Elana Scherr didn’t find her way into old cars as early as most. In fact, she didn’t even get a driver’s license until she was 21. Then she picked up a cheap Duster and, with a little help from her friends, learned not only how to drive it, but also how to fix it when it broke. When she met her future husband Tom and started making passes at the dragstrip, she was hooked.

Many of us came to know Elana from her time spent on staff at Hot Rod Magazine. Her articles jumped off the page with a unique voice that made the reader feel like they were right there, driving around in the featured car or behind the scenes at events like Pike’s Peak and Baja.

Since Hot Rod, Elana has worked as a freelancer, written a book with Don Prudhomme called Don "The Snake" Prudhomme: My Life Beyond the 1320, and made her way back to a magazine staff position, this time as Senior Features Editor at Car and Driver. In her current gig, Elana gets to drive around in brand new cars, comparing and contrasting with her ever-growing fleet of vintage drivers. She still works plenty of the clever storytelling and automotive adventuring that we’ve come to expect from her into her copy.

Be sure to check out Elana and Tom’s YouTube channel (Challengeher) and follow her on Instagram @challengeher.