THE AUTO BUILDER
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RUGGED LUXURY
Cars and trucks are all about utilitarianism. Although vehicles have become status symbols, at the core, it’s all about getting people or things from one place to another. Through the years, Ford Motor Company has solidified its place in the annals of automotive history with its incredible lineup of consumer and commercial trucks. As the nameplate has been expanded and new options made available, Ford’s famed F-Series truly offers something for everyone.
Super Stock Hemi Plymouth
Back in 1965, the Chrysler Corporation took Super Stock drag racing very seriously. It was heavily involved in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) competition and to a lesser extent with other, smaller drag racing sanctioning bodies. It could be said that, without question, if you were at a dragstrip in America on any given Sunday during this time, there were plenty of winning Mopars blasting down the 1,320-foot racetrack.
WHAT A CONCEPT
After recently purchasing a ’62 Thunderbird, it became obvious very quickly that the car needed a new engine. Our plan was to turn the car into a daily driver, and so, as long as we needed a new engine, we figured we’d add air conditioning to the car while we were at it. And if you really know your Ford history, you also know that the ’62 was the last model T-bird to come with a generator rather than an alternator—one more reason to consider an upgrade.
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Best Of Show
DARA SORDANO AND HER HONDA CIVIC BATTLE IN SEATTLE
Author
Thae Auto Builder Staff
Story & Photography
HOT IMPORT NIGHTS : SEATTLE
When Hot Import Nights strolls into Seattle, typically two cars end up battling it out for Best of Show honors. Earlier in the year, Kelly Williams, one of the two competitors, took home the Best of Show honors when HIN first rolled into town. His Civic has been cleaning house for several years up in the Northwest and there hasn’t been a Honda to touch what he has built. Until Dara Sordano showed up and surprised them all— including Williams.
This young lady made the long journey with her Civic all the way up from California. She was hungry for some good Northwest competition and she was not disappointed. Going in, she wanted to learn how her Civic would fare in a new environment.
The first thing we noticed was how clean and well-built the car was. Obviously, also others noticed , because it blew everyone away. Of course, the car had to be stout to beat out Williams’ Civic.
Sordano’s Honda was sporting a complete candy-red paint job, custom body armor, slick bodywork, Lamborghini doors and 19-inch chrome Racing Hart wheels. And those were only a few of the mods on the exterior. In addition to taking home the coveted Best of Show honors, Sordano also cleaned house in the 2-Door Wild class and the Best Honda Class. As if that wasn’t enough, she also won the Maxlife award for the longest distance traveled. (In case you forgot, Southern Cal is a good 20-hour drive to Seattle.)
So, what else made this car so outstanding? Anyone who has been in the scene for any length of time knows the company STR. Well, STR happens to be Sordano’s main sponsor and it makes some killer engine parts. Besides the motor being built, her Civic also features tons of toys from STR, a full NX setup with a couple of carbon fiber bottles just for fun and enough chrome and bling-bling to be seen from space. The car is also set up on air suspension and the entire undercarriage and suspension components are chromed and painted to match the rest of the car.
The interior is decked out with tons of cool toys and the trunk is all done up, housing the canisters for Sordano’s suspension. We all know that no Best of Show car would be complete without some sick ICE and of course, she had that going on, too.
This car is definitely the real deal. So guys, get ready! We think it is a great thing seeing women building their own cars and we hope to see this trend develop.
If you think Sordano’s Civic looks good here, you have to see it for real. This car is a masterpiece and 100-times more impressive in person.
To Sordano and all her sponsors, congrats on your winnings and for taking it all the way up to Seattle for a serious battle. No doubt the Northwest bad boys are still in shock. And thanks for setting a great example for all us builders—both men and women.
