Classic car enthusiast and philanthropist Margaret Dunning has said there's no secret behind her ability to remain younger at heart than her years might reflect.

Dunning, a longtime Plymouth resident who often draws attention while cruising in her favorite automobile—a 1930 Packard 740 roadster—is 102, 20 years older than her beloved classic car. 

"No secret at all," Dunning said last year at her 102nd birthday party at the Plymouth Historical Museum, "It's just a nice world to live in."

Dunning took a liking to automobiles while growing up on her father's potato farm in nearby Redford in the 1910s and early 1920s and began driving when she was 8 years old.

Now sporting a classic car collection of her own, she treasures her prized 1930 Packard 740 roadster, which she said she has owned — and maintained — for about 60 years and showcases at exhibits.

"I've always loved Packards very much," Dunning said. "They've been very much a part of my life."

Dunning exhibited the roadster at the Concours d'Elegance in Pebble Beach, CA, in August 2012. She previously exhibited the vehicle at Plymouth's Concours d'Elegance event in 2011 and has participated in the Woodward Dream Cruise in Metro Detroit in multiple years.

A ride with Dunning was a recent top prize in an auction to benefit the Plymouth Historical Museum, where Dunning has donated much of her time and money.

The vehicle also earned Dunning, a self-professed leadfoot who still changes her own oil and spark plugs, a feature story in the New York Times in 2011.

"(That car) has brought a lot of attention," she said. "It is an eye-catcher and it's the first car to get 100 points at the Classic Car Club. It's an old sweetheart of a car."