Online Hot Rod Magazine and Custom Car Pics

AE86 with 4AG 20V - Japanese Classic Car Don't you hate it when the first thing someone asks you about your car is "How much power does it have?" I really wish that someday, someone would come up and ask me instead, "How much does your car weigh?" Without getting too in-depth about technical power-weight ratio and its applications to various motorsports, it simply means that the lighter the car, the better. Said another way, it basically doesn't matter if you have 1000HP if the car weighs 10,000lbs. It's all about power to weight ratio in this game! Of course, many other factors come into play, depending on the type of racing you're doing too, but to a certain extent- higher horsepower combined with a lightweight chassis is usually the way to go. The AE86 is a code name for a 1985~87 Toyota Corolla GTS, which came in a front engine, rear wheel drive configuration. Because of this layout, the car became immensely popular for racing, typically in road racing, rally, and drifting. These cars are on their way to becoming classics (if they're not already) and sure enough,...

2011 Grand National Roadster Show Bubble topped show cars like the "Reactor" shown here were a staple of the 60's show car scene back then. Now, they stand out as freakishly-radical customs in a room full of classic customs at the 2011 Grand National Roadster Show. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining!  The gods of custom would strike me down if I bad-mouthed names like Winfield and Roth... But you gotta agree, these are way over the top! I especially like the dragster inspired, and chrome plated of course,  steering wheel. Anyone ever seen a picture of someone sitting inside? (Click on a picture to see it full size) The Reactor, originally known as the "Autorama Special" was a one-off, hand build aluminum bodied custom built by Gene Winfield. The chassis was front wheel drive Citroen with motivation coming from a fully chromed Corvair engine. Hood, doors and lift-up roof were all electrically controlled. According to a website dedicated to the Piranha, Gene Winfield's Reactor made quite a splash on the show scene. So much so, Gene toured Hollywood! Before long, the Reactor was seen on Star Trek,...

2011 Grand National Roadster Show - It's a Driver! Cruisin the GNRS halls until your feet are putty, it pays off when you meet a guy like Jake Moomey. Jake's a soft spoken hot rodder hailing from Michigan. He drove, yea DROVE his killer 1954 Chevy Bel Air out to Mohave, CA for the Gene Winfield and Larry Watson, "Custom Car and Hot Rod Gathering" at Winfields shop. That's an ass-numbing 2300 miles one way! After the show, Jake left his custom with a buddy in Corona, CA then flew back to Michigan. Next, Jake came back for the Mooneye's show in December, then flew back... then one month later, here he is inside at the Grand National Roadster show! You seeing a pattern? Well he ain't done yet! After GNRS, Jake's back to freezing Michigan until March when he'll drive out to the Lonestar Rod & Kustom Round Up in Austin, TX. From there, he's back on the road once again and making the drive back to Michigan. A cracked windshield worn proud by Jake's fitty-fo. By the ever handy Google Maps, that's a total of 5100 miles!...

Hot Rod Pinup Cara Mia Cara Mia's a tattooed Hot Rod and Pin Up model, hailing from Oregon. She says she likes to add a lot of versatility to her modeling and has a lot of different interests. She has a large modeling portfolio, and I'd venture to say that with her killer looks, it'll be getting a lot bigger. She has a bad girl look, with ink on most areas of her body, but don't let that fool you... Cara has a sweet side, and she's not afraid to tell us she likes to curl up with her man and puppy, watch movies and knit scarves. Whether you like her for her spicy side, or sweet, her pictures are sure to please. STATS Hometown: Portland Oregon. Age: 23 years strong. Measurements: 34-27-36 Height: 5'8 Favorite band: Carrion Spring: www.myspace.com/CarrionSpring Movie: Spirited Away. Empire Records. Drop Dead Fred. The Toxic Avenger. Car: I'm a sucker for a gasser, but my all time favorite would be a Chevy Nomad. We can make our best guess by the looks of you (you're hot) but, tell us how you got your start...

2011 Grand National Roadster Show - For the First Time Ring-ring~ Friday night: A text message pops up on my beat up iphone and to my surprise, its Pikesan from MyRideisMe.com. It turns out that he's currently in California to cover the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona for the weekend! He asks if I'm interested in coming down to the show, and without any hesitation I kindly accept the invitation. Honestly, domestic American cars are not really my thing, but I do share an equal amount of respect for automobiles of all kinds so I start packing my gear. I've been to many domestic (American) car shows, but nothing to this caliber, some cars weren't even classics, they were antiques! Lined up in front of me by the hundreds were some of the worlds most beautiful historical customs of all genres. Upon entry, my jaw just drops. Not only were some of the masterpieces displayed worth more than what some people will make in 10 years, but the quality of the work was without a doubt, world class. And, its safe to say that the majority of the...

NHRA Drag Racing's John Force Racing Team News WITH FAMILY AT THE FOREFRONT, ASHLEY TAKES HIATUS FROM RACING YORBA LINDA, CA (January 25, 2011) – Two-time reigning Mac Tools U.S. Nationals Champion Ashley Force Hood, a top three finisher in the NHRA Full Throttle driver standings each of the last two seasons, announced Tuesday that she and husband Dan are expecting their first child. Moments after informing members of her Castrol GTX team of the news via satellite hook-up with John Force Racing East in Brownsburg, Ind., Force Hood told those assembled for a press conference at JFR corporate headquarters that she will take a temporary hiatus and will not compete this year for the Full Throttle Championship. The 28-year-old graduate of Cal State-Fullerton instead will focus on motherhood and her new responsibilities as president of John Force Entertainment, a JFR subsidiary that has been charged with responsibility for building the JFR brand on a variety of new and existing platforms. The NHRA national record holder for Funny Car speed (316.38 miles per hour), Force Hood admitted that she is excited about both her pregnancy and about finally being...

How to Win the America's Most Beautiful Roadster Award In case you haven't already heard, the 1934 Ford Roadster owned by Daryl Wolfswinkel's and built by Doug Jerger and crew at Squeeg's Kustoms in Chandler, AZ won the highly coveted "AMBR Award" or America's Most Beautiful Roadster Award. Those of you who've seen the story posted here at MyRideisMe.com about the 2008-2010 AMBR winners are SHOCKED! (but maybe tickled too!!)   Disagree? Here' your chance to Vote on the AMBR winner yourself!   At the Grand National Roadster Show on Saturday morning, I learned the judging criteria for the AMBR award changed. Guess who told me?  Ironically, it was my buddy Doug Jerger! (I'm in Chandler too) Sniffing a great story, I asked around and found Vic Cunnyngham, the judges coordinator for the 2011 America's Most Beautiful Roadster. (Yes, that's the correct spelling of his name...)   Vic, a long time hot rodder and hot rod builder set me straight on selecting the 2011 AMBR award winner. To sum it up in one, simple sentences, I'd say: It'll be the most beautiful roadster at the show. A quick clarification:...

Hot Rods and Custom Cars at 2011 GNRS in Pomona, CA Day 2 of the "Grand-daddy of them all" the 2011 Grand National Roadster Show is done. This post shows just a few of my favorite shots from the show and gives a cross-section of the extremely wide array of custom rides. Above is the Hinkles Hot Rods amazing show truck. The gold paint lit up the main hall! Sticking with hot rod pickups, my friend Jim from the Throttle Kings completely transformed his truck! Last time I saw it, it wore suede paint and a pinstriped spade that covered the entire door.  Now, shiny paint and a bunch more chrome later, Jim's inside the Grand National Roadster Show's Suede Palace. This early hemi powered 1926 bodied pickup struck a menacing stance.  Everything about this hot rod says fast. The show card read like a history book of speed starting with drag racing from 1958 to 1961 at famed tracks like Bakersfiled, Lions, Pomona, Fontana and San Gabe. Dan Peterson's "El Gringo Loco" had to be one of my favorites. Built by Austin Speed Shop with a one-of-a-kind interior...

12 Hot Rod Roadsters at Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, CA Vote for your favorite below. (Click any picture to see it full size) Read about the new AMBR Award judging rules. It's that time... 12 judges in an ENTIRELY NEW judging format (more info on that coming soon...) will face the difficult task of picking the 2011 Grand National Roadster Show's "America's Most Beautiful Roadster". The AMBR award, as it's known, is given out every year at the Grand National Roadster Show to a true roadster (one that does not have roll-up windows) that has never been shown at an indoor show. Sounds simple enough? You choose your favorite in a poll below. America's Most Beautiful Roadster Contender #1 Pictured above is Russ and Lora Freund's 1923 Ford Roadster from Postfalls, Idaho called, "The Takeout T". This is the only "T-bucket" competing for America's Most Beautiful Roadster and it is outstanding. 1948 Ford Flathead powered, chromed to the max and featuring a striking, custom shade of Planet Color Purple paint. I'll have to get the name of the color for the feature I'll have to do. This...

Car Interior Restoration One of the first jobs I did on my 1955 Studebaker was restoring the car’s interior. Even though I didn’t know what I was doing – I had a pretty good sewing background and figured I could handle it. As it turned out, it was a terrific first job for me. I had a lot of fun, met some challenges, and learned along the way. I’ve since had the chance to learn a few secrets and have been looking forward to another car interior restoration. Well…the time is here. When I picked out the materials to use in my Stude, I knew they weren’t very sturdy but I didn’t really care. A few years of daily wear later, my driver’s seat-back has been torn to shreds. Before embarking on this next car restoration adventure, I thought I’d ask for your opinion. Car shows are great places to look for what you like and might want to incorporate into your own project. So that’s just what I did. While trying to keep my head on straight while looking at all the amazing customs at the Long Beach...

Hot Rod Pinup Gia Genevieve This smokin' hot redhead made her way onto the scene in 2009 at VLV 12. She was noticed by a photographer and was put into the running right away to grace the cover of Ol' Skool Rodz magazine where you might remember seeing her. Gia's career has blossomed since then, winning the title of Ink and Iron Queen, and showing us what she does best  on the cover of Retro Lovely Magazine issue 3. I had the pleasure of getting to know Gia a little bit better when I interviewed her last year, and I'm happy to be able to work with her again, and bring her to you here on MyRideisMe. She is a sexy, curvaceous, sultry, red hot girl with hair to match. I look forward to a lot more wonderful photos from Gia, and seeing her around the Pin Up and Hot Rod scene for a while. Shout out to Pin Up photographer Roy Varga for these stunning shots of Gia, and for the great work he does in the pin up and hot rod community. Anyone into the Pin Up lifestyle,...

Debuting at the 2011 Grand National Roadster Show Going to the 2011 Grand National Roadster Show? Besides the amazing roadsters, including the ones after the "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" award, there are other custom cars at GNRS that should never be missed. This Ford Econoline van is one. The purpose of this post is NOT to show or tell about the van, only to let you know to see it in person yourself at the show. I'll follow up with a detailed story and pictures... What you're seeing is "Van Go" the creation of artist and publisher Coby from Church Magazine. What started as a 1963 Ford Econoline van is now a one-off masterpiece of creativity and custom work. This van oozes cool from every polished and painted pore and I know it reflects a ton of work from Coby and from KA Custom, Tim Conder and Pablo Perez, who Coby says, "Are the 3 who truly made it happen..." Here's where this Econoline started: To say it doesn't impress says it correctly... that is, unless you're Velma or Daphne. With the stance drastically improved, the van already looked...