Corky Coker's Barn Find Restored to Gold     If you've ever needed a set of white wall tires, or that strange set of 19 inch bias plys for your concours European Sports Car, then chances are you've met Corky Coker. You might have also been passed by him running the "Great Race" in an antique, but still rocking hot rod? Or if you're lucky, like me, you've bumped into him all over the hot rod world and scored a Tennessee traditional Moonpie as a snack! Even with out the chocolate and marshmellow goodness, Corky's a real car dude and highly qualified to host this show. I'm tuning in and you should too. Here's a quick preview: [youtube]http://youtu.be/tNG3vsIw40g[/youtube]   Here's a little more info about the show from Coker:   From Coker Tire:   “BACKROAD GOLD” DEBUTS FEBRUARY 5th AT 9:30PM ON THE TRAVEL CHANNEL Corky Coker Turns Barn Finds Into Gold on His New TV Show "Backroad Gold" follows antique car expert Corky Coker as he scours the highways, back roads and small towns of America, wheeling and dealing for hidden riches such as antique cars, motorcycles, trucks, gas...

New Entries Selected from the SEMA 2013 Show Floor     OPTIMA® Batteries Announces “Golden Ticket” Winners for the 2013 Ultimate Street Car Invitational Best-of-the-Best SEMA Show Vehicles Selected to Compete In Sixth Annual Invitational on November 9th   November 7, 2013 (LAS VEGAS) – OPTIMA® Batteries announced the final vehicle participants for the 2013 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational, during a press conference at the SEMA Show. These qualifiers were selected by a committee of OPTIMA and industry representatives who walked the SEMA show floor in Las Vegas to recognize the best of the best across all performance vehicle segments.   The following drivers are the finalists selected, earning a spot to compete in this year’s OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational: 2010 Audi R8, William Horan 1950 Chevy Thriftmaster Truck, Jonathan Ward 1993 Mazda RX-7, Scott Sangpiel 1973 Chevy Camaro, Randy Johnson 2013 Ford Focus ST-M, Mark German 1969 Pontiac GTO, Darren Nickleson 1965 Ford Mustang, Alan Palmer 1995 Toyota Supra, Joe Delgato 1968 Chevy Camaro, Karl Dunn 1967 Ford Mustang, Ed Moss   “There are so many extraordinary vehicles at SEMA and we are always impressed with the quality of unique vehicles that are at the show,”...

Who's Coming and What Radical Race Car are they bringing?   2013 OPTIMA® Ultimate Street Car Invitational: Second Group of Finalists Revealed If you can't find a car to like in this group... you don't like cars! From a BMW M3 wagon to classic Camaros and Mustangs, the OUSCI has you covered. All of these race cars will be seen at SEMA, many of them inside as part of vendor displays. Then on Friday, they'll take to the streets and make the parade lap leaving SEMA followed by a rally-style out to Pahrump, NV and the Spring Mountain Ranch race track where they'll kick things off on Saturday morning. Check out more details below.   The Upcoming Sixth Annual OPTIMA® Ultimate Street Car Invitational to Showcase a Strong Mix of Imported and Domestic Vehicles   OPTIMA Batteries, the global leader in high-performance automotive and marine batteries, gears up for the sixth annual OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational, presented by K&N Filters and Royal Purple, by revealing the initial list of drivers and vehicles that have been invited to compete in the event. OPTIMA Batteries has long been the battery of choice for many automotive enthusiasts looking for better...

OPTIMA Shootout Qualifiers at Road America Premiere of OPTIMA’s Search for the Ultimate Street Car: Faceoff at Road America Qualifier Event to Air on MAV TV Network   OPTIMA’s Faceoff at Road America Qualifying Event Episode Premieres Thursday, October 31 with more high intensity performance vehicles and nail-biting action Oct. 17, 2012 (MILWAUKEE) – OPTIMA® Batteries, the global leader in high-performance automotive and marine AGM batteries and chargers, is proud to announce the premiere of the OPTIMA’s Search for the Ultimate Street Car series to air on Thursday, October 31 at 6 p.m. EDT and 9 p.m. EDT on MAV TV.   In the premiere, viewers will get a behind-the-scenes look at the action during the OPTIMA Faceoff at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. This regional qualifying event introduces a diverse range of performance vehicles and the stories behind the passionate drivers as they compete on one of the most historic race tracks in America.   “This episode captures the passion of the automotive community with a great cast of entertaining characters. If you’re looking for fast beautiful cars, then this is your show,” said Cam Douglass director of product development and marketing for OPTIMA Batteries....

New Prestige Pearl gauges from Auto Meter     The good news? Now I know what gauges I want for my 1963 Falcon Wagon project! I knew I'd update what was in my old long roof, but hadn't decided what would work best until I saw these. I'll see them first hand at 2013 SEMA Show and report back if they're as pretty in person as they are here in pictures!  Here's more info in the official press release below... read on!   From Auto Meter:   Introducing Prestige Pearl Instruments from Auto Meter!   October 1, 2013, Sycamore, IL - Auto Meter's newest addition to the highly successful Prestige series join the nostalgia-inspired Black Diamond and Antique Ivory designs offering a pure white dial colorway for greater design possibilities when planning your build's interior. Auto Meter Prestige Pearl instruments are proudly built in the USA, featuring hybrid dials highlighted by embossed spun aluminum accents, traditional arrow-styled pointers and are finished with period correct domed lenses and chrome bezels. The beauty of these instruments is more than skin deep, at their heart are the same performance meter movements found in race cars across...

Get $2500 from Gumout for your Hot Rod Project   Are you working on a hot rod project? Maybe your project is stalled? Is it taking too long (that's me!) or you haven't even started yet? Don't worry! Make it fun, and take advantage of Gumout's offer to help out with $2500!   To inspire or maybe just give ya the friendly kick in the pants you need to get started, I wanted to tell a couple stories about successful hot rod projects and one slick Chevy truck getting dropped and bagged in one day.   First look above... you see Victor, closest to his home built Model A hot rod coupe, standing with Jim and Chris. I know Vic's a hard worker and talented building just about anything he sets out to make for himself or his Throttle Kings Car Club buddies. I met Vic when his hot rod was just getting started:     Vic enjoyed this hot rod coupe as much as anyone could with multiple trips to Viva Las Vegas Car Show and LA Roadster Show visits. Maybe that's the trick to long term project...

1955-1959 Chevrolet Truck New Gauge Style   I'm happy to showcase another great new product from our friends at Auto Meter. To complement their 1955-1956 Chevy Bel Air gauge panel, they're now custom making a gauge set for every Chevy Truck from 1955-1959. Set your truck apart with this great looking new panel!  MORE in the official press release below... read on!   From Auto Meter:   Introducing Auto Meter Nostalgia Series Five Gauge Mount for 55 - 59 Chevrolet Truck   July 17, 2013, Sycamore, IL - The dashboard design of the 55 - 59 Chevrolet "Task Force" trucks is regarded by many enthusiasts as one of the hallmarks of that generation of pickups. However, the nearly 60 year old original instruments are hardly up to today's standards. Whether you're working on a resto-mod or a full blown hot rod issues of installation and compatibility where newer performance engines and transmissions are concerned are likely to cause you some headaches.     Historically the unique V-shaped opening of the original speedometer cowl in the dashboard made the upgrade to better aftermarket instruments a difficult task without disrupting the...

Your 1955-1956 Chevrolet Bel-Air Never Looked Better!   It may be official now... Auto Meter's making just about every custom gauge set except what I need for my 1963 Falcon Wagon! Now with the 1955-56 Chevy Bel-Air custom gauge set ready to ship, what else would set off your custom Chevy better? Get the gauge panel then pick the perfect gauges to fit your ride. MORE in the official press release below... read on!   From Auto Meter: Introducing Auto Meter Nostalgia Series Five Gauge Mount for 55 - 56 Chevrolet Bel-Air   July 2, 2013, Sycamore, IL - The dashboard design of the 1955 - 1956 Chevrolet Bel-Air is regarded by many enthusiasts as one of the most beautiful and iconic interior stylings ever produced. However, the nearly 60 year old original instruments found in those cars are hardly up to today's standards of technology, response and accuracy.   Whether you're working on a resto-mod or a full blown hot rod issues of installation and compatibility where newer performance engines and transmissions are concerned are likely to cause you some headaches. Historically the unique arc-shaped opening of the...

OPTIMA Faceoff at Road America Awards - A Hot Rod Wins! Optima Faceoff at Road America Awards Four OPTIMA Invitational Entries Among Largest Group of Participants in Faceoff History, 1964 Chevy Corvette, 2013 Nissan GTR, 1963 Pontiac Tempest and 1981 Pontiac Trans Am earned entries to the 2013 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational   June 25, 2013 (MILWAUKEE) – The OPTIMA® Faceoff at Road America, presented by Royal Purple and K&N Filters, returned to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, this past weekend with more than 70 participants. The event, which will be showcased on television later this fall, kicked-off on Friday, June 21 at Johnson Controls Headquarters with a car show and charitable OPTIMA Build-A-Bike event benefiting Milwaukee area Boys & Girls Clubs and Neighborhood House of Milwaukee. The Faceoff at Road America is a Regional Qualifier event leading up to OPTIMA’s Ultimate Street Car Invitational, to be held in Pahrump, NV, after the SEMA show in early November.   The driving and fun began Saturday as all of the Faceoff participants drove more than 60 miles through Wisconsin’s scenic Kettle Moraine State Park to the Road America facility in the Detroit...

Spectator Tickets Available for: 2013 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational Sixth Annual OPTIMA® Invitational Promises to be Another Thrilling Automotive Event   More info about the rides racing at the OUSCI   Today OPTIMA® Batteries released a limited number of spectator tickets for its sixth annual OPTIMA® Ultimate Street Car Invitational presented by K&N Filters and Royal Purple. Spectator tickets to the Pahrump, Nevada event, which sold out in 2012, are available for purchase online. Spectators are invited to watch the action-packed event where participants – both up-and-comers and industry favorites – from around the world compete for the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car title. Fans are advised to act quickly because the 2012 event sold out of spectator tickets.   Last year, the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational brought in massive crowds with a sold out event, more thrilling moments and record times, ultimately crowning Mark Stielow and his custom 1967 Chevrolet Camaro as the 2012 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car.   "We’re looking forward to another exciting year of this growing event as we continue to layer on different challenges and elements for a new experience for fans and...

Never Calibrate your Speedometer Again   I found the perfect solution to finding out how fast I'm going in my roadster without hooking a speedo-cable into the transmission. I mean, I wish I could, but the speedo input is right next to the frame. I'd have to do some major surgery to make it work. No worries with the GPS setup... and it'll be more accurate, even if I change tire size some time in the future... read on! From Auto Meter: Monitor speed accurately, on or off road with satellite signal technology from Auto Meter! New GPS Rally-Nav speedometers are engineered to interpret data from an included high speed  antenna assembly providing lightning quick response and eliminating the need to ever calibrate the instrument for gearing and tire size changes. In fact there's no reason to interact with the transmission or driven wheels at all, resulting in a simplified installation. Built in the USA utilizing race proven, rugged and precise digital stepper motor drives for smooth pointer readings and heightened resistance to shock and vibration. Rally-Nav red LED digital display includes standards like odometer and trip, in addition...

Centerforce is proud to put up to $125 back in your pocket! Offer Valid from May 1st, 2013 - June 30th, 2013 only. Centerforce, manufacturer of performance clutches, announced a consumer rebate for all Centerforce products! From May 1st, 2013 - June 30th, 2013, Centerforce customers can get up to $125 back when they purchase Centerforce product. Here's the rebate details: $50 Rebate for the purchase of $500.00 - $749.99 worth of Centerforce Product. $75 Rebate for the purchase of $750.00 - $1249.99 worth of Centerforce Product. $125 Rebate for the purchase of $1,250.00 - up worth of Centerforce Product. The rebate kicks off May 1st. Purchases made prior to May 1st will not be eligible for the rebate. Highlights of the Centerforce Clutch Deal: All Centerforce Product Qualifies Three levels of rebate are available; $50, $75, and $125! Purchases must appear on a single original receipt to combine for tiered levels. Two rebate limit per household. Purchases must be made between May 1st and June 30th, 2013, and Postmarked within 30 days from the date of purchase. Please review the Official Rebate Coupon for addition terms and conditions. Check...