You may be familiar with the expression “like a bat out of hell” to refer to something moving wildly and out of control. In this case, this 1970 Plymouth Cuda moves like a “fish out of hell!”
We spotted this 1970 Plymouth Cuda nicknamed “Hellfish” on display at SEMA 2014, mere steps away from its cousin, the 1968 Charger. Like the Charger, this car was also built by The Roadster Shop, who seem to be up to their ears in vintage Mopars lately.
The Dodge Charger is one of the great legendary muscle cars of the 1960s. Though it looks like a muscle car on the outside, this Charger is actually a high-powered supercar in disguise!
The guys at The Roadster Shop have transformed this American muscle car into a wolf in sheep’s clothing! Under the hood is a V10 engine from a Dodge Viper, breathing through twin turbochargers and pumping out an incredible 1,300 horsepower.
As with clothing and music, cars are also subject to generational fads in taste. One of the more popular looks right now is cars that are “murdered out.” This look involves a black car with black wheels and tires, dark tinted windows, tinted taillight lenses, and the removal of all trim, badging, and emblems. This gives the car a sinister look that is very en vogue right now.
This 1968 Mustang GT seems to have been built to rebel against the murdered out look! This car has so much white, it looks like it’s been “Angeled out” (a term I made up just now). But for all its heavenly whiteness, this Mustang can still run with the herd.
When building a custom car, a number of things have to be considered. Will it need air conditioning? Will the suspension be set up for the street or for the drag strip? Where is the engine’s powerband? A lot of choices have to be made in order to dial a car in for its chosen application.
For most people, the luxury of owning a track-only car is not something they can afford. That means compromises need to be made so that the car can be streetable as well. This 1970 Camaro “Rampage” is a car that makes no compromises – it is a race car built for the track. Continue reading
Building a custom car is an exciting project because it gives the owner a chance to personalize it with their own style. The choice of color, wheels, and any performance modifications will reflect the personality of the owner – and no two owners seem to share the same tastes. That’s why I found it odd that STA-BIL 360 had this custom 1971 Chevrolet Camaro as a grand prize in their booth at SEMA 2014.
The car was built by Jared Zimmerman and Lou Santiago from the TV show Car Fix on the Velocity Network. Working 12 hours a day for almost five months, these guys transformed a 1971 Camaro into a powerful custom street machine. The value of the car has been appraised at $98,000 dollars. Continue reading
Steve Strope of Pure Vision Design was in the spotlight a few years ago with the Martini Mustang. He was back at SEMA 2014 with a real head turner, and quite possibly my favorite car of the whole show! This 1967 Ford Fairlane is called “Black Ops” and it was on display at the Dynamat/Dynamic Control booth in the Central Hall.
The name Black Ops warrants an explanation, seeing as the car is not painted black, but rather, a very pretty blue and gold. The concept for this car was to build an “experimental” racer as it might have been built back in the late 1960s. It is not based on any particular car that actually existed, but sought to recreate a “factory test mule” using period-correct parts and technologies. Continue reading
