn’t last as long. With the tale concluded, the question must be asked again to members of the Hagerty Community: What vehicle took you to prom?

Bonus points if you provide a photo, as we’d love to share fancy high-school dance photos with everyone. (With the consent of anyone else pictured, if applicable.) So if you have a picture handy, send it to me at pistonslap@hagerty.com and I will use it in the article!

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