While many 2-year-old girls might ask their dad for an Easy-Bake Oven, a precocious Alicia Jones wanted something bigger and greasier.

"I was only 2, but I remember I was at my dad's friend's house and he said to me as a joke, Go tell your daddy to buy it for you,'" said Jones, now 17 and a senior at Ventura High School. "My dad just said, How much?' and he bought it."

For Ricky Jones and his daughter, "it" was a skeleton of a 1968 Plymouth Barracuda. It was stripped of paint and with its parts in boxes when they bought it, and the father and daughter team has worked for 15 years to rebuild the classic American muscle car.

Now almost fully refurbished, complete with purple paint and a 390-cubic-inch motor, the car received plenty of kudos from fellow students during a car show Thursday at Ventura High.

About 35 other students, teachers and community members also brought cars and motocross bikes to the show, which was organized by Richard Williams, the Regional Occupation Program automotive technology teacher.

Thursday's event was also a fundraiser for Ventura High student Justin Eubanks, who is currently recovering from a near-fatal dirt bike accident over the summer that left him with serious injuries.

Contestants paid $10 to enter their bikes or cars, and others paid $1 to vote for their favorite vehicles.

The car or bike owner winning the most votes would receive a Best in Show certificate and bragging rights, Williams said.

"It's definitely for a good cause, and it also gets kids to show what they've got," Williams said.

Eubanks' lime green Kawasaki KXF 250 bike was on display at the event, closely guarded by Eubanks' friends. Eubanks was resting at home and could not attend, said sophomore Tucker Hicks.

"Everything here is going to Justin, but it's also a good reason to get out of class," Hicks said with a smile.

Ventura High senior Cheyanne Carbajal brought her black 1997 Corvette C5 to the show. Carbajal said she was glad to contribute to Eubanks' fund. "I also decided to show it off, because I know it's going to win," said Carbajal, 17.

The event raised $750, with Carbajal's Corvette indeed garnering the most votes, Williams said.

Bryan O'Shea's 1997 Toyota 4Runner stood out like a dirty sore thumb among the row of pristine cars. Caked in mud and fresh from a recent off-roading escapade, the 18-year-old's vehicle was displayed with pride and joy. "People are asking me, Why is it so muddy?' and I tell them, That's how I wanted it,'" O'Shea said. "A lot of kids like low-riders, but I like to go off-roading and take it to the mountains."