To this point in our exploration of Legends of Hot Rodding, our heroes have been powered by internal combustion engines, all those warmed-over Flatheads, tweaked small-blocks, and nitro-gulping Hemis. But this month’s subject – Craig Breedlove – took another tack. He eschewed petrol-driven piston power
If you ever had the chance to hang out with San Diego’s Bob McCoy, you were richer for the experience. You would be hard pressed to find a man with a deeper tapestry of life experiences. Throughout his life, McCoy had that rare ability to
Hot rods and rock ’n’ roll have been symbiotic forces in American pop culture since the 1950s. They go together like wide whites and steelies, guitars and wah-wah pedals. The most famous guitar is even named after a car part — Fender. And the songs? Who
When it came to Goodguys Vintage Drag Racing in the ’90s, Sears Point Raceway and Bakersfield were the two anchor facilities. It just so happens today’s rumbling is about one fall morning at Sears Point (now Sonoma Raceway) outside Sonoma, California. In addition to our full
It looks like the annual SEMA Show is all systems go this fall. Being the show will go on after being parked for the first time in its history last year, it jogged some good memories. Old-school memories. My first trip to SEMA with the Goodguys
The lowly Model T, Henry Ford’s gift to mass-produced transportation, launched millions of affordable automobiles, but it didn’t take long for hotted-up versions to appear. The early prewar days of motor racing were populated with all manner of modified Ts – lakes runners and dirt
When he was a kid, Vinny Skandunas' grandfather would regale him with stories of when the family migrated from Milwaukee to California in the 1920s in their brand-new Model T Ford. Vinny was mesmerized when grandpa would tell him about rattling along plank roads and
Ed “Big Daddy” Roth had a flair for the dramatic. Perhaps best known for his rascally rodent, Rat Fink, which served as the unofficial mascot of early-’60s hot rodding, Roth crafted a series of edgy and over-the-top customs that shook the hot rod world to
California Kid. Pierson Coupe. Doane Spencer roadster. Eliminator coupe. HogZZilla Harley. So-Cal lakester. Rides that peg the legend meter and linked by a common thread – the genius of Pete Chapouris. One of hot rodding’s premier talents, Chapouris not only transformed street rod culture, but
A while back the Gazette featured camshaft guru Ed Iskenderian as a Legend of Hot Rodding. Baron of the bumpstick, we called him. Today, Isky is 99 years old, with the century mark coming up fast. So, it seemed appropriate to feature another Isky contribution
