The Mulholland Speedster by Hollywood Hot Rods

If you made it to the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona this year you probably saw this beauty; a 1937 Packard that was transformed by Hollywood Hot Rods into this stunner. Champion had the privilege of fabbing the custom radiator to cool her.

Typical of everything Hollywood Hot Rods does, the car has countless hours and endless attention to detail put into her. Nothing rolls out of their shop that isn’t extraordinary, and this gem, dubbed “The Mulholland Speedster,” is nothing short of a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

Before

After

Hollywood Hot Rod’s Owner, Troy Ladd, says “I like traditional style and vintage aesthetics. I take the elements and add creativity to expand on the tradition. I like to do advanced metalwork that looks very subtle.”

One look at this Packard and you can see that he applied this principle from start to finish. The most expensive project Ladd has done to date, the Packard has a blown twelve-cylinder Flathead power plant under the gleaming hood.

“I like understated elegance,” Ladd says of his work. “To enhance the original design. That’s the whole vibe.”

Troy Ladd was recently named one of America’s Top Ten Car Builders at the SEMA IGNITED Battle of the Builders in Las Vegas, Nevada.

eBay Find: 1969 Chevy Camaro

eBay Find of the Week: 1969 Camaro

 

Who doesn’t love a good eBay find? We’re no exception, and when we came across this 1969 Camaro we thought sharing was in order.

 

This Jaw Dropping 1969 Chevrolet Camaro serves as further proof, as if anywhere needed, that no one builds a more radical rides than Troy Trepanier of “Rad Rides by Troy” fame. Well over $600,000.00 was invested in building this incredible machine, which rockets out of the chute under the spell of a gigantic Tunnel-Port 710 C.I. Chuck Norton engine cranking thru a Lenco 3-Speed to a Mark Williams third member.

 

 

Rad Rides by Troy is also responsible for the eye catching yet very tasteful designed Orange and Silver paint scheme. Based on a Jerry Bickle Racing Chassis, this car uses a complete Race Pack data logging system to insure maximum performance. This car is a custom 1 of 1 and has never seen the racetrack.

 

Asking a cool $159,985.00
Check it out (or buy it) on eBay: Rad Rides by Troy
All photos courtesy of eBay.com

 

 

Original Owner Superbird!

Original Owner Superbird! (Pics of Paperwork)

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You are looking at a one-owner 1970 Plymouth Superbird with pics of the paperwork to prove it. No, it is not for sale, and won’t be when it’s passed down to a close relative.

The car is in near perfect condition with just one repaint. It was purchased off the dealer lot in SC in December, 1970 for $2,500 after sitting for over a year (original sticker was $4,537).

Here’s the original post from a user on Moparts:
“Hello Everyone,

One of my neighbors is an elderly gentleman that still has the 70 Superbird that he bought new. This is largely an unrestored car and has only had one repaint years ago as the original paint was faded. There is absolutely no rust anywhere on this car and it has never been crashed.

The car was starting to get some mechanical wear, as it has been a driver for 43 years, so last year I did a mechanical restoration for him. This included rebuilding the engine, transmission, rear end and front suspension. At this time I confirmed this car a completely numbers matching with the exception of the carburetor. The original interior looks very nice still and has that correct “vintage car smell” you would expect. The original owner is 88 years old and was a career Army man serving in WW2, Korea and Vietnam. He told me he bought this car when he retired from the military in 1970 after serving 25 years. He told me about being in Okinawa when the Japanese surrendered.

I also am including a couple of pictures of the original window sticker and sales receipt showing how cheap these cars were in 1970. As you can see, the car listed for over 4500.00 and sold for 2500.00. I asked the owner if he had to lowball to get this price and he told me no, they said this is the price as they were wanting to sell it badly. It had been on the lot almost a year and they were needing to move it out. He also told me they had 6 more Superbirds on the lot at the same time. All for 2500.00 a piece!!.

 

The owner is FAR from a doddering old man, is sharp as a tack and also has a 2011 Challenger SRT 6.1 that he drives daily. When the weather is nice he drives the Superbird as it runs and drives like a new car.

Before anyone asks, the car is NOT FOR SALE and never will be. A very close relative is already promised the car when the owner passes (hopefully a LONG time from now).

I just wanted to share this with everyone as it is an interesting story and I wanted to show the younger guys that there is hope for getting older and you can still have your musclecars into old age!!”

 

Reprinted from our friends at myclassicgarage.com

 

 

 

A Very Cool eBay Find

eBay Find: Quite Possibly The World’s Baddest Austin A40 Devon

by Andrew Wolf
Street Legal TV
 

 

We’re guessing that few car-folk know what an Austin A40 Devon is, or could identify one if it ran them over in a crosswalk, but for a brief history lesson, these vehicles were built and sold during the 1940’s and into the early 50’s by English manufacturer Austin Motor Company Limited as body-on-frame, two and four-door saloons (vehicles with a three-box passenger compartment configuration) and as panel vans, pickup trucks, and utility coupes. From the factory, they had 1.2L straight-four OHV engines that delivered a whopping 40 horsepower to the tire.

 

The Austin Devon you see here that’s being auctioned on eBay, however, does not have a straight-four in it, and we’d dare to step out on a limb and say it’s the baddest Austin A40 in the world. Because really, how much competition is there?

 

Powering this one-off Devon, built by RJ Fabrication in California, is a 383 cubic inch small block Chevrolet with Dart heads topped with a Weiand supercharger feeding a pair of Demon 750 cfm carburetors that undoubtedly multiplies the OEM horsepower rating tenfold, if not more. JE Pistons, a Crower crankshaft, custom headers with Flowmaster exhaust, MSD Ignition, and a COMP camshaft round the engine package out, with a B&M-shifted Powerglide transmission handling the duties of sending the power through the Dana 60 differential to the Summer Brothers axles, the Centerline wheels, and finally, the Hoosier 31×16.5×15 meats.

 

 

The four-door, ’48 model A40 has had it’s front end stretched six full inches, all resting on a tube chassis that proves this thing is more than just a car show cruiser with race car looks.

 

Billed as a streetable race car, this sweet little ride makes some hay on the street, and we wouldn’t doubt it does the same on the strip. You’ve just gotta’ love a classic World War II era chunk of iron given a few modern touches, a big blown engine combination with a certifiably cool blower “lump” at idle and the whistle under WOT.

 

Says the seller: “It’s not a mamby pamby wannabe car and is for the serious enthusiast that wants show and go! Every car show or drag strip I take it to it gets plenty of attention.”

 

Now, about that asking price? How about a cool sixty large.

 
Source: Street Legal TV

Champion’s Find of the Day: 1959 Plymouth Fury

Check out this “Christine” look-a-like we found for sale in Kissimmee, Florida.

 

According to the listing on Craigslist.com, this red beauty is laser-straight and rust-free. All chrome is excellent as well as the glass. The power pack poly block 318 v8 and powerflite transmission are rebuilt. The car has a new vinyl interior and the undercarriage is clean and rust free with new dual-exhaust. Very rare car of which there are not many left especially in this condition.  Clear title in hand. Can be yours for the low price of only twenty five grand!

The Iconic Mustang Fastback

Here at Champion Cooling, we are big fans of early Mustangs, especially the icononic Mustang Fastbacks. When we saw this great post on MyClassicGarage.com, we knew we had to share it with you. Great article MyClassicGarage!

 

Delve Deeper – 1967 Mustang Facts, Specs, History

The year 1967 was a major styling exercise and represented the first redesign for the Mustang since the initial release of the pony car in 1964.

 

Ford’s designers began drawing up a larger version even as the original was achieving sales success, and while Ford boss Lee Iacocca later complained about the Mustang’s growth, he did oversee the 1967 redesign. The major mechanical feature was to allow the installation of a big-block V8 Engine.

 

The front grille kept the running pony in the corral, but vertical and horizontal bars returned, and the grille opening was enlarged. The side scoops, though non-functional, were designed as two smaller scoops with inlets and were painted the body color. Despite the body style change, coupes, fastbacks, and convertibles were still offered, but the fastback in 1967 extended fully to the rear, giving the car a beefier look than the shorter fastbacks used in 1965 and 1966.

 

1967 was also the first year the convertible model featured a two-pane glass rear window that folded down with the roof. A lot of engine options were available in 1967. They included a last year run of the 289 Hi-PO, the first year for the 320-hp 390cid 4V V-8 and a 428cid engine used in the Shelby G.T. 500.

 

Chevrolet Camaro, Mercury Cougar, Pontiac Firebird, and Plymouth Barracuda were all in Mustang’s class in 1967, cutting into Mustang’s sales figures. Still, Mustang outsold its nearest competitor, Cougar, by a three-to-one margin.

 

A long list of items were standard, as you could order many performance options separate or as package groups. The interior on the ’67 Mustang was redesigned. A new dash was added, which had the Rally-Pac and also integral air conditioning. Two new options were the tilt-away steering wheel and fold-down rear seat on the fastback model. Also, the option list included cruise control, a folding glass rear window on the convertibles, and an Exterior Decor group including a hood with rear-facing louvers that contained turn signal indicators, wheel well moldings, as well as a pop-open gas cap.

 

Among the options was the GT Equipment Group, which included grille mounted fog lamps, power front disc brakes, dual exhausts with chrome quad outlets (excluded on the 289hp 289), GT gas cap, F70x14 tires, handling package, rocker panel stripes, and GT or GTA (for auto transmission equipped GT models) emblems. Only with the GT Group was the Competition Handling Package available and consisted of firmer suspension components, limited slip rear axle, and fifteen-inch wheels with wire wheel covers.

 

 

The January 1967 issue of Car Life had a Road Test of the 390-320 horse version of the Mustang and clocked a 15.5 quarter mile at 91 mph as well as a 0-60 of 7 seconds. Car And Driver Magazine did a test of the 1967 Shelby Mustang 428 and recorded a 15.0 quarter mile at 95 mph.

 

Sports Car Graphic tested both the1967 Shelby Mustang GT 350 with the 289, and the GT 500 with the 428 and got a 15.3 at 91 mph quarter mile from the GT 350 and a 14.3 at 92 mph from the GT 500.

 

Several special edition Mustangs were developed and sold in 1967 as well as the base cars. Some were one year only, while others were from earlier, or continued for more years.

 

1967 was the only year for the Mustang GTA, which was a Mustang GT with an automatic transmission. They were available in coupe, fastback, or convertible and with either the 289 or 390 engine.

 

Only 400 of another Mustang option were made, the High Country Specials. They were available in Columbine Blue, Aspen Gold or Timberline Green.

 

Eight Mustang Stallions were produced in 1967. They came with a 289 HiPo, 390, or 427 engine, GT equipment, 4-speed manual trans or C6 Select Shift Cruise-O-Matic transmission, special side vinyl treatment, limited slip rear axle, console, power steering, power disc brakes, deluxe steering wheel, deluxe seat belts, F70x14 wide oval belted tires, fold-down rear seat, Stallion emblems, Cougar taillights, and special steel wheels.

 

The Shelby Mustang G.T. 350 packed a 289cid Hi-Po, and the G.T. 500 got the 428. The cars were all fastbacks, but these Shelbys got more body treatment than Shelbys of 1965 and 1966. The grille wore its bright lights in the middle with a Shelby logo on the passenger side. Some states’ laws required that the fog lamps be moved to the outer edges of the grille, which actually allowed the car to breathe better by opening up the radiator. A few 1967 Shelby’s had red marker lights inside the upper side scoops. Many states’ laws didn’t allow this either, and only 200 models left the factory with them. The trunk had a “ducktail” spoiler, and taillights off the Mercury Cougar ran nearly the full width of the car. The G.T. 500 models featured a padded roll bar and optional racing-style shoulder harnesses.

 

 

A few Shelby coupes were made for Trans Am racing because they were lighter than the fastbacks.

 

Only one Shelby Super Snake Mustang was made in 1967. It was intended to be the first of 50, but no other Super Snake was built due to the fact that the retail price was $7,500. A 427 Cobra could be bought for roughly the same amount. The Mustang Super Snake was driven by Carroll Shelby at Goodyear’s test track in Texas for tire promotion film production. Carroll recorded lap speeds over 150 mph and top speed of 170 mph! It was factory equipped with a unique blue narrow-wide-narrow Lemans Stripes; powered by a 520-horsepower lightweight 427 medium-riser engine with aluminum heads, tuned headers, 780 CFM Holley 4V carb, aluminum intake, oil cooler, remote filter, 4 speed trans backed up by a 4.11 Detroit locker rear end.

 

Few people know but the hardcore Shelby fans that Shelby de Mexico produced 169 of the 1967 Shelby’s, which were nearly identical to the U.S. versions. They were all powered by 289 V8s.

 

Ford designed this Mustang to be a performance car and they succeeded. Many savvy Mustang buyers bought a new 1967 Mustang, added performance mods, and raced against rivals in theor town or at a local racetrack. Many different 1967 Mustangs entered in many forms of racing, and won. They competed in NHRA Drag Racing, SCAA Racing, Trans Am Racing, as well as other racing organizations around the world.

 

The one man in racing who made the most of the 1967 Mustang was Carroll Shelby. According to Trans Am history, the 1967 Mustang was Shelby American’s competition model for 1967. Ford liked the idea of Carroll Shelby racing something readily identifiable to the public as a Mustang. Ford had left the Trans-Am to the independents in 1966 and Shelby gave Ford the manufacturer’s championship that year. Ford was eager to participate in the 1967 series and cash in on the publicity. The SCCA expanded the Trans-Am to twelve races. They saw manufacturer support as the key to the series’ success and did everything they could to seduce Ford, Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Mercury. The manufacturers, in turn, saw the Trans-Am as the perfect vehicle to market their new Pony cars.

 

 

Ford contracted Shelby American to field a two-car factory team for 1967. Shelby saw the opportunity to produce a new batch of production race cars. By the end of the model year he would sell twenty-one 1967 Mustang Group II racers. The very first thing Shelby American had to do was homologate the 1967 Mustang. A review of the FIA’s Group II rules for cars showed that most of the mechanical modifications Shelby had come up with for the GT350 R-Model would be allowed on the Group II car. In addition, since the R-Models had been raced for two years, their components and modifications had been thoroughly evaluated and refined. By the time Shelby American began converting 1967 Mustangs into race cars, they knew what would work and what wouldn’t.

 

Factory documents show that Shelby American built a total of twenty-six 1967 Mustang Group II racers. One was a prototype, which was never actually raced by the team. It was used for evaluation of components and then sold during the race season. Four were actual team cars, and the remaining twenty-one cars were sold to independent racers who used them in Trans-Am and/or SCCA A/Sedan competition.

 

The Group II engine was based on the venerable 289 Hi­Po. Modifications included larger valves, steel R-Model style valve covers with breathers, an S1CR-6250-2 camshaft, aluminum Cobra T-pan, a Cobra 2x4V aluminum hi-rise intake topped by a pair of 600 CFM Holley carburetors and Shelby drag-type headers. The entire assembly was balanced and blueprinted and backed by a Cobra scatter shield. The aluminum Borg Warner 4-speed transmission with close-ratio gears (standard on the GT350) was used. The rear end was fitted with a Detroit Locker “No Spin” unit and 1965 GT350-style over-ride traction bars were added. Shock absorbers were Konis. An oversized radiator was used, along with the R-Model type oil cooler and remote oil filter. Shelby’s 1967 Trans-Am engine pumped out some 425 horsepower.

 

After a fierce season of competition, Shelby and Ford won the 1967 Trans Am Manufacturer’s Championship by two points, staving off Mercury and Chevrolet in the final race of the season.

 

So, with all this history and performance capabilities, the 1967 Mustang is a very good choice to make for either a frame-off restoration, or a resto-mod performance build.

 

We asked Bret Voelkel, the President of Ridetech, what his thoughts on the three choices of cars for our giveaway. He states “Personal opinion…if you want to go fast for the least money…do the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro. If you want to go fast and be a bit different, do the 1967 Ford Mustang. If you want to bang your head against the wall, choose the Mopar. Just like it’s always been! GM products have always been the hot rodders choice mainly because of the inherent GM parts interchangeability. If a part is designed for a Chevelle, many times it will fit a Camaro or Nova as well. This situation created popularity in the 60’s that carries on today. Ford products have always had a loyal following as well. They respond well to simple horsepower and suspension modifications, but the many refinements over the years have made them more troublesome to modify.

 

The Mopar lineup probably has the smallest but most rabid following. The torsion bar frontend is a bit harder to modify for increased performance but there are a few niche manufacturers who build specialized components geared toward handling performance. With any of these marquees, increased horsepower is the easiest modification, mostly due to the historical popularity of drag racing. Lots of engine parts available for all varieties of GM, Ford, and Mopar engines. Handling performance has always taken a back seat to straight line performance until recently. Now with the current trend toward handling performance a wider variety of shocks, control arms, sway bars and other suspension components are becoming available to make that lumbering beast into an elegant corner carver!”

 

Everyone will have a different stance on which of our vehicles will be the best one to modify or restore…and that’s what we want! We want you to vote on what YOU want…and whichever car wins will be your collective choice.

 

Specifications and Options

Production Numbers:
Standard Convertible: 38,751
Convertible w/Bench Seats: 1,209
Luxury Convertible: 4,848
Standard Coupe: 325,853
Coupe w/Bench Seats: 8,190
Luxury Coupe: 22,228
Standard Fastback: 53,651
Luxury Fastback: 17,391
Total: 472,121

Body Styles: Coupe, Convertible, Fastback

Construction: Unibody Chassis

Available Engines:
200cid 6cyl 1V 120hp
289cid 2V V-8 200hp
289cid 4V V-8 225hp
289cid 4V V-8 271hp
390cid 4V V-8 320hp

Available Exterior Colors

Acapulco Blue

Arcadian Blue

Brittany Blue

Burnt Amber

Candy Apple Red

Clearwater Aqua

Dark Moss Green

Diamond Blue

Diamond Green

Dusk Rose

Frost Turquoise

Lime Gold

Nightmist Blue

Pebble Beige

Raven Black

Sauterne Gold

Silver Frost

Springtime Yellow

Vintage Burgundy

Wimbeldon White

Anniversary Gold

Aspen Gold

Blue Bonnet

Bright Red

Columbine Blue

Lavender

Playboy Pink

Timberline Green

Vehicle Identification Numbers

Engine Codes

200cid 1V 6cyl 120hp T

289cid 2V V-8 200hp C

289cid 4V V-8 225hp A

289cid 4V V-8 271hp K

390cid 4V V-8 320hp S

7 – Last digit of model year

F – Assembly plant (F-Dearborn, R-San Jose T-Metuchen)

01 – Body code (01-Coupe, 03-Convertible, 02-Fastback)

C – Engine Code

100001 – Consecutive unit number

Example: 7F01C100001

Dimensions (1967 Fastback 302)
Wheelbase: 108 in.
Overall length: 183.6 in.
Width: 70.9 in.
Height: 51.8 in.
Shoulder room: 53.4 in.
Rear seat hip room: 40 in.
Door opening width: 42.2 in.
Floor to ground height: 9.7 in.

Capacities (1967 Fastback 302)
Luggage space, cu. ft.: 5.1
Fuel tank: 17.0 gal.
Crankcase: 4.0 qt.
Radiator coolant: 20.5 qt.

Wheels and Tires (1967 Fastback 302)
Wheel size: 14 x 6 JK
Optional size available: 14 x 5.5 JK
Bolt no./Circle diameter: 5/4.5 in.
Recommended inflation: 28/28 psi
Capacity rating, total lbs.: 4,950

1967 Mustang Weight (’67 Fastback 302)
Curb weight: 3,400 lbs.
Weight distribution, % f/r: 58,42

Interior TrimCode

Black 2A

Blue 2B

Red 2D

Saddle 2F

Ivy Gold 2G

Aqua 2K

Parchment 2U

Black, luxury 6A

Blue, luxury 6B

Red, luxury 6D

Saddle, luxury 6F

Ivy Gold, luxury 6G

Aqua, luxury 6K

Parchment, luxury 6U

Black, bench seat 4A

Parchment, bench seat 4U

Black comfortweave 7A

Parchment comfortweave 7U

Black comfortweave, luxury 5A

Parchment comfortweave, luxury 5U

1967 Mustang Prices Retail

2dr Hardtop, 65A $2,461.46

Convertible, 76A 2,698.14

2+2 Fastback, 63A 2,592.17

289ci 200hp V-8 105.63

289ci 225hp V-8 158.48

289ci 271hp V-8 (with GT Equipment Group Only) 433.55

390ci 320hp V-8 263.71

Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission, 6cyl 188.18

Cruise O-Matic automatic transmission, 200 or 225hp V-8 197.89

Cruise O-Matic automatic transmission, 271 or 320hp 220.17

4-speed manual transmission, 200 & 225hp V-8 184.02

4-speed manual transmission, 271 & 320hp V-8 233.18

Heavy-duty 3-speed manual, required with 320hp V-8 79.20

Power front disc brakes 64.77

Power steering 84.47

Power convertible top 52.95

GT Equipment Group (with V-8s only) 205.05

Limited slip differential 41.60

Styled steel wheels (2+2 only) 93.84

Styled steel wheels, all others 115.11

Competition handling package (with GT Equip. only) 388.53

Tinted windshield and window 30.25

Convenience Control Panel 39.50

Fingertip speed control (requires V-8 & Cruise-O-Matic) 71.30

Remote control outside mirror (std. 2+2) 9.58

Convertible safety glass rear window 32.44

SelectAire air conditioning 356.09

AM push-button radio 57.51

AM/FM push-button radio 133.65

Stereosonic tape system (AM radio required) 128.49

2+2 folding rear seat and access door (Sport Deck option) 64.77

Full width front seat (NA 2+2) 24.42

Tilt-away steering wheel 59.93

Rear deck luggage rack (2+2) 32.44

Comfortweave vinyl trim (NA convertible) 24.53

Center console (requires radio) 50.41

Deluxe steering wheel 31.52

Exterior decor group 38.86

Lower back panel grille 19.48

Interior Decor Group (convertible) 94.36

Interior Decor Group (all others) 108.06

Two-tone paint (lower back grille) 12.95

Accent paint stripe 13.90

Vinyl-covered roof (hardtop) 74.36
Wheel covers (std. 2+2) 21.34

 

 

Mid-’70s Muscle Car: Hot Or Not?

You’re driving in a new neighborhood when you spot an old muscle car beside a garage. You instinctively hit the brakes and back up. There sits a Colonnade-roof GM muscle car from the mid-’70s. Maybe it’s a Chevelle that says “Type S3” on the fender or an Olds with “4-4-2” painted along the bottom of the door. Part of you is excited. You’ve discovered an old muscle car. But another part of you says, “Not so fast. It’s not a muscle car, it’s a ’70s muscle car.”

 

Is this a great find? Do you get revved up or not?

 

As the turned pages of our calendars accumulate, newer and newer cars become vintage. Generally, vintage interest begins percolating at around 20 years, which puts cars of the mid ’70s almost 20 years past that point. So where’s the party? You’ve probably noticed there isn’t one. For the most part, mid-’70s cars never really caught on. There are pockets of interest here and there, but less than for cars of other eras.

 

Why? Well, let’s start with this: Two of the biggest muscle car nameplates, GTO and Mustang, were gone — GTO literally and Mustang figuratively. GTO went out on a weak note, with a couple of models in its final years that diehards turned their nose up at. And Mustang? You know the story. The name continued, but the Pinto-based, four-cylinder Mustang II was a far cry from the original that had taken the nation by storm 10 years earlier. Ford actually sold a lot of Mustang IIs, but they didn’t generate much enthusiast interest then or now.

 

Add to the Missing-in-Action list ’Cuda and Challenger. That’s a lot of heavy hitters no longer on Team Muscle Car’s active roster.   Those that did survive (Camaro, Chevelle, 4-4-2, Trans Am, Charger, Nova… were there others?) got lobotomized with weak cams, decompressed compression, restrictive single catalytic convertors, and clumsy emissions systems. Times had changed and there was no going back.

 

I’ve read plenty of hate directed at the mid-’70s cars. This isn’t hate. I actually like some of them, deficiencies and all. But the truth is still the truth, and it doesn’t always go down easily. There will always be a few crusaders who bristle at the notion, but mid-’70s cars were constructed from different DNA that did not include the things we loved about the ’60s generation, primarily big power.

 

Yet, if we’re going to be honest seekers of truth here, we must also acknowledge that there were some bright spots too, even if not under the hood. I like the swivel seats in the Laguna, and the fat steering wheel, engine-turned dash, and handling of the Trans Am, probably the best overall car of the period.

 

There were a few more ’70s gems too. Oldsmobile continued its wonderful Hurst/Olds program for 1973-1975 and 1979 and for the off year 1977 slipped in an Indy pace car. Buick had ’75 and ’76 pace cars too, but the most visible are the ’78 Corvette and ’79 Mustang pace cars. This group has to be considered the most likely to succeed; the Corvette and Mustang have a following already.

 

Can I tell you what I think is probably the best of the ’70s? You may laugh, but it’s a Vega. Yes, a Vega, Chevrolet’s hated, under-engineered, and roundly ridiculed subcompact. It was offered as a GT, and even a premium DOHC Cosworth, both of which… well, never mind. Serious leadfoots loved transplanting V-8s into Vegas, giving them the kind of acceleration kick that makes personal injury lawyers wish they’d been born sooner. I had a friend who had a 427 Vega. He dropped just the engine into an otherwise stock Vega. Sweet mercy. I can’t believe the stock axle, which didn’t take kindly to small-blocks let alone a 427, survived the first hour.

 

Yenko built a handful of Stinger Vegas with turbocharged four-bangers, and offered kits for V-8 swaps; Motion Performance built a few V-8 conversions; but all of these are very scarce these days, probably the lowest production Yenko car ever. Technically they’re early ’70s, but to me they’re mid-’70s cars at heart, so I consider them members of the post–muscle-car muscle car club. That’s my rule, or is it the exception? I have another rule that every rule must have an exception or it can’t be a rule, and there are no exceptions to that rule. Got it?

 

As a group, I wouldn’t get my hopes up for a big surge in value as with ’60s muscle cars. As the cliché goes, they are what they are. Love ’em, or hate ’em, or love to hate ’em.

Read more: http://www.hotrod.com

Video: Black Charger Does Massive Burn-Out

Great Video: Black Charger Does Massive Burn-Out

 

This is one sweet super-charged 1968 Dodge Charger. It won Meguirs Custom Show Award in Sweden in 2011, and to celebrate its owner laid down some rubber. Quite a bit of rubber.

 

Enjoy!

 

1968 Mustang Still A Daily Driver At 823K Miles

 

 

There was once a time in America where new cars weren’t expected to last much longer than three or four years tops. Then it was off to the dealership to buy another new car, 50,000 miles called for an overhaul of the engine and transmission, and keeping a car for 100,000 miles was unheard of . But not everybody got the memo, like Carol Marini, who has racked up more than 823,000 miles on her 1968 Mustang since she bought it brand new all those years ago.

 

The Daily Republic reports that even though Marini has gone through many personal tribulations, losing almost everything to a Ponzi scheme, she has held onto hope, and her Mustang, which still serves as her everyday driver. It’s an inspiring story, and one you could play an important role in.

 

When Marini bought the Mustang for $3,200 back in March of 1968 with her then-husband, it was lime-green, and she had no plans on keeping it this long. After engine fires, transmission failures, and numerous rot and brake repairs, the Mustang has managed to survive it all alongside Carol, who considers the car to be her closest friend.

 

Divorce, financial woes, and other problems have weighed heavily on Marini in recent years, and when times were toughest she’d get in the Mustang and just drive. WIth the 50th anniversary of the Mustang fast approaching, Marini is hoping to find a few generous sponsors to help her partake in one of the Mustang cruises heading for one of the celebrations in Las Vegas.

 

Source: Street Legal TV

 

The 2014 Grand National Roadster Show Winner

 

 

2014 Grand National Roadster Show Winner

 

Wes Rydell’s 1935 Chevy Phaeton. No, it’s not a roadster, but is considered a “roadster with a back seat” by the car manufacturers of the day. As it has no roll up windows and uses the sheet metal of a roadster from the front doors forward, phaetons and touring cars [which is what they called phaetons before the late-20s] have always been considered a roadster in the eyes of hot rodders and the Grand National Roadster Show [GNRS]. And just to confuse you more, roadster pickups are eligible, too. To find out more about hot rod phaetons click here.

 

There is a precedent for phaetons at the GNRS; Bob Sbarbaro’s T touring won in ’76, and the Boyd Coddington built, Thom Taylor [me] designed ’33 Ford phaeton of Larry Murray took the award in ’85. The Troy Trepanier-built Chevy contained a gang of body mods that would escape even a trained eye, and those combined with contemporary upgrades made it a favorite of the judges. Besides its aesthetic appeal, the paint, fit and finish, interior, and individual components were all perfectly executed, making it worthy of the award for that reason alone–though aesthetics are a guiding factor because the judges are looking for the “most beautiful” from each year’s batch of contenders. 1935 Chevy phaetons are very rare, with around 200 built. 1935 was the last year Chevy made a phaeton and FYI, 1938 was Ford’s last year for them. Congrats to North Dakota’s Rydell and Rad Rides by Troy for the 2014 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster win.

Read more: http://blogs.hotrod.com/14-grand-national-roadster-show-winner-is-104305.html#ixzz2rv5OJpwW