Posts Tagged ‘ Muscle Cars ’

Classic Industries Introduces New First-Gen Camaro/Firebird Trunk Lid Cover Panels

By Ashley Smissen , January 15, 2012 in Interior, Products

Classic Industries has announced the release of its new ABS “Perfect Fit” Trunk Lid Cover Panels for 1967–1969 Camaros and Firebirds. The panels provide a finished look for the underside of a car’s deck lid when the trunk is open.

The trunk lid cover panels will fit all first-generation Camaros and Firebirds. They’re designed to clear trunk hinges and can be installed without any drilling, screws or damage to a car’s finish, said the company. They’ll also hide any factory holes or stamping marks to improve the appearance of the trunk area.

Featured Vehicle: Limelight Green 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge

By Ashley Smissen , November 23, 2011 in Rod Shops

The year was 1981 when a teenage Tim Burton first caught a glimpse of the two cars that would be burned into his memory for decades to come.

“There were two Pontiacs in my neighborhood that really caught my eye,” he said. “One was a 1969 Limelight Green GTO Judge and the other was a 1973 Brewster Green SD Trans Am. These cars would race up and down the road all the time, and that memory just stuck in my head.”

Little did he know that someday he’d own both of these cars. However, the road to obtaining his dream cars took a lot of time, research and elbow grease.

Weekend Car Shows & Events Roundup

By Ashley Smissen , November 15, 2011 in News & Events

Step out into the crisp autumn air this weekend and attend one of the many car shows being held around the country, like Goodguys 14^th Southwest Nationals or the National Law Enforcement Memorial Car Show. Information on these and six additional cars shows are detailed below. More shows will be posted on Hotrod & Restoration’s Twitter throughout the week.

Goodguys presents the 14^th Southwest Nationals Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Westworld of Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona. The event will feature over 2,000 rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 competing for awards including the Judy Murray Memorial Award and PPG Dream Car. The event will feature vendor and manufacturer exhibits, a swap meet, a cars-for-sale corral, a model and pedal car show and parties. For more information, visit www.southwestnats.com.

The Leake Auction Co. presents the Dallas 2011 Car Show & Auction Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Dallas Market Hall in Dallas. The event will feature over 500 collector cars, trucks and motorcycles on display and up for bid. For more information, visit www.leakecar.com.

Editor’s Corner: My Night at Playboy’s 2011 Muscle Cars at the Mansion Event

By Ashley Smissen , October 19, 2011 in E-News, Editor's Corner, News & Events

Standing next to my favorite car at the show, the Imperial Speedster

As one of the editors of Hotrod & Restoration, I attend a lot of car shows. However, I can safely say that I’ve never been to a car show quite like the Muscle Cars at the Mansion event, which was held last Saturday night at the world-famous Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. If you look past the novelty of being on the grounds of such a legendary landmark, as well as the additional…um, eye candy…this show still has the most amazing collection of cars I’ve ever seen assembled in one place!

The front lawn of the Playboy Mansion was well-stocked with gleaming Chargers, Mustangs, custom motorcycles and many other rare cars. The Playboy Mansion fountain sits at the center of the lawn and is the place that all attendees are dropped off to begin their night. We were greeted by an impressive collection of vintage customized motorcycles, as well as a 1959 Imperial Speedster owned by Murray Pfaff of Pfaff Designs. Though it’s hard to pick a favorite out of this group of cars, I’d have to say the Speedster is the car I’d most like to drive through the gates and take home! With its Rolls Royce leather interior, 6.1 Hemi and customized body, this roadster (which ironically started its life as a four-door sedan) certainly caught my eye.

Another car that caught my eye was a 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge. According to its owner, the car has been restored to its original glory and is completely stock. While this is all very impressive, the one thing that stood out the most about the car was its unique lime green color (the photos don’t do it justice; it’s really outstanding and unique). I was so impressed by this car, I decided to make it our November issue’s “Featured Vehicle!” (Be sure to check out the story about the car in our next issue!)

One of the coolest things about this show is that you never know who you’ll run into while roaming the car show on the lawn or the party out back. Although Hugh Hefner didn’t make an appearance, the “King of Kustomizers” George Barris, Miss Hurst Golden Shifter Linda Vaughn, “The Car Show” host Matt Farrah and many other celebrities were spotted at the party (not to mention a slew of Playboy bunnies and Playmates!)

Weekend Car Shows & Events Roundup

By Ashley Smissen , October 11, 2011 in News & Events

The annual Muscle Cars at the Mansion event takes place this Saturday at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.

Celebrate your passion for classic cars and support great organizations at a number of car shows and events being held across the country this weekend, including Muscle Cars at the Mansion at the Playboy Mansion and the Toys for Tots Classic Car Cruise at the Volo Auto Museum. Here’s information on those and eight additional shows, including the NSRA’s Southeast Street Rod Nationals Plus, taking place this weekend. More shows will be posted on Hotrod & Restoration’s Twitter throughout the week.

The NSRA presents the Southeast Street Rod Nationals Plus Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Florida. The event will feature special vehicle displays, a swap meet, vendor exhibits, a poker run, NSRA safety inspections, a screening of the film “Deuce of Spades,” an awards presentation, drawings and entertainment. For more information, click here.

The 2011 Fall Rod Run takes place Friday and Saturday in Temecula, California. The event will feature a Friday Night Cruise showcasing over 500 pre-1970 vehicles. Saturday features an all-day show-and-shine. The weekend will also feature music, entertainment, community vendors and concessions. A kick-off dinner will be held Thursday night with proceeds benefiting local organizations including The Progeria Research Foundation, VFW Post 4049, Michelle’s Place – Breast Cancer Resource Center, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Boy Scouts of America, Temecula and Murrieta Food Pantries, and Riverside County Rape Crisis Center. For more information, visit www.rodruntemecula.com.

The 2^nd Annual Bolt for a Cure Cruise Night, Car Show & Arts & Crafts takes place Friday and Saturday in Kilgore, Texas. The cruise-night happens Friday evening at Bodacious Bar-B-Q. The judged car show, and arts and crafts fair happen Saturday at Kilgore City Park. Saturday’s event will also feature music, food vendors and kids’ activities. Proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. For more information, call Lynda Hampton at (903) 988-3442 or Melissa Walden at (903) 988-3461.

Muscle Cars at the Mansion takes place Saturday at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. Over 30 rare and unique muscle cars and motorcycles will be showcased on the mansion’s lawns at this annual event. In addition to checking out the cars and motorcycles, guests also have outdoor access to the mansion grounds and can tour the game room, pool area, game house, animal sanctuary and grotto. (Check out HRR’s coverage of the 2010 show here). Proceeds from the event will benefit the It’s All About the Kids Foundation. For more information, visit www.musclecarsatthemansion.com.

Labor Day Weekend Car Shows & Events Roundup

By Devlin Smith , August 30, 2011 in News & Events

Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer. Enjoy the last few days of this carefree season at a car show or cruise, such as Goodguys 10^thMid-Western Nationals or the Falmouth-Cape Cod Dream Cruise by the Sea, both happening this weekend. Additional shows and events will be posted on Hotrod & Restoration’s Twitter throughout the week.

Historic Festival 29 takes place Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday at Lime Rock in Lakeville, Colorado. The event will feature a special display of vintage vehicles on loan from the Simeone Foundation Museum in Philadelphia that will include a 1959 Aston Martin DBR1, a 1954 Jaguar D Type, an Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Spyder and a 1934 MG K3. The festival will feature races, a car show, concours, vendors’ midway and expo and a swap meet. For more information, visit www.limerock.com.

Goodguys presents the 10^th Mid-Western Nationals Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. The event will welcome over 2,000 rods, customs, classic, street machines, muscle cars and trucks through 1972 competing for awards including 2011 Muscle Car of the Year Finalist and 2011 Custom Rod of the Year Finalist. The show will also feature vendor and manufacturer exhibits, a swap meet, a cars-for-sale corral, a model and pedal car show, a special track cruise and Richard Petty ride alongs. All years of American-made or powered cars and trucks are welcomed to the Super Sunday Get-Together for a track cruise, autocross and to compete for special awards. For more information, visit www.midwesternnats.com.

Rare Custom Muscle Cars to Be Displayed at Playboy Mansion Event

By Ashley Smissen , August 23, 2011 in News & Events, Rod Shops

Muscle cars will once again grace the lawn of the Playboy Mansion in October.

A list of the vehicles that will be on display at the annual Muscle Cars at the Mansion, which takes place Oct. 15 at the Playboy Mansion, has been released by event organizers. This year’s event will feature 28 unique custom cars and 15 customized motorcycles.

A sleek, two-seat 1959 Imperial Speedster concept car built by Pfaff Designs will be one of the cars on display on the mansion’s lawn. The speedster features a custom tube-built chassis by Schwartz Performancewith a 6.1 Hemi motor and Dodge Viper independent rear suspension, and took over 10,000 hours to build.

Murray Pfaff's 1959 "Imperial Speedster" is one of 28 vehicles set to be on display at the event.

Also scheduled to be displayed are a Playboy-pink 1967 Ford Mustang signed by the 1967 Playmate of the Year, a fully restored 1970 Boss 302, a 1965 Shelby Cobra once driven by Carroll Shelby, a rare automatic 1969 Pontiac Trans Am convertible (one of eight ever produced), the 1970 Olds Official Indy Pace Car and many more.

“This event will deliver a ‘Bucket List’ experience for the automotive community,” Lisa Leathery, event manager, said. “Great examples of American automotive muscle and custom bikes will be displayed on the lawn of Hugh Hefner.”

Restorer Profile: Using Racing Knowledge to Build Street Rods

By Devlin Smith , June 14, 2011 in Rod Shops

Jeff Spraker founded his company 31 years ago working only on race cars. Today, street rod builds account for half of his business.

Jeff Spraker knew from the time he was 12 years old that he wanted to spend his life working on cars. He’d grown up around cars—his father was a car dealer and his mother sold advertising for car dealerships. He became a race fan and worked on cars with his friends.

After high school, Spraker got his degree in mechanical engineering, focusing his studies on automotive design and vehicle dynamics. With this background, Spraker decided to start his own business at the age of 19.

“In the business of racing, it takes capital, and I really couldn’t find anybody that wanted to back me so what I did was I sold stock in myself,” he said. “We started with a few people that bought stock in us and over the years I’ve managed to buy everybody out but one gentleman who [still] owns a small percentage of the company.”

Spraker Racing Enterprises got its start in upstate New York, doing design, development and engineering work for race teams and the automotive industry. Within a few years, clients started asking Spraker if he could do street rod builds for them as well.

“A fellow approached me about doing a 1934 Willys sedan with a big-block,” he said. “That’s just where it all took off.”

Today, muscle car and street rod builds account for 50 percent of the business at Spraker Racing Enterprises, which relocated from upstate New York to Mooresville, North Carolina, in 2001 after the shop was hired by Dale Earnhardt Sr. to develop a laser alignment system for his race cars. The company still operates a small location in Schenectady, New York.

Featured Vehicle: The 15-Year Camaro Build

By Ashley Smissen , June 8, 2011 in Rod Shops

When David Shankin purchased his 1969 Camaro RS SS convertible in the Florida Keys back in 1991, he had no idea that the thunderstorm he encountered on the way home was just the beginning of the difficult 15-year journey he’d embarked on to get the car in working order.

“I encountered a typical Florida thunderstorm [and] discovered that the front seal on the convertible top leaked, resulting in a river of water pouring onto my lap and exiting through the rusted-out floorboards,” said Shankin. “[This incident] began what turned into a 15-year expedition.”

The car was in need of a complete restoration. Shankin knew he had a tough road ahead of him if he wanted to eventually have the car of his dreams, but had no idea how tough until he started to restore the engine.

“I began by pulling the engine, only to find that a worn-out timing chain had created a hole in the exterior cover,” he said.

Fortunately for Shankin, things with the restoration got better. With the help of many friends and local shops, Shankin began the exhaustive build, giving the car a brand-new suspension system, a Baer brake track system, and a customized and amped-up factory LT1 engine.

California Automotive Museum to Offer Model T & Muscle Car Classes

By Ashley Smissen , May 10, 2011 in News & Events

The California Automobile Museum will host three workshops designed to teach both teens and adults about building and maintaining classic cars.

The first workshop, Auto 101, will take place this Saturday, May 14 from 9 a.m. until noon at the Sacramento, California-based museum. The three-hour workshop is designed for students ages 14–16 and an adult buddy. The workshop will include an audio/visual presentation and hands-on demonstrations that will focus on automotive safety, basic maintenance and simple repairs.

The class is $25 per child/adult pair, $20 per pair for museum members. This workshop meets auto-related patch/badge requirements for Boy Scouts (ages 14 and older) and Junior Girl Scouts, according to the museum.