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HIGH-SCHOOL HEARTTHROB REVISITED
At first, it appeared as though the bright red Mustang didn’t have an engine in it, but once the seller, Eric Rizner, opened the hood, Holden and Wunsch could plainly see that the engine had been set back in the chassis. Was this the elusive Mustang “racecar” that Holden had been looking for?
ATTENTION TO DETAIL
Ford fans will willingly tell you that the Mustang is the No. 1 muscle car built in America, but its style, affordability and performance has earned this popularity title all by itself. The 2005 Mustang GT is a prime example of Ford’s success, and it seems to only be evolving to an even higher level of popularity today. Some say the Mustang was getting long in the tooth and was becoming boring in recent years, but believe it or not, Ford addressed it just at the right time with its new retro-style pony. Maybe the Mustang was evolving too far away from its muscle car roots and Ford decided to bring it back to tighten its focus; then again, perhaps it was just a coincidence of timing.
The Year of the Dragon
Dragon Powerboats was founded in early 2002, but the first boat didn’t make its public debut until the 2004 Miami International Boat Show. “I realized there was a higher level of quality and luxury to which performance boats can be manufactured,” said Craig Barrie, president of Dragon Powerboats. This is a pretty bold statement coming from the guy who spent 16 years of his life first as a vice president and then as president and CEO of the famed Cigarette Racing Team. In fact, Barrie was instrumental in the design of some of today’s most popular Cigarettes, including the 35-foot Café Racer, 38-foot Top Gun, 42-foot Tiger and 46-foot Top Gun. That is a pretty impressive resumé for a guy who now plans to build boats of his own.
CROWN WORTHY: THE TOP 6 WINNERS OF THE 2026 TRIPLE CROWN OF RODDING
The 2026 Triple Crown of Rodding delivered a winner’s circle loaded with horsepower, imagination, and extraordinary craftsmanship. From a sparkling ’32 Ford roadster to a towering Squarebody Chevrolet, this year’s six top winners covered a remarkable range of styles. Each brought its own personality—and enough beautifully executed details to keep
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: HEAVY-DUTY 6-BOLT LS IRON BLOCK by SMEDING PERFORMANCE
Big horsepower gets expensive fast. Between the rotating assembly, cylinder heads, valvetrain and power adder, an LS build can burn through a budget before the first bolt gets tightened. Your engine needs a strong foundation—but buying one shouldn’t derail the entire project.
JEEP INVASION 2026: THE SMOKIES GOT CRAWLED
For three wild days in August, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, didn’t just welcome the Jeep community—it was completely overrun by it. The 2026 Smoky Mountain Invasion stormed into the LeConte Center August 20–22, bringing an army of Jeep owners, clubs, builders and aftermarket heavy hitters from across the country.
ONE REMARKABLE DAY WITH THE LEGENDARY XR-6
It was summer of 1981 when the phone rang. On the other end was Bob Juliano, calling to tell me about a car we might be interested in for Rodder’s Digest Magazine. The car was none other than the 1963 Oakland Roadster Show winning, XR-6. While the XR-6 remained on
WHEN “THE HEAT” GOES HOT RODDING
Hang out with your hot rod buddies and I guarantee talk will turn to days gone by. Some stories are more complex than others, but all are fun and most are true. Our latest Rear View Mirror takes a look at Jack Klingel’s tales of the open road. To
INSTANT AWESOME
It seems that everyone with a talent for building something is finding a career in television these days. Channels that were once dedicated to the preservation of rainforests and historic perspective have turned their attention to various forms of reality shows centered on street rods, choppers and wicked creations that
HOT ROD POWER FEST TAKES OVER ATLANTA
HOT ROD brought the Power Fest name back for 2026, filling Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway with a weekend of fast cars, cool builds and nonstop action. Held August 28–29, Power Fest transformed the NASCAR facility into a giant automotive playground with drag racing on pit road, an autocross course, a huge
THE YORK BEFORE YORK
Central Pennsylvania has long been a hot bed for traditional hot rods. When the N.S.R.A. moved the Nats East from Timonium, Maryland to the York County Fairgrounds in 1975, the town of York, and the associated York County Fairgrounds became synonymous with the NSRA Nats East. But wait, there
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Stainless Headers MFG’s Ceramic Coating Service Has You Covered
There are plenty of jobs you can tackle in your own garage. Professionally ceramic coating a set of headers probably shouldn’t be one of them. Sure, you can buy products that promise a ceramic-like finish at home, but getting the kind of results you’d expect on a professionally built car
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Dynamat Xtreme Mega Pak
You can spend serious money on the engine, paint, upholstery and audio system—but if the finished vehicle still rattles, buzzes and sounds like an empty drum, it isn’t really finished. The Dynamat Xtreme Mega Pak is the company’s largest pack of Dynamat Xtreme, the industry-leading sound-deadening material it introduced in
