New Ford Bronco Sheetmetal at SEMA 2012 (Click to see full size) I've always been a fan of early Ford Broncos. It's got rough, rugged lines to go with it's four wheel drive ability and performance thanks to Ford V8 performance. My buddies got one sitting next to his 1965 Mustang fastback for off-roading with his sons.  That sounds like fun. So maybe like you, I scan for deals on Broncos online. When I do, it seems like in any Craigslist ad, I hear the same thing... "no rust" or "uncut". Then, the pictures show a tattered rig with it's best days on the range long gone. So when I saw this completely new, ready  to bolt on set up from Dynacorn, I knew some hardcore Bronco folks would be into it. Dynacorn makes new body panels for a bunch of  popular muscle cars like the Mustang, Camaro, Nova and now the Bronco. Hope this saves some of those old 4-wheelers from the scrap heap. Am I right? Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe...

Custom One Off Wheels at SEMA 2012 (Click to see any picture full size) Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe Let the debate begin! To me, this was the hottest wheel I saw and if there's one thing more common then wheels at the SEMA Show, I don't know what it is! So why is this my pick of SEMA? They're one of a kind, one off wheels - nobody else at the SEMA Show has these wheels (or ever will) They're on  on a bad ass car - 1951 Mercury Custom Tons of thought, above and beyond selecting from a catalog, went into the design Disagree? Cool. Do your thing, but dig this first... Start with a fairly blank canvas: 20x 8.5" Centerline Smoothies shown here. Then, let Max Fish, owner at Bio Kustumz hand- mill the wheels -- that's right, on a manual Bridgeport mill -- to the design you see here. Max is a guy I gotta meet some day. His company slogan is, "We suck less" and he wears it proud in this video where a radiator hose coupling comes off his lathe. Now Max...

Ferrari, Lamborghini & Porsche Flat and Sexy (Click to see any picture full size) Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe There's a few booths at the SEMA Show you should never miss. One of them's Giovanna's. Much like last year, their booth is a vast expanse of white carpet frequented by fans of the brand, I'm sure, but primarily by folks looking to get close to the Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche and McLaren  exotics on hand. That's why I was there! Shown above is the Lamborghini Aventador LP900 "Molto Veloce" by DMC. Need to know more? Here're the details on the DMC Molto Veloce Package. I got my first ride in a Lamborghini as part of the Optima Ultimate Street Car Shootout. More on that later, but it was an Underground Lamborghini Superleggera putting out 1500 HP on C116 racing gas. OK, maybe I stopped in to say hello to the friendly booth girls too... Pictured here is the Ferrari F458 Spider. Exotic car, beautiful girl, how can you go wrong? Ferrari, Lambo's and the like aren't my area of expertise, so if they're yours, check out GT...

Traditional to Wild Custom Paint at SEMA 2012 (Click to see any picture full size) Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe The SEMA Show's all about custom. One thing there's never a shortage of is custom paint. Pictured about is my buddy Keith Charvonia's 1951 Kaiser. I already posted about it here, The New Sick: 1951 Kaiser Kustom and Speedhunters.com took some pretty amazing pictures here: Drag'n Kaiser. In case you didn't read either of those, this "fade" paint job was applied by customizing legend Gene Winfield. The lights of SEMA, outlined by the casino-like red carpet set off the paint, but to really love it, you have to see it in the sun! Stepping up or maybe to the side... with some custom airbrush work: Wow! Everyone's seen skulls painted on just about everything, but here's a new take! In view here is the Terminator skull, a Japanese devil call "Oni", the gas mask dude, barely visible, the viking skull, bird skull and Friday the 13th skull! It's all laid out on a pale blue flame-like background. The other side's just as impressive. Here on the...

1968 Cadillac Coupe de Ville at SEMA 2012 (Click to see any picture full size) Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe Ever heard the saying, "A postman doesn't go for a walk on his day off"? Well, the owner of this 1968 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, Tim Johnson, is a painter by trade.  Tim's Caddy is a three year build. The long road to SEMA started in early 2010 when his soon-to-be wife Jacquelyn (he wisely married her 2 year ago) picked it up for him as a gift. He's been driving it for the last couple years, dodging (unsuccessfully) rain, puddles, sprinklers and every other kind of moisture due to the bare metal finish. With so many thumbs up for the swirly finish, and cause the Caddy was in such good shape to start with... Finally, just two weeks before SEMA, Tim decided to clean it up one last time to leave it metal with clear. I'm glad he did. Don't mistake this for any "Rat Rod"... The interior's finished and tight, stitched up by his buddy Eric Hunsaker over at Advanced Mobile Electronics in Las...

1963 Ford Galaxie at SEMA 2012 (Click to see any picture full size) Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe Outside near Ford's drifting exhibition sat this purple-ish beast of a 1963 Ford Galaxie. If you're a Ford fan, when you see, "Holman Moody" your curiosity peaks (or it probably should). Here's a quick summary of the Holman Moody evolution... John Holman moved from the sun of Cali to North Carolina to run Ford's NASCAR team in 1956 and teamed up with Ralph Moody. Soon after, Ford begins to dominate NASCAR amid rumors of cheating. By 1957, still winning, Ford and other OEM's pulled out of racing after the AMA (Automobile Manufacturers Association  banned auto companies from using race wins in their advertising. Seeing an opportunity, John and Ralph formed the "Holman Moody" partnership in 1957, then Moody, with refinance money from his airplane, spent $12,000 to buy up Ford's surplus racing gear. $12k!! Assembling the, eh... leftovers, Holman Moody Fords won their first two races in 1957. From there, with a shop on the Charlotte Douglas Airport they started making all parts needed for race cars, later selling those parts to other racers. Eventually, they...

1932 Hot Rod Ford Roadster at SEMA 2012 (Click to see any picture full size) Click for everything @ 2012 SEMA Show from MyRideisMe   What better way to kick off the cool rides at the SEMA Show than with a classic hot rod from Pomona's SO-CAL Speed Shop?   This classic hot rod, staged front-and-left-center in Ford's massive balcony display, runs one of Ford Racing's wicked "Coyote" engines. Blown and fuel injected the nasty little 5-liter pumps out 625 HP through a 6 speed. The 1932 Ford Roadster blends iconic hot rod with technology.   The knockoff Halibrands riding on a SO-CAL "New Traditionalist" chassis lends that, "don't mess" attitude backed up by the "one giant scallop" salt flat inspired paint job. Alternative Automotive Technologies in Troy, MI handled the paint and final assembly with build partners, Detroit Street Rods looking on. Champions Moto, a custom motorcycle company and fashion label also from Socal, rounded out the team.   The technology comes from, of course that nasty Coyote under the hood, but also air conditioning for the hot and heated seats for when it's not.   The combination was good enough...

Best and Worst of SEMA 2012 In many ways, the picture above symbolically tells the SEMA show story... Especially the last day. I shot this Ford Mustang giving one lucky passenger the ride of their lives! Maybe, like the passenger, there was a little bit of, "Damn! I'm glad it's over!" I've spun around, everywhere, my head's a smoky haze of friends, new and old connections and feet-tires worn out to the belts! Yet I know... like every year... come next November, I'll be ready to do it again! It's SEMA! What is the SEMA Show? If you're reading this blog, you probably already know... but for those of you stumbling onto this page from a Google image search, let me explain: SEMA's nearly everyone and everything automotive on the planet jammed wall to wall, believe it or not, into the 3.2 million square feet of the Las Vegas convention center. It's massive! All mixed together, you've got nearly every car and truck represented. You'll find OEM's like Ford and Chevy with their custom creations and new models mixed in with the best custom car builders like Chip Foose,...

The Very Last Buick Grand National Built   The actual last Buick Grand National signaled the end of GM G-Body (Cutlass, Regal, Monte Carlo) production and has a starring role in BLACK AIR, The Buick Grand National Documentary.   Story info and photos provided by: Martyn L. Schorr Owned by Buick-Chevrolet-GMC Truck dealer Bob Colvin in Springhill, LA, the last production Regal Grand National (Vin #...465288) was built on December 11,1987, a few months into Buick’s 1988 model year. When Buick announced the special ultra-high-performance Grand National GNX, they also let the word out that the 245-horsepower ‘87 Grand National, known for its blistering performance and, like Ford’s Model T, available ”in any color, as long as it’s black,” would be the last of the line. The menacing monochromatic turbocharged & intercooled Grand National had run its course and rear-wheel-drive was about to become an endangered species!   Interest in the Grand National soared and Buick responded with a commitment not to limit production and build as many Grand Nationals as they could. Whereas Grand National production in 1982, 1984, 1985 and 1986 averaged approximately 2,500 units per year,...

Porsche, BMW, Mercedes and Audi on the Grass Pictures and words by Gary Lieber Being a Car Guy, August is always my favorite time to be in the San Francisco Bay area. The Monterey Peninsula is just an hour away, and for the 3rd week in August Monterey becomes the center of the car universe. Every day that week there is something going on, from the Pebble Beach Concours Run-up, to the Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca Raceway, to the many Concours and cars shows that are going on. This year I decided to attend one of the newer Concours, “The Legends of the Autobahn”. This Concours style car show is only 4 years old, but still has a local, intimate flavor to it. The Concours is held in Carmel Valley at the Rancho Canada Golf Course. The venue is just a few miles from the beautiful Pacific coastline and Pebble Beach, which provides a breathtaking background to view the cars. The Concours started out as a BMW club event, and over the years has grown to include the local Porsche, Mercedes, and Audi clubs, too. This year...

Super Clean 1960 Falcon Ranchero   Did you see the race car version of this car? When I saw this Ford Falcon Ranchero Race Car at Bonneville, owner Alan Moss said he's got another Ranchero, and it's for sale! Check it out:   1960 Ford Falcon Ranchero: Completely sandblasted inside and out, patch paneled (welded) running a 302 small block Ford with flat top pistons, a mild cam, balanced, a 500 cfm AFB. In total, there are 12,000 miles on engine and trans. It's got an AOD 4 speed auto with A+ od servo, .6:1 OD, shift kit, with updated clutch packs. It will hold any gear.   Out back, there's an 8" Ford rear with five lug Ford pattern, 3.50 ratio, open. With the 3.50 gears it is very lively in traffic but with the .6 od fourth gear it goes down the highway nicely.Up front features a Mustang II front end, disc brakes on five lug Ford Mustang II rotors, manual rack and pinion steering, 205/60x15 tires on 6x15" steel wheels.     Inside, there's a tilt column from a Cherokee, 60x40 seats from a Ranger pickup.  ...

280Z powered Falcon Ranchero Race Results   Remember this car? Just looking at it's low, built-for-racing stance, it was easily one of my favorites from Bonneville - and that's before I saw under the hood. With a Nissan 280Z inline six suppying the power, I had to ask the owner to keep me posted on his first year racing results from 2012 Bonneville Speed Week. If you need to see so more pictures, check out this 1960 Falcon Ranchero here.   Here's what Alan Morris out of Montrose, CO had to say about the first time out with his Ranchero:   "I apologize for not replying sooner. I've been busy cleaning the car, removing the engine and assessing the engine damage. Plus I needed a rest. I have thrown most of my energy at the car for about two and a half years. At 70 years old I don't seem to have that much energy anyway.   The first run (the maiden one for the car and me as well) they only want you to run to the two mile mark and pull the parachute. They don't want you to...