Firebird, Speedworld Dragstrips to Close Down

If you follow us on Twitter, you may have seen the article that was posted last week about Speedworld Motorplex closing its doors. The multi-use facility was one of two quarter-mile drag strips in the Phoenix area and also featured a motocross course, BMX track, paintball park, and a sand drag/mud bog course.

Now, I have received news that Phoenix’s other dragstrip at Firebird Raceway in Chandler will also be closing in March 2013. The track owners cite the end of their contract with the Gila River Indian Community as the reason for the closure.

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SEMA 2012: Chevrolet 2012 COPO Camaro

The 1960s were unquestionably the golden era of muscle cars. Federal Crash Test Standards and the Oil Crisis of 1973 had not yet rained on everyone’s parade, and the Big 3 American automakers (Ford, GM, and Chrysler) were engaged in a horsepower war with each company trying to one-up each other.

During this time car manufacturers were basically selling full-on race cars to the public. The Plymouth Hemi Cuda, Dodge Charger R/T, Plymouth Superbird, Pontiac GTO “Judge”, Oldsmobile 442, Camaro ZL1/Z-28/SS, Shelby GT500KR, and the Ford Torino Talladega all packed monsterous engines that were often underrated in terms of true power output.

One muscle car from this era that is not often mentioned is the Central Office Production Order Camaro, or “COPO Camaro.”

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Kaiser Manhattan 2-Door Sedan

I spotted this gorgeous Kaiser Manhattan 2-door sedan at a church car show in Glendale, Arizona in 2009. Kaisers were produced after World War II and are notable for being the first production passenger cars to offer supercharging (beginning in 1954).  Kaiser and Willys-Overland merged in 1953 and stopped making passenger cars in 1955.

As you can see, the deep cherry color of this car is very vibrant even in this crappy cell phone picture I took. If you look closely, you can see the ghost flames on the car’s front fenders.

From this angle, we have a few more clues that this Manhattan isn’t exactly stock. The wide rear tires and monster tach on the dash indicate that this car may have undergone a performance rebuild. I wish I had more details about it, but sadly I do not.

Bonus: The gold colored car in the background of the first picture is a Frazer Vagabond, a sister marque of Kaiser.

Ford Mustang GT 5.0 Supercharged Photos

Each month, there is a car show in Scottsdale, Arizona called Cars and Coffee. The show primarily features exotics such as Lamborghinis, Ferrarris, Porsches, Aston Martins, and other cars with very large price tags. However, the show is open to any type of vehicle.

Last month, this goregeous Fox-body Ford Mustang caught my eye. Take a gander at the photos of this supercharged black beauty!