Super Cars

The line between reality and fantasy seems to be getting thinner and thinner. I realized this while playing the newest version of Forza on an Xbox One gaming system. The experience of “driving” the virtual car was so realistic. Where I was playing had the whole control deal, too, with an actual racing seat and force-feedback steering wheel. Even the pedal arrangement and shifter (paddle shifters) felt right and the physics of how the pixelated car responded were realistic. Hit a rumble strip and you could feel it through the steering wheel. And this wasn’t even close to some of the higher-end setups out there where the whole seat is on a gimbal that pitches and yaws in sync with the screen so your brain is even more convinced it’s…

At the time, Gurney was in the thick of his Formula 1 career. He believed that the Impala SS, with just a few choice modifications, could successfully take on the Jaguar sedans competing in British saloon races of the time—saloon being the British word for sedan and not some pub crawl. This was the first year Chevrolet offered the 409 in the Imp—rated at 360 hp and 409 lb-ft of torque using a single four-barrel carburetor— and for the most part it was left alone. Local high-performance guru Bill Thomas and Bill Fowler just tore the engine down, inspected it, returned all clearances to stock spec, and then reinstalled it in front of the car’s aluminum four-speed gearbox. “Even the jets in the stock four-barrel carburetor were left untouched,” wrote…

The Chevy Vega is an underutilized platform that has a lot of performance possibilities. Sure, in stock, grocerygetter form it’s nothing to write home about, but its diminutive size makes for a car with a lot of handling potential. These facts weren’t lost on David Carroll, who decided that it would be the perfect jumping off point for a badass Pro Touring project. Of course, he first needed a clean starter car. As David told us, “The Vega was located in Laramie, Wyoming, and was completely rust free. It came with a partial Vortec V-6 conversion, tons of parts, and a straight body for $1,500, with another $500 to ship it to California.” From the factory the Vega tipped the scales at just under 2,500 pounds, which makes it perfect…

One might think that a life immersed in the world of European cars might negate one’s ability to appreciate 1960’s American muscle, let alone build a classic muscle car without ruining it completely. Right? Well, if you were in the majority of muscle car fans that would agree with that assumption, you are dead wrong. Sorry. Now turn that frown upside-down and take in the masterpiece that is this 1967 Chevelle. This rip-roaring ’67 was built by the fine fellows at Roadster Shop, but inspired by Tom, a guy who grew up selling aftermarket parts for, owning, and driving nothing but European cars. “While I loved the styling of a lot of classic muscle cars, the idea of a carburetor and old suspension technology was just a huge turnoff, and…

Over the years, Shawn Steeber has had the pleasure of owning a pleasant array of classic muscle cars, including a Mustang, a Camaro, a ’56 Chevy, a Ranchero, and a 1965 two-door Nova. Shawn let out a loud yawn as he listed off all the boring cars he’s owned. Well, not really, but a few years ago he decided it was time to change it up. He wanted “something different than everyone else has out there.” So what did he get? He found himself a four-door 1962 Chevy II Nova station wagon. Living in Westminster, California, Shawn was smack-dab in the middle of Southern California, giving him plenty of options when looking for his ideal wagon. The Craigslist hunt began and he searched until he found this ’62 Nova just…

What’s your dream car? For Steve DeMarco, he longed for an original Yenko Camaro—a car many aspire to own. But, let’s put things into perspective. In 2014, an original Yenko sold for $220,000 at Barrett-Jackson, when the median home price in America was $188,900. The poster of your dream car hanging idle on your wall is often as close as it gets for most of us—the reality we succumb to, even as adults. But when a true hot rodder can’t afford one, he simply builds it all his own. Enter the 1967 DeMarco Supercar. Even from afar it doesn’t closely resemble an original Yenko, and Steve certainly wasn’t attempting to pass it off as a Sunday-cruise-in clone. The badges hidden in the paint are hard to spot unless the sunlight…