By DUG BEGLEY, The Press-Enterprise

When the 1940 Chevy convertible George Holder was trying to sell at the Pomona, Calif., Swap Meet was built, a gallon of gasoline cost 18 cents. At today's prices, that will move the car about a half-mile.

Collecting cars has always been a high-dollar hobby, enthusiasts say, but $4-plus-a-gallon gas and other economic woes are pricing them out of their passion.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Each day a handful of contractors commute by helicopter from Corona to a remote site in the Cleveland National Forest, sent to find out whether commute times between Riverside and Orange counties can be cut. As they drill deep into the Santa Ana mountainside separating the counties, they'll determine if a proposed tunnel linking Corona and Irvine is possible.