There is a sad trend going on at our nations public schools, as budgets are tightened and student interests drift. Once upon a time, it would be almost impossible that any school would be without an auto shop program, but today it is an all-too-common problem. But there remain a few holdouts where students can still learn the value of checking tire pressure and changing their own oil. Some students are lucky enough to learn even more than that.

KFBB News reports that 30 members of Great Falls, Monatana-area high schools have each been award a $10,000 college scholarship after successfully restoring a ‘66 Ford Mustang.

The team, made up from students from Great Falls High School, C.M. Russel High School, and Paris Gibson Education center, went to work restoring a 1966 Ford Mustang confiscated from a local drug dealer. The students worked together as part of the Automotive Service Excellence program, and entered into Dupli-Color’s Restoration Challenge, also called “Generation Next,” which seems focused on getting a new generation of students interested in restoring older cars.

The Great Falls students won the contest, each of them earning a $10,000 scholarship to Ohio Technical College to continue an education in car restoration. As for the Mustang, it will be returned to Great Falls police to help fight drug crime, and may eventually be auctioned off and sold. We’re just glad a new generation of students has found an interest in restoring classic cars, because without experienced mechanics, who will be there to carry on the tradition of American muscle?