Online Hot Rod Magazine and Custom Car Pics

Edelbrock's $50k Blown Mustang Contest Here's your chance to win an hot rod Mustang from Edelbrock! Enter For A Chance To Win Edelbrock’s 75th Anniversary Edition Mustang TORRANCE, CA (March 15, 2013) – To celebrate it’s 75th year in business, Edelbrock is pleased to announce its 75th Anniversary Mustang Giveaway promotion. This once in a lifetime promotion will allow enthusiasts the chance to enter and win a unique 2013 Ford Mustang featuring Edelbrock and Ford Racing Performance upgrades. The lucky winner will also receive a round trip for two, with VIP accommodations to the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Once in Las Vegas, the duo will enter the SEMA Show as Vic Edelbrock’s personal guests and finally take delivery of the car at the show. The 2013 Ford Mustang was modified and upgraded on a special episode of this seasons Horsepower TV show. This anniversary edition Mustang features an Edelbrock E-Force supercharger, Ford Racing suspension Track Package as well as an exhaust system and wheels for improved performance and styling. Finally, the car has been hand-painted with Edelbrock’s anniversary logo and graphics. The show will debut at 9:30...

There's an Upstairs? Basement at the 2013 Detroit Autorama See all the pictures from the Basement - Hot Rods and Custom Cars For years now Autorama has been separated into two levels - the main floor and the basement. The main floor is the area that most people used to think of when thinking of the Detroit Autorama. The basement is where the ‘other’ cars go... In the past this ranged from tuners to rat rods. I used to hate going into the basement, and getting past the thumping bass and laser lights of the tuner crowd just to see a couple of cool lead sleds. For the last four years or so, the ‘rat rod’ movement in the Detroit area has grown substantially, and with the embracing arms of show organizers (Rudi and Dennis), the basement has turned into a main event. Photo courtesy of J. V. Drenzek & Associates The high gloss facade, high buck cars with their mirrored displays and bright lights upstairs becomes a distant memory as you ride the escalator down. Greeting you at the bottom is neon lights, pinup girls and rockabilly music...

2013 Detroit Autorama - Voyles' Picks For Ridler Award Words and Pics by Chris Voyles MyRideisMe.com's show sponsor: Auto Meter Gauges   The 2013 Detroit Autorama was a great one indeed with eight cars nominated for the prestigious Ridler Award. These cars where exceptionally nice, but I think it’s safe to say we all said to ourselves, “Hey! Why wasn’t that car nominated?”   We’ll Pikesan and I thought the same thing... while he's still deciding which rides he would have picked, I'm done! Here's a few of the custom cars I thought were the best of the best, and could have, or should have been nominated.   1961 Impala: This was a very nice done 1961 Chevy Impala owned by Gil & Janet Losi. The body channeled, shaved, nosed, decked and roll pans worked... it flowed very nicely. The chassis on the car was done by Morrison Custom and finished off with Ridetech air suspension. The Impala had a 2,000 hp 540 cubic inch twin turbo motor  by Mike Moran between the fender! Completely stunning car!   1934 Ford: Bill Hughart is the owner of this awesome 1934 Ford hot rod....

2013 Ridler Award Winner: 1940 Ford MyRideisMe.com's show sponsor: Auto Meter Gauges The Results are in! The 2013 was a tough competition! After talking to just about everyone I knew... I think the consensus pick is the winner. This 1940 Ford is outstanding top to bottom, and as owner Ron Cizek told me, "It's too bad the car's not displayed upside down!" You can check the detail pictures in the gallery below. I overheard it's the same/similar setup as the unbelievable 2007 Ridler Award winner, a 1936 Ford called, "First Love". Just my opinion, the paint, by Charlie Hutton, and the gold accents just set it off. There literally was no other car like it, and to win the Ridler Award, there shouldn't be. I'm happy to have shot it Sunday morning without the HUGE crowds in the Cobo Center, especially with the hood down. It's even more impressive! Hats off to all the other Ridler Contenders. As always, there'll be some discussion, dissention and plain-old calls of bullshit! But... from my point of view, this classic hot rod '40 Ford was the winner. I'll do my best to contact the owner...

2013 Detroit Autorama - Pikesan's Picks for Best of Show MyRideisMe.com's show sponsor: Auto Meter Gauges Like last year, I took too many pictures. I couldn't stop! To do my best to quickly-as-possibly share what I have and what I liked, I'm loading up the MyRideisMe picture gallery. There's 200 events covered since 2007, so lots to see, something for everyone... including - The Best of the 2013 Detroit Autorama. The rest of the BEST pictures and info are here. This wasn't a Ridler Contender? (Insert confused look here) 1934 Ford 5 Window Coupe Last year, I did a "Shoulda-been Great 8" story from the 2012 Detroit Autorama. I'm putting that story together, and when I do, this will top the list. Not only is the car way-over-the-top RIGHT ON traditional cool... it's also displayed beautifully and has an amazing Darryl Hollenbeck paint job. It's called, "Iron Orchid". Look for more pictures in a feature story soon. When my 1927 Roadster Grows up: 1927 Ford Model T Roadster This Brothers Custom Automotive hot rod was parked down in the basement. Just like last year, Brothers brought out the heavy guns...

2013 Detroit Autorama - Ridler Award Contenders MyRideisMe.com's show sponsor: Auto Meter Gauges If you're 6'4" you don't need a ladder... might as well use the height for some good and give another look at the "Great 8" cars contending for the coveted Ridler Award. After another day at the show, the winner's unknown and among friends, there's no clear favorite. (lots of bias tho!) Ridler Award Contender - 1934 Ford Sedan Gotta show the slick sedan from Arizona some love. It's an amazing color, even in the brutal lights inside Detroit's Cobo Hall. Ridler Award Contender - 1965 Corvette After talking to the good people at Greening Auto Company, especially Jesse Greening, the chief builder, we're learning more and gaining more respect for this gorgeous Corvette. Ridler Award Contender - 1940 Ford Barely visible is the matching gold of the flathead over shadowed by the menacing blower. We briefly saw the hood down and the doors closed before this happened: This is the judges doing their thing. They go over every part of the car, including the build books to learn what makes one car more amazing than...

2013 Detroit Autorama - Ridler Award Contenders It's Time! Detroit's here and we've got all the "Great 8" shots up and ready for you to pick a favorite. This year, they let us know a little earlier who the greats were, a rough job since I heard there were upwards of 50 cars in contention. Look for a great post coming soon of, "Shoulda-been's" or just bad-to-the-bone rides that somehow weren't selected as Ridler finalists.   Trending now: 2014 -Ridler Award "Great 8" Contenders?   No use arguing over that now, the Great 8 contenders choices have been made, so now it's time to pick a winner. This is gonna be a TOUGH one! What's your choice? Pick your favorite and let us know in a comment at the end. If you need pictures to decide, go to Taller than you! More Great 8   Devil in the Details: For each owner or builder, I asked: "What trick detail are you especially proud of that somebody might walk right by?" Hear what they said and enjoy the pictures to go with.   As usual, click on any pictures, even...

1928 Model A Hotrod from Texas The Suede Palace at the 2013 Grand National Roadster Show had a couple of crusty, like-a-barn-find hot rods to enjoy. This one's from Texas and is called, "The Waco Kid". The story I'll tell here is quoted from the show card. Thanks to Tom Orren, the original owner, for preserving this hot rod! (Click any picture for full size) 1928 Model A Hot Rod - Ford Roadster The Waco Kid "At the end of World War II, a young soldier named Tom Orren was discharged from the military in San Diego, California anxious to return home to Waco, Texas. He bought a stock 1929 Ford Model A for $75. A week after getting it on the road, he arrived home in Waco. While serving in the military his mechanical skills were honed, like many young soldiers, and he began modifying the stock Model A. He bought a used donor car - a 1939 or 1940 Ford - and built what you see here: A very early version of a chopped, channeled, and flathead V8 powered hot rod. With all his modifications and added power, by the late 1940s...

1933 Hot Rod - Like it Rolled out of the 50s At the 2013 Grand National Roadster Show in the Suede Palace, I found this vintage hot rod 1933 Ford Roadster. I spent the next 20 minutes trying to get a picture that showed it's true nastiness. It's almost like a barn find rolled into the show and took center stage... (Click any picture for full size) 1933 Ford Roadster owned by Marlon Bledsoe of Pasadena, CA The Suede Palace has a mix of shiny, flat and "other" paint jobs. What's left of the paint on Marlon's hot rod looks perfect to me. I wouldn't change it and I doubt he plans to. The uneducated might call this a "Rat Rod". Kindly, it is not. It's as far from a rat rod as it could be. This is a vintage hot rod and to avoid yourself some embarrassment, don't call it a rat. Front and Center at the 2013 GNRS It's hard to shoot any really good shots inside the palace... light's tough, tons of people and on top of it all, it was overcast and rainy. Here's a little darker look......

What Custom Car Show has the TOP Hot Rod?  This contest is CLOSED as of 5/5/13. Thank you. Got an opinion? Speak up now and win a set of Auto Meter Gauges worth $500! I believe: The Ridler Award - handed out at the Detroit Autorama in Feb/March America's Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) award - handed out in January at the Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS) Are the most prestigious car show awards a hot rod or custom car can win. I suspect few, if any, will disagree. Well do ya? Let's talk about it! To settle the score and to check-the-pulse of MyRideisMe.com readers, I've arranged a detailed look at past Ridler and AMBR winners RIGHT HERE. Take yourself back a few years, then answer: Which car show presents the best hot rod or custom? Taken year by year, side by side... pick one! Then at the end of this post, cast your vote and you'll have a chance to win the Auto Meter Gauges. (Click on any picture for a larger, closer look.) I'm also posting links to the contenders (called, "Great 8" in Detroit) for each award for...

Challenger 2.5 Rebuilt by Danny Thompson for Bonneville Land Speed Racing   I 'm honored to hear Danny Thompson's story of how he'll rebuild the race car his father, legendary racer Mickey Thompson, originally built in 1968 with help from Ford.   I believe, and I've said it before, land speed racing folks are extraordinarily kind people. Count Danny Thompson as one of those people and as a brave and dedicated man. After losing his father roughly 25 years ago, Danny now knows:   "... It's still a father son project, nothing's changed... he's just not going to be there in physical being."   Please enjoy this interview with Danny Thompson with historic pictures from the build website thompsonlsr.com. Additional images courtesy of Holly Martin Photography. [youtube]http://youtu.be/xG5n4kFNlsA[/youtube]   What a great story of perseverance. Thanks for sharing it Danny!   Please show your support for Danny and the team by checking out their online Challenger 2.5 store, or please leave a comment if the story's got you thinking about projects you worked on with your pops. I know I am.   Click here for all of MyRideisMe.com's Bonneville Salt Flat...

2013 Barrett Jackson Scottsdale Muscle Cars and Mopars Story and photos by Chris Voyles This years Barrett Jackson Scottsdale auction was a awesome one! Last year was a great auction but I think there was a little more excitement this year with some super unique vehicles crossing the block. Who could have predicted the Batmobile would go for 4.3 million?! There were a lot of great vehicles that had the proceeds go to charities and nothing is better than to see the price climbing on those cars with the bidders out doing each other, at some point solely out of kindness. I'm sure most of you have watched coverage of the Barrett Jackson Auctions on Speed Channel at some point but nothing beats being there in person and soaking in the true beauty of what we all love: Custom cars, muscle cars and for me Mopars! Whatever's your favorite, there's something for everyone at Barrett Jackson. Here's a few of my favorites. Let me know what you think... Chris #1 The pro touring 1970 Dodge Charger with a modern Hemi transplanted into it. While my favorite Charger of all time the 68,...