Steel.

It’s what happens to iron with exposure to things like intense heat and pressure. When the earth does it to carbon, you get diamonds. When a whole industry in the greater Pittsburgh area does it, you get the building blocks of the nation.

It’s a process that didn’t just create skyscrapers and dams and bridges. It also built careers and families and a sense of purpose for the people who did the work. It is natural that those people and the communities that surround the industry identify with the products created.

Three of those products are being taken away. They are leaving a hole behind.

Allegheny Technologies Inc. is selling three cars made of glistening stainless steel at auction over Labor Day weekend.

ATI was formed in 1996, an alloy of the merger of Allegheny Ludlum with Teledyne. ATI owned a number of the vehicles — a 1936 Ford sedan, a 1960 Ford Thunderbird and a 1967 Lincoln Continental convertible — made by Allegheny Ludlum in partnership with Ford to promote the properties of stainless steel. Only 11 such cars were produced, making these three exceedingly rare.

Those cars were taken from a garage at the ATI’s Hot Rolling and Processing Facility in Harrison and shipped to Indiana in April. But before then, they were more than an asset of a multimillion-dollar company. They were a touchstone for a community.

They showed up at car shows. They were present at festivals. They made an appearance in wedding pictures and graduation photos. For many people throughout the area, they were almost a part of the family.

So it is understandable that some, including United Steelworkers union members and representatives, are taking the loss hard.

“We view the cars as important assets that symbolize the dedication and sacrifices of generations of steelworkers who worked for ATI and its predecessor companies,” United Steelworkers International Vice President David McCall said.

McCall would like ATI to reverse its decision to auction the vehicles and send them back. ATI spokeswoman Natalie Gillespie, who said the move was necessary because of the recent national economic challenges.

That may be true. We do not have access to all of ATI’s financials, but we do know that other big companies including industry leaders like U.S. Steel are facing downturns as the pandemic economy follows trade wars. And when bottom lines are the bottom line, there isn’t room for sentiment.

But there should be.

Yes, as Gillespie said, one of the cars was donated to the Heinz History Center in 1999. There is still a presence. But a piece in a museum isn’t a beloved guest at local events. It isn’t something a community can point to as being their own.

No, the people don’t own the expensive, rare vehicles. We don’t own our friends or our family members either, but we still feel connected to them.

One gorgeous car, a 1967 Lincoln, remains in Harrison. It would be nice if ATI could commit to it staying put with a promise as strong as the steel it is made from.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)