Online Hot Rod Magazine and Custom Car Pics

Datsun 510 and Datsun 280Z Japanese Classics Graphic designer extraordinaire by trade, and a Datsun devotee by lifestyle, a guy who others refer to as, "Goki" is the epitome of a true enthusiast who appreciates the modernized ride of a nostalgic approach. Goki's Datsun 510 wagon and Nissan Fairlady 280Z haven't necessarily undergone any flawless restoration processes, nor does it run sub-10 second quarter mile times or anything crazy like that. The modifications presented upon these vehicles fit within the parameters of what is efficient in his car lifestyle, both in terms of the daily driven aspect and budget. Sure, there's small discrepancies such as rust on the undercarriage as well as loose electrical wires here and there; these qualities are not always noted as negative but instead gives unique character that solidifies the intended purpose of the vehicle. A little history lesson without being too lackluster; Datsun started as DAT Motorcar Co. in 1931 with "DAT" a simple acronym made up from the first letter of the names from the three founding fathers of the company.  However, soon after they were acquired by the Nissan Motor Co. their...

Hot Rod Pinup Erica Vaughn Straight from sunny Socal and from the lens of pinup photographer Mitzi, welcome Erica Vaughn our October Pinup of the month. Erica's revealing a little of what she likes in an interview along with her sweet smile and devilishly red hair! The classic styled 1923 T-bucket is owned by James Dean. How did you get into pinup Modeling? I was watching alot of Charlie Chaplin silent films. I am a huge fan of Charlie Chaplin! He's directed alot of amazing actresses like Lillian Gish, Clara Bow, and many more.  By watching those wonderful women I just fell in love with the 1930's and 1940s... I've looked up to many of these inspiring women throughout there career; They're very funny, energetic, and outrageously beautiful in all their pictures. After being a fan for many years I wanted to pursue pinup/retro/fetish modeling... so I did... and I LOVE IT!!! What is your favorite car show to attend and why? My favorite car show of coarse is the Viva Las Vegas Weekender! I love this car show because there are so many events happening all the time: ...

Rat Rod BMW from Stanceworks Go ahead, click to Zoom, right click, Set as Desktop Background like I did today.  Go ahead, I'll wait... Mike Burroughs is the man behind the website/forum/blog STANCEWORKS, a site dedicated to cars with seriously low stance.  Their motto or slogan is "Low is a Lifestyle".  Mike is definitely livin' low.  His 1980's 5 series BMW you see here is his personal ride, and canvas.  If this isn't My Ride is Me, then I might as well just click Start-Shut Down and go to bed.  I'm giving this... this car, the name Bimmer Bomber. Its one of those cars that is meant to stir up people's opinions.  Love it or Hate it, there aren't many cars around that can piss off so many car guys, while at the same time, making others stand up and applaud.  Hmm... sound like the rat rod movement to anyone? Being a World War II fan, I see those tiger shark teeth and think warbird.  Since this car is German built, I personally thought about the German fighter planes like this Messerschmitt ME-109 pictured above.  This is what made me think of the name Bimmer...

Kustom D'Elegance Winner at 2010 Motorama Custom Car Show If you're into customs, then the Long Beach Motorama is not to be missed! Although there are plenty of beautiful cars (like the ones I featured in my Motorama - First Look article) the highlight of the show is the Kustom D'Elegance award. Each of the dozen-plus contenders impressed in their own way... just being in the room sets these cars apart from the pack. However, just one could win the $20,000 cash prize along with a place on the perpetual trophy! As soon as you walk on into the Long Beach Arena, the red carpet leads you on past each of the skillful and innovative kustoms. Each one was fantastic... This roof- hammered 1959 Cadillac came all the way from Australia and was, I'm sure, one of the most customized cars present. Gene Winfield's old 1935 Ford Pickup shop truck , which had disappeared in 1965, was found in 2008 and resurrected to beautiful completion by Hatfield Restorations. This 1936 Auburn Roadster had some nice appeal. Voodoo Larry's newly completed 1946 Ford was in the running also. Those of you who...

Custom Car 1965 Crown Imperial Sedan What does a hot rod shop owner's wife drive?  It's gotta have some purple and lace right?  Even some fur... Even though its a ladies ride, I think you dudes out there will dig as well. This is Julie's 1965 Crown Imperial custom.  Julie is married to Scotty Birdsall, owner of Chuckles Garage.  If you missed the story on his ride, click this link, '62 Ford Falcon Straight Axle Gasser. This 1965 Crown Imperial (alot of folks call it a Chrysler, but Crown was its own entity at the time) is definitely My Ride is Me.  Let's see why... You can see it certainly fits in as a "Mild Custom" build.  There's not alot of mods other than a super crazy paint job, some suspension work, a groovy fur dash (it is a lady's ride remember!) and some 600-15 wide whitewalls.  When the goal is to personalize your classic machine, those are simple and effective touches. Here's the face of a not-often seen 60's classic luxury sedan.  I can't say I've seen one of these before, but I like the mid 60's era Detroit...

Hot Rods and Customs With a Twist of Strange I took the opportunity to sit down for a while with Tim Strange of Strange Motion Rod & Custom Construction, and threw the book at him, question-wise. I've been a fan of his for years and have enjoyed the good fortune of not only creating design work for him at Problem Child Kustoms Studio, but also becoming fast friends. Tim's created some of the most memorable cars in recent history and has won a number of accolades, including the Goodguys Trendsetter, numerous ISCA and KKOA top finishes and best in class picks, not to mention hundreds of magazine features. Tim's no doubt one of the elite hot rod and custom car builders out there and is a down-to-Earth, talented guy who "gets it"... It not the sort of career where you take everything seriously. You need to be able to laugh at the goofy stuff, and make the most of every situation, and Tim is definitely able to do both, and with a style that's unmatched. To understand Tim's secrets and have a little fun, we sat down to discuss...

Hot Rod Pin-up Calendar Looking for 2012's calendar? Hot Rod Pinup Calendar for 2012 from Mitzi Sometimes there's just no words! Who cares what day it is when you have the lovely Monica Renee greeting you every day of January in the brand new, 2011 Pin-up Model calendar from Mitzi and Co. Not only is Mitzi buddies with just about everyone at the shows, she's also been a great friend to MyRideisMe.com supplying several pinup model features and Pinup of the Month shots. We love Mitzi, but we love her girls better! See More of Monica Renee as Pinup of the Month here. Heating up your June, this is Emily Marilyn . Make sure to grab yourself a calendar. They're a super high quality, 11x17 portrait style, wirebound calendar for only $25. International orders are $30.  If you're not clicking Mitzi' "Buy Now" page, you might want to check your pulse! Last but not least, another friend of MyRideisMe.com, pinup Notorious Ang. As an undisputed babe and self proclaimed computer nerd, she's also a radio personality! She graced Viva Las Vegas where we grabbed these pinup of the month...

2010 Motorama Custom Car Show Just when you thought the car show season was coming to the end, there's one more you don't want to miss! The Long Beach Motorama, featuring the Showcase of Kustoms, was created specifically to feature the top custom cars being built today. Not only that, but there's plenty of history too. Motorama is modeled after the custom car show begun in 1958 by the Renegades Car Club and  recognizes important builders, cars, and individuals from hot rodding history. To be sure that the Long Beach Motorama draws some of the most impressive custom builds around, it features a Kustom D'Elegance award that'll earn the skillful car builder a $20,000 purse! While the cars in competition for the Kustom D'Elegance award are fantastic, I wanted to give ya'll a chance to see the variety of other cars that showed up. From mild to radical customs, pickups to lowriders - this was a very well-rounded show! Scroll on down through this pick of ten from Mitzi (try not to drool on your keyboard) and be sure to leave a comment below and let everyone know which...

1933 Ford Street Rod Featured Ride I first shared a quick photo of Jim Baugh's light blue 1933 Ford Sedan Street Rod in the Salt Flats Speed Shop Open House story. When Jim pulled up to the shop, I immediately started taking pictures.  Let's have a closer look... First of all, this '33 was built with a mix of two styles, Street Rod and Traditional Hot Rod.  When Jim was telling all about his '33, he sounded almost disappointed that it was a Street Rod.  I think he's been bit by the Traditional hot rod style bug that is so prevalent at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The Street Rod comes from the  big 'n' little tires, a reliable 350 small block Chevy and TH350 auto trans and front disc brakes.  The Traditional Hot Rod style's evident from several features: the chopped top, fenderless hot rod rake, authentic Ed Roth laid pinstriping, heavily louvered decklid and solid front axle. So which is it? Who cares! Jim nailed the complete execution and made a long-haul driver at the same time. Jim drove his '33 from Washington state to Alabama (or was it Arkansas?) for a family...

Mazda Rotary Engine Car Show Every year the rotary gearheads gather from all over the globe to attend the so called "Biggest rotary show in the world" at SEVENSTOCK 2010 at the Mazda North America Headquarters in Irvine, California. Since the release of the RX-8, its uncertain what rotary engine equipped vehicle will be produced after the RX-8, and perhaps events like the Sevenstock are an attempt to show Mazda corporate that the Wankel rotary spirit is still going strong.  Sevenstock is also more of a niche venue than your ordinary assembly of piston loving enthusiasts... rotary engines have a special type of bond that adheres to any car loving person. Why is this? Perhaps its the attraction to the free spinning bumble bee rumble, or the simple nature of the compact displacement that drops into almost any type of chassis? Regardless of the reason, it's a legendary engine that's made an immense footprint in the automobile world. The latest of Mazda's rotary creations, the RX-8 were in full effect. The Renesis is a naturally aspirated rotary engine engineered for performance as well as fuel efficiency, but most importantly,...

Evo X Mitsubishi Performance With the turn of the global economy and the effects it had on the automobile industry, one must ask; who actually gets sponsored these days? In these hard times, its a meaningless question to pursue; however sponsorships are directly related to the exposure and good brand image of the company. The life of Jason Macgill's EVO builds actually started as a plain sponsorship from Tomei Powered, the engine specialists. This relationship was mainly fueled by Macgill's undying pursuit of maintaining the positive status of the company, and actually carried the burden of proper representation of a 40 year old brand image.  Over the years, Tomei Powered recognized that Macgill was no ordinary enthusiast, but one that devoted his valuable time for the success of the company. The Mitsubishi  EVO X was immediately acquired at the US release date, even before some hit the dealer lots. Then began the networking to various Japanese companies such as Voltex, Colt Speed, and even Ralliart since these companies were already producing aftermarket performance parts for this fresh chassis. Sure the car looks pretty with its body kit and carbon...

Car Show Invaded By The Gasoline Girls It was labor day weekend, and you know what that means... leaving LA for the 100 mile drive to Ventura for the weekend. Although the show's been going on for 8 years now, this year its name changed from "Primer Nationals" to "Ventura Nationals"... so don't get confused! Other then being filled with great cars, good music, a pinup contest... it was extra special because it also marked the first official show that me and my girl's car club attended together! I've been meaning to introduce ya'll to them, so no time is better then the present - say hello to the Gasoline Girls! We've been meeting up and getting together to wrench on one another's cars for a few months now  - and having a darn good time at it! Waking up early to get our old cars parked at the show is difficult (especially when there's so many after-hours activities going on!) But its a little easier when there's a pretty Studebaker waiting for you! The show was at capacity this year, with sweet customs like this one from Cole Foster....