1969 Mustang - The Ultimate Street, Drift, Track Car Our friends at Speedhunters.com just released the first photo of the finished 1969 Mustang RTR-X!  It is debuting or just debuted at SEMA 2010 an hour or so ago.  Much info has been shared about the design process that Team Need For Speed at EA Games on Speedhunters.com. Check out Build Progress and pictures. The quick rundown of this ride can be found in the Drifting + Pro-Touring story here.  Thank you Vaughn Gittin Jr (2010 Formula Drift Champion) and Andy Blackmore (Speedhunters.com graphic artist) for dreaming up this...

Diesel Hot Rod MyRideisMe.com featured this bad Cummins powered hot rod before: Diesel Rat Rod: Blowin’ Smoke Photo by Swanee Now check out this crazy video of the "Welderup" turbo diesel rat rod doin' it's thing... [youtube width="575"...

1961 Chrysler Hemi Nitro Dragster from the UK Story by Brian Taylor Sydney Allard’s 1961 Allard Chrysler dragster (source Crazy Horses, National Motor Museum, Beaulieu) Drag racing has come a long way since its beginnings in the USA during the late 1940's. And although it had a culture of straight-line sprinting (runs against the clock rather than a knock out competition) dating back to the early 1900's, Europe had to wait until early in 1961 before it saw its first dragster. It was born when British sports car manufacturer Sydney Allard stormed into the office, slammed a copy of a Hot Rod publication featuring Chris Karamesines’ Chizler dragster onto the table and announced, “We’re going to build one of these”. Sydney Allard, the father of British drag racing. (source Crazy Horses, Gavin Allard collection) The Allard Chrysler being built. Sydney Allard watches from the cockpit as designer David Hooper (left) checks the plans and John Hume (right) adjusts the steering. (source Crazy Horses, National Motor Museum, Beaulieu) There were no official drag racing regulations in existence in Europe at the time. Royal Automobile Club building regulations for cars used for...

Hot Rods at Bonneville Salt Flats   Every year tons of hot rods, rat rods and some customs make the road trip of a lifetime to the Bonneville Salt Flats for Speed Week.  I spotted these hot rods cruising around the pits and thought you might like to see 'em.  I gave you all a sneak peek in the Speed Week 2010 Cruise In blog post for some of these rods.  This time we'll get down and salty with my favorite rides of Speed Week.     This is H.A.M.B.er Bass's bad Model A 5 Window Coupe that made the Hot Rod Pilgrimage from Dallas, Texas by himself.  Yes, SOLO!!!.  My jaw dropped when I saw this Coupe parked next to the tech inspection area.  All I could say was "Wow!".  I was too curious and found his thread on the HAMB HERE and read that this is bare metal.  It had already started to surface rust by the time he got home after being out on the salt and going through a humid Texas.     I really like this photo.  Gives you a detailed shot of the well executed...

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...

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...

Straight Axle Ford Falcon Gasser Meet the Chuckles Garage "Strange Bird" 1962 Ford Falcon Futura A/GS drag car.  This car started out as a $200 Craigslist beater and through some odd chain of events, became the "Strange Bird". MyRideisMe.com stumbled on Scotty Birdsall, owner and chief ornithologist at Chuckles Garage, a full service fab shop in Santa Rosa, CA. In Scotty's words, here's more info on this wicked Ford Falcon and what hits you first, the blown 401 Buick Nailhead:   "The 'bird's powered by a Littlefield supercharged Buick 401 Nailhead originally in a 1960's drag boat. The Nailhead sports a shop-fabbed blower manifold, custom pistons & rods, a wild Comp Cams bumpstick and lifters, custom valve springs and hi-flow valves, mild port work, custom pushrods, custom headers made in-house, vintage Weiand valve covers, dual Buick Wildcat Rochester 4 Jets that were modified for use with the blower with custom linkage, Nicson front cover/engine mount, custom motor plate, custom oil pan, and is backed by a built Buick ST400 transmission from a 1965 Riviera."   Can you say CUSTOM FALCON!!!??? Can't wait to hear what a blown Buick 401 Nailhead...

2010 Speed Week Hot Rod Shop Tour As Speed Week 2010 arrived, one of the events to attend for the local Utah natives and those making the hot rod pilgrimage to the Bonneville Salt Flats is the Open House at the Salt Flats Speed Shop.  Owner Chris Davenport, invited the guys from The Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop. I arrived around lunch time and chatted with a few of the people who were enjoying the scene that the Salt Flats Speed Shop provides.  Chris has not only been working on his "shop car" 1932 Ford Tudor but has evolved his shop into a piece of hot rod art! The entire shop is a time machine.  Old metal crafting tools and equipment, vintage gas station signage, WWII type hangar aluminum sheeting and of course, the hot rod projects. Here's just one example of vintage signage.  So cool!  Chris was telling us he found a jackpot of a source that will go un-named. The front view of Chris' 1932 Ford Sedan rod built in the 40's and 50's Traditional Hot Rod style, Chris' specialty and passion.  Hundreds of individually stamped louvers! ...

Hot Rods and Custom Car Show Pictures Story Contributed by MyRideisMe.com member: Nick Koljian "Hellcity316" The first thing you think of when you hear Skoty Chops name is insane customs. I recently had the pleasure of meeting the custom creating madman and owner of Skoty Chops Customs at the Concrete Massacre Car Show in Redwood City, CA. The first words out of this humble genius aside from nice to meet you was, "Anytime you want have a shoot or use my shop for a shoot, here's my number." I just met the guy and he is offering his laboratory where some of the sickest pieces of steel are conjured up and fabricated. Honestly rod fanatics... I was speechless. So when I heard that Skoty was putting on his Shootout #2 you knew it was one that this lens junkie was not going to miss. There's a few things that are a lock when Skoty Chops puts on a show and at The Skoty Chops Shootout #2 in Redwood City, Ca they held true. The first thing is, you know you're gonna witness some of the baddest pinstripers from the...

Hot Rods and Custom Car Show Pictures Story Contributed by MyRideisMe.com member: Nick Koljian "Hellcity316" Sarahlee, a pin-up gal from the Devious Dolls I shoot from time to time, gave me a flier for a show out in Santa Cruz, CA and said, "You gotta shoot this show!" I thought, "This could be cool, the girls could hang out with grandma in Capitola and could run over and shoot the show." As I was driving I just couldn't get the title of the show out of my head... "Concrete Massacre". To me that's a "not so original" name for what I heard is a cool car show put on by the Alley Boys Car Club. I thought, "How many times have I heard a show called this or something involving concrete?" After dropping the girls off at Grandmas house I headed up Soquel Ave towards the show. Soquel Ave's the main drag that connects Capitola to Santa Cruz. I was still stuck on this "Concrete" thing until I made my left on Encinal St.  and drove by Las Animas Concrete plant... Looking inside, I saw nothing but sick steel!...

Hot Rods and Custom Car Show Pictures Story Contributed by MyRideisMe.com member: Nick Koljian "Hellcity316" It was that time of year again to mosey on down to the wharf and check this years Nite of the Hot Rods car show put on by the bay areas own Dragoons Car Club. You may well know already from my past write up on last year's show, Nite of the Hot Rods is held at the Riverview Lodge in Antioch, CA. Now for those you that are new to MyRideisMe.com let me break it down like this. For the past 4 years the Dragoons CC has been putting on a little shindig entitled "Nite of the Hot Rods". What makes this car show so special is that the lodge is right on the wharf and the show itself is held on a pier. The Riverview Lodge is a bar/seafood restaurant and was built back in 1948. As a staple of Antioch for years, it still carries that beat up Elks Lodge flavor with old wood seating and jacked-up dinning tables... a very cool and comfortable place to hang out or have a...

Bonneville Salt Flats Video Video by Josh Clason (a Bonneville rookie... that's now hooked!) "I was going for a laid back feel which is why I chose the music that I did.  I went there expecting the event to be formal and rigid.  What I came to find was the complete opposite.  The people and camaraderie really blew me away.  The love that everyone shared from the spectators to the racers left a deep impression.  "The salt, it sings," as written by Pablo Naruda, aptly describes the feelings I left with from Bonneville.  I cannot wait to get back there again." [vimeo width="575" height="431"]http://vimeo.com/14260419[/vimeo] For all the Bonneville Speed Week Records, Pictures and Coverage click this...