Pin-ups and Hot Rods, What Could be Better? Pictures and words by Tim Hunter It’s hard to say Kristabelle without smiling and it’s even more challenging to see Kristabelle without smiling. Her warmth and presence brightens a room and even an entire car show – as we found out at the Shifter’s Car Show - Viva Las Vegas #13. The story of how Kristabelle and I started shooting together begins in 2008 at an event called Artease 2 at the Lightspeed Gallery in Costa Mesa. Kristabelle and I had written back and forth on Myspace and I’d told her she was “The Brightest Smile on Myspace” because in all of her photos, she absolutely beamed happiness with that signature smile of hers. Out of the blue in October of 2008, Kristabelle texts me she’s going to a pin-up contest at an event called Rumble in Ramona, did I want to come along? I told her I’d meet her there and we’d do some pictures. On the way, I text her, “Let’s go win a pin-up contest today.” And she won!! Also that same day, she did her first shoot...

May & June's Freebies... Well, they ain't totally free. I hope you didn't stop reading there because this time, I'm asking you to GIVE a little to win one of TWO Optima Batteries. You'll be giving to charity and you'll be glad you did. The charity is for Progeria. Any donation of $1 or more will enter you to win. Please donate here. Progeria is a heart breaking genetic condition that makes kids age 7-10 times more rapidly than normal. Children with Progeria rarely live past 16 years old. This is a very rare but fatal condition. The picture on the left is Kristian from Kristian's Page. The picture is labeled "PreSchool 2005" when Kristian was 3 years old. Kristian died on March 23, 2006. Why Progreria? I met Terry Foose, the mother of famed hot rod designer Chip Foose at the Grand National Roadster Show in 2008. Terry was raising money for Progeria when I talked to her. Terry's daughter and Chip's younger sister died of Progeria, but there's no doubt, she lived courageously. Her story warmed my heart as I'm sure it will for you.  Please take...

Hot Rod Pinup Sabina Kelly Photo by Shannon Brooke Standing tall at 5'10" at the top of the pinup modeling ranks (or close to it!) is May's Pinup of the Month, Sabina Kelley. Sabina Kelley the pinup can be seen all over in magazines and calendars, but she's reaching beyond now modeling internationally, in TV and music videos, too. She's been modeling for 10 years now, so there's not much she hasn't done in front of the camera. So much more than a pretty face, she's a professionally trained dancer as well with ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, and pointe (you know, on the tip of your toes...) dancing on her resume.  She started as a ballerina in a small town but her talent and long flowing gorgeous-ness soon took her to Sin City where she performed as a showgirl in "Jubilee" for over 2 years at Ballys Hotel.  It's no surprise then that she's training for her own burlesque dance show to debut soon. (we'll watch for it!) After alot of trying and help from MyRideisMe.com friend and fellow Pinup Heidi Van Horne, I finally caught up with...

Pictures and words by: Doug Nykanen Gumball Rally Toronto-Niagara Falls May 6-7 2010 The Gumball Rally started as a movie from 1976. It had a hodgepodge of characters racing across America in a variety of exotic cars. Fast forward to 1999 when Maximillion Cooper founded the Gumball3000. A Rally that ran 3000 miles across a variety of countries on a different route each year. Yea, across countries! Here's the type of cars you'll find: A couple of days ago I heard the Gumball was passing through Toronto. The 2010 Rally started in London England, then on to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Boston, Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto with the final destination at Times Square in New York City. Never one to miss an automotive event I headed down to a very congested event in downtown Toronto. By the time I got there it was getting dark, so the pictures were not great especially without a high powered flash and someone to clear people out of the way, there were thousands of people. The event was pretty low key, most drivers were already partying it up but some, like the Sheiks, had just...

Reaching out to be friends or at least friendly with other car sites, I met up with Alex at "Road and Track" magazine online. Oh, you've heard of them?  Alex told me about a "Corvette Chronology" piece they'd compiled and thought it'd be great for the readers at MyRideisMe.com.  "I'll take a look." I have to admit. I didn't look very hard. Some time later, I finally went back and realized there was so much info about the Corvette, I missed most of it just for being in a hurry. There's a ton to see and it's laid out in a clean, easy to follow format when you take the time to look closely. The coverage starts from the 50's, but I skipped right to my favorite years, the 1960's. (I mean, it's hard to imagine a 'vette with a six cylinder, so that throws out the first two years!) Clicking on the link that says, "1960's" you're taken to a page with the picture above. There's a brief description that says: The Sixties was a decade of rocketships — both NASA's thundering moon machines, and the rubber-burning road...

I heard from one of our favorite pinup models, Zoe Scarlett.  Zoe's the first pinup model we featured when she was on a flier we made for the very first show we attended in California.  She was our Billetproof Pinup here thanks to our friend and extraordinary photographer Dirk Behlau from Pixeleye Racing. And just for the record, Zoe's Swiss! From Switzerland, you know? No matter how many times I screw that up, that's not gonna change... So Zoe told me she's on a bottle of lemonade. Here's the scoop. Available soon, I'll try to post a link to where it's on sale. In the first time of history, Abbondio Aranciata has decided to use a still alive pin up beauty to cover their bottle. After intensive research, Abbondio found the well known Swiss Pin Up girl and discovered she's the only European doll on the world ranking of the top 10 pin ups. The Zoe Scarlett Limited Edition beverage will be launched worldwide in late March. In addition to the "Terroni in Los Angeles, " harrods " in London or the "Zanzibar" in Frankfurt the lemonade will also...

I'm a car guy, not a web guy.   Yes, I've spent the last 3 years making MyRideisMe.com and spending a huge portion of my limited free time on the computer, but it's all been worth it. The community's growing, sponsorship is growing and that means there'll be more free stuff (see the freebies stories) and more content for everyone to enjoy.   That said, I had to spend some time in the garage this weekend to prove to myself, I am a car guy. My 1963 Falcon wagon's been neglected so that MyRideisMe.com's not. I've had a new radiator to put in for a while now and I have an Optima Battery to put in as well. My new yellow top's still waiting, but at least I've got the radiator in!     Why'd it take me so long? It was a hard day's work, but not as bad as I thought it would be. I have this tendency to over think to the point where it keeps me from getting started. Maybe that's how I'm wired as an engineer. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out....

Kristabelle, don't shoot! Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender is no doubt it's own car show. The cars get checked before entering so there's no billet anything or any car built after sixty-something. But it's the people and more specifically the wandering pinups that make the show. Who doesn't love Hot Rod Pinups! Burlesque Performer Sophia Sirena If you're watching closely, you'll see well known pinups like Heidi Van Horne and Dayna Delux enjoying the show, but they're generally not posing. I guess you could say they've "made it" and get paid when they're shot. Dayna teamed up with Sabina Kelly to host a "Bottles and Pinup Models"  night at the Foundation Room at the Mandalay Bay and Heidi's doing a little bit of everything. She's acting, directing, writing a blog for the Houston Chronicle... she's busy but just as sweet as ever! Viva's become a hot spot for pinup models and the photographers that make their living shooting pinup. This is Mitzi Valenzuela from Mitziandco.com shooting one of many pinup models on the long (Wednesday to Sunday) weekend. Mitzi's contributed quite a bit to MyRideisMe.com and has shot with...

You just read that title and said, " a Gasser what?" I admit, I ain't right. I have strange tastes compared to some and I guess you could say I have a vivid imagination, too. How else can I imagine how nasty a 1961 Rambler American station wagon would look as a Gasser. I've got the idea in my head, but like alot of you, I can't draw, much less make a rendering like this showing my crazy dream to perfection! That's where artists like Joel Nelson from 1320designs.com comes in. (Click on the image above to see it full size. It's a higher resoultion pic perfect for a desktop wallpaper) Before continuing that story, let me back up. I dig wagons. I don't know for-sure why, maybe it was because my dad drove us around in 1967 Ford Wagon when I was a kid. My brother and I'd drop the back seat down and slide around in back on the metal floor. This was the mid 70's so seat belts weren't the rage they are now. Looking back, we survived alot of things that have today's parent's gasping!...

Could it be easier to get free stuff?  She's practically handing you your new battery!! This is Arpil's Freebie Contest: I want to give you an Optima Battery or Lincoln Electric Welding Helmet. It's Easy! For the rest of April, 2010 forward our newsletter to a friend and say: This is MyRideisMe.com's newsletter. It's hot rod and custom car stories & pictures. My Ride is Me gives away free stuff from Optima Batteries and Lincoln Electric so please check out the site and sign up if you like it. (it's all free!) Got it?? Not getting our newsletter? You can subscribe here. Here's some important details: Make sure to send it to freebie@myrideisme.com (so I can count your entries) For each person you send the newsletter to, you're entered to win. 1 newsletters sent to 4 friends = 4 entries 2 newsletters sent to 6 friends (even the same friends) = 12 entries When? Until 4/30/10. Forward any newsletter, even last weeks! What do I win? There'll be 2 winners: One battery of your choice straight from Optima One welding helmet Who? All MyRideisMe.com members. (not a member? Click...

I don't expect anyone to look at MyRideisMe.com only. I don't! There's too many GREAT websites out there covering all the motorsports, import and tuner shows we're missing here. One of those is Motormavens.com. Antonio and his crew at Motor Mavens cover the Formula Drift series to the max. The picture above shows that Formula D's not limited to 370Z's and RX-8's either. New generation Camaro's and Challengers are on the track putting their rear-wheel-drive butts into competition. What's not to like? Find all of Motor Maven's Formula Drift Coverage HERE. While you're there, check out this great video from Justin Shreeve Films. It's a well produced, clear video showing the speed and precision (or non-precision!) of Formula Drift.  Video HERE. Hope you like...

One of the best things about the expansion of hot rodding is the availability of aftermarket parts. The only downside, especially if you own a 1st gen Camaro, might be too many choices! After you've decided to make your ride turn as hard as it accelerates, you probably hit the web for discussion forums and communities like MyRideisMe.com to ask friends, "What'd you use?" Unfortunately, there's general wisdom about opinions, how's that go?? I know it finishes, "Everyone's got one..." Left to make the choice alone, how do you chose? Would it matter to you if the supplier was owned by suspension engineers from GM?  Enter Detroit Speed Inc. The bright blue colored Camaro's prominently labeled, "Test Car" caught my attention at the 2010 Goodguys Spring Nationals first thing in the morning. I saw "Detroit Speed" discretely sticker'd on the fender, so walking through the supplier pits, I saw Detroit Speed and stopped in to find out what "test car" meant. I talked briefly with Kyle Tucker, president and husband of the husband and wife owner team. Kyle told me to go see Stacy to learn more about the...