When Katie Poletti was growing up in Long Island, N.Y., she immersed herself in the best of both worlds by playing with Hot Wheels and Barbie dolls; she loved to wear flowing dresses but was commonly seen in dirty overalls. Her father had a 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle, so her love of cars could have been instilled in her since birth, but it didn\u2019t consume her until later in life, and now the petrol in her veins only grows richer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katie has been with Ned, her Chevrolet Nova, for nine years, and she loves him more and more every day, but to say their romance was love at first sight would be a stretch. \u201cWhen it came time for me to get my first car, I knew it would be a Chevy; I\u2019ve always loved the bowtie and always will,\u201d Katie said. \u201cNovas caught my eye, and I liked the looks of the third generation, but most were either rust buckets or out of my price range.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While searching online, Katie and her dad came across Ned: a fourth generation 1978 Chevrolet Nova with a straight-six engine, automatic transmission and 34,000 original miles. \u201cThe first time I saw a picture of him, my eyes immediately drifted to the nasty crockpot-like hubcaps stuck to his wheels,\u201d Katie said, \u201cLittle did I know that this car would be the love of my life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI believe every car enthusiast forms a special bond with their first car,\u201d Katie said, \u201cBut to me, Ned means so much more; he is my freedom, my happiness, my ambition, and my hopes and dreams. I feel like the person that I believe I can be when I\u2019m with him \u2013 the best version of myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ned was by Katie\u2019s side during her most formative years, and they both evolved together. \u201cWhen I was upset I wouldn’t chat with my friends; I would take Ned for a drive to a destination to nowhere,\u201d Katie said. \u201cSometimes we wouldn\u2019t even drive at all; I would just get in and sit, but somehow I would always come back better from it, an incredible feeling.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

$\"Ned$

Ned always has Katie’s back (Ned Before overhaul).<\/p><\/div>\n

Ned gets a facelift<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Katie is a hands-on gal who learns by doing, so she approached Steve McCorory and Peter Colasanto, owners of\u00a0<\/span>SP Classics<\/a> <\/strong>in Amityville, N.Y., about an apprenticeship so she could learn more about working on classics. They counter-offered with a huge opportunity: They would take time to help Katie work on her own car. \u201cIt was truly a gift from the kindness of their hearts,\u201d Katie said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Katie was overwhelmed by the opportunity to be part of Ned\u2019s overhaul. \u201cThere are defining moments in our lives that imprint on our soul, and this was one of those moments,\u201d Katie said.<\/span><\/p>\n

$\"Katie$
Katie working on Ned during the overhaul.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cTo say I was heavily emotional during the morning of the reveal is an understatement,\u201d Katie said, \u201cI found myself reflecting back on my entire relationship with Ned in disbelief; we had such a long journey together so far, and I always dreamed of doing something like this for him because he has given me so much. Being reunited with Ned brought about the most overwhelming combination of emotions that I have ever had.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
To Katie\u2019s knowledge, Ned wouldn\u2019t have looked a whole lot different during his reveal; she thought the guys at SP Classics were just spraying and blending areas where bodywork was done, because that was the initial plan. \u201cThey pulled a fast one on me, those beautiful gentlemen,\u201d Katie said. \u201cWhen I first started talking with Steve and Pete, they asked me how I visualized Ned in the future, and I told them that I always wanted white centerlines, because to me, they were the prime essence of a muscle car.\u201d Katie was beyond grateful just to be a part of it all that she didn\u2019t expect Ned to be repainted on top of everything else.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cStanding before Ned, my knees were made of jelly \u2026\u201d Katie said. \u201cI don\u2019t think my body knew which emotion to send out first, so it pushed them all out at once. I was hysterical, and I was like that for a while; I\u2019d be laughing, which would then evolve into a cry, over and over again, and I had to sit often from almost passing out.\u201d As Katie walked around Ned, she fell in love all over again, reunited with her other half, profoundly proud and overflowing with gratitude, joy and tears. \u201cIt was one of those moments that you\u2019re very aware of how lucky you are and how your life is forever changed,\u201d Katie said, \u201cI was just your standard ginger in love.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
$\"First$
First time hearing Ned with new engine.<\/p><\/div>\n
Even two weeks later, Katie would spontaneously start weeping. \u201cI cry every time I<\/span> watch the video<\/a><\/strong>,\u201d she said. The overhaul was so much more than just material changes; it gave the idea of \u201cBeauty\u2019s Got Muscle\u201d more power, and it gave Katie a reservoir of strength and courage \u2013 it gave her hope.<\/span><\/p>\n
$\"High$
High five between Katie and Steve from SP Classics.<\/p><\/div>\n
The beginnings of \u201cBeauty\u2019s Got Muscle\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
Katie had been going to car shows with Ned since she got him in 2006, and the main thing she noticed is that she stuck out like a sore thumb. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just because I\u2019m a redhead, or that I was driving a fourth generation Nova, but I never saw any women who were classic car owners,\u201d Katie said, and with that, she decided to investigate; she knew she wasn\u2019t alone.<\/span><\/p>\n
During her senior year of college, Katie was assigned a thesis project that was to be a full year\u2019s worth of work dedicated to one concept of her choice, and she titled that project \u201cBeauty\u2019s Got Muscle.\u201d Because of her desire to work with video, Katie made her thesis into a film project, and over the course of that year she filmed Ned Nova and herself for a video series that she titled \u201c<\/span>Beauty\u2019s Got Muscle: A true love story<\/a><\/strong>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
At the time of filming the series, Ned was still a straight-six with only 60,000 miles, and Katie wanted to set out across the country with Ned to find other women in the car world like herself, while filming the entire adventure. \u201cIt was a pretty grandiose idea, but after graduation, like most, I fell into line,\u201d Katie said. \u201cI began looking for a job to start the career that I had just earned the degree in, and I figured when I was older and hand more money and time I would revisit the idea.\u201d We have all heard stories about folks having big dreams, and then missing their window of opportunity to pursue those dreams; Katie was almost one of those victims.<\/span><\/p>\n
A few months after college graduation, a very good friend of Katie\u2019s passed away from brain cancer; she was only 21 years old, the same age as Katie at the time. \u201cI still have trouble explaining how much of an impact this had on me; it changed my entire life,\u201d Katie said, \u201cShe had been fighting for four years and told no one. She refused to let it control her life; she was going to continue to live by her standards, not the cancer\u2019s. It wasn\u2019t until the last few months that she told anyone; she waited until the doctors could no longer help and it was physically difficult for her to leave her house. She was an inspiration. Her name was Theresa Durso, but everyone called her T.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
Incidents like this become a part of who you are. \u201cI suddenly realized I didn\u2019t want to live for the nine-to-five job, and I didn\u2019t have to,\u201d Katie said.\u00a0 And so she bought the domain name<\/span> www.beautysgotmuscle.com<\/a><\/strong>, built the website and sent emails all over the country to find women in the car world. Six months later, Katie took Ned on their first trip for the cause, and Katie hasn\u2019t looked back since. The rest is history.<\/span><\/p>\n
The Challenge Ahead<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
One day while driving Ned, Katie noticed an SUV in her rear-view mirror gaining on her. When the car came up along side of them, the lady was all smiles and she was saying something to the passenger while pointing at Katie driving Ned. \u201cWhen I looked over at them, there in the passenger seat was a little girl bouncing and screaming with excitement,\u201d Katie said,\u00a0 \u201cI cried from being so happy. It was the promise of a future with \u2018Beauty\u2019s Got Muscle.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea that we are so heavily defined by the exterior and not by the context of our hearts is something I have always wanted to change about the world,\u201d Katie says, \u201cbut one of the great things I have to say about the car community is that they\u2019re all passionate people and if you share the same passion they do, for the most part gender stereotypes don\u2019t exist.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
For the mission statement on her website, Katie writes; \u201cFor a long time, women have been featured barely dressed on the hood of cars, but hardly ever behind the wheel. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I\u2019m all for a women\u2019s rights of expression, but when women are viewed as objects no different than the car itself, there\u2019s a problem. I\u2019m not looking to be seen as the best or most knowledgeable with cars, I\u2019m just looking to be taken equal, without stigma. I just want to be seen for who I am, not what I am. The only way to bring that change is by showing the world that we\u2019re out there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cAs I\u2019ve traveled to meet the wonderful people in the car world, I am continuously inspired and motivated to keep going for all of them, for my friend who passed and for myself. I am forever grateful because in a way, I believe my friend saved my life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
With the mission of \u201cBeauty\u2019s Got Muscle,\u201d Ned has given Katie\u2019s life a purpose that she can truly be proud of. \u201cHe\u2019s a part of me to the point where I\u2019m not sure what I\u2019d do without him,\u201d Katie says, \u201cI would be lost; that\u2019s scary, I know, and probably crazy to some, but that\u2019s love, real love.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t