Bob Couture’s newest fixation is a car he rescued from a barn – a 1931 Ford Model A Victoria.

Sitting atop its front bumper at a car show held at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on October 15, Couture explained that he traced the car’s history as far back as 1968 to an owner in Connecticut. When he pulled the car from a barn six months ago, it didn’t even start, but he’s since managed to repair the engine and drive it to its spot in front of the university’s observatory.

“It’s all original, and I’m going to keep it the way it is now… I only got the motor running,” Couture said.

Others, like Jamie Furtado, built their own cars. Furtado spent two years with his father building a truck modeled after 1940s Ford pickup trucks. Using parts salvaged from other cars – and even wood from an old shed for wood paneling – they created a junkyard-inspired truck in honor of his grandfather, who owned a towing company.

“It was definitely a process, but I’m quite happy with it now,” Furtado said.

Among the rows of cars in a field at the university, more than 200 cars were on display, from old hot rods to classic muscle cars and modern trucks with extra modifications. Tucked in between a muscle car and a vintage ‘50s car was Rick Crosby’s British 1969 MG BGT.

“I’ve been playing with little British cars since I was in high school,” Crosby said.

Although not a typical car show highlighter, Crosby drives his small two-door car to several New England car meets for fans of cars from across the pond. When Crosby, who lives in South Dartmouth, heard about the show at UMass Dartmouth, he decided to bring his car in and support the cause.

That cause is to benefit the SHARE Foundation, which is headquartered at the university. Established in 1981, retired and active engineering professors and students use technology to help disabled people in the area.

“We provide adaptive equipment to people with severe disabilities,” said Les Cory, one of the organization’s founders. “We work with people with ALS, kids with cerebral palsy, and people in advanced stages of muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis.”

With $250,000 in fundraising each year, the group provides technology to help people with disabilities interact with the world – from something as simple as flipping a light switch, to as complex as controlling a computer using eye movement alone. To date, the foundation has contributed 10,000 systems to 3,600 people, most in southeastern Massachusetts.

For more information about the SHARE Foundation, visit the group’s website, www.share.umassd.edu.