Builds
It’s a mammoth effort—building world-class street rods, that is, and to accomplish the goal generally means employing the skills of craftsmen from all across the country. Dave Tucci Jr. is one of the “young gun” rod builders on the scene right now, but he has enough experience to know that finding the right people is more important than where you find them, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves a bit here.
As a longtime automotive enthusiast, Susan Alonso was looking to make a statement with a car she had admired ever since it set off the pony car craze over 36 years ago. After all, the 1965 Mustang still has a fresh a look today, and being that this particular example is a convertible, it is equally prized for its rarity.
LEGENDARY. For something to become a true legend (which actually may be a contradiction in terms), it must survive a certain amount of time. Our Funk & Wagnalls tells us this: “Legend (lej’end) n. 1. An unauthenticated story from earlier times, preserved by tradition and popularly thought to be historical. 2. A body or accumulation of such stories as those connected with a people or culture.” Under these guidelines, the famous blue coupe on these pages is legendary by definition. The fact that it survives today perpetuates the legend.
Nick Barron is no stranger to building fine performance vehicles. For more than 40 years, he has been the catalyst in handcrafting some of the finest performance machines around, a clockwork of components powered by nasty big-block Chevy engines and outfitted with the finest in custom appointments. The results of his handiwork have been seen racing on the quarter-mile and in other tortuous events. His vehicles have received many recognized awards for product innovation and consumer excellence. With a reputation for quality workmanship, performance, speed and superior handling, the success of Hallett Boats can be attributed directly to Barron. The boats Hallett has produced over the last four decades have afforded him the opportunity to involve himself in a number of new, exciting adventures. Barron is not only the owner of this new, beautiful Jerry Kugel-created full-fendered ’32 Muroc II roadster, he is also the owner of and innovator behind Hallett Boats, a high-end custom performance boat manufacturer located in Southern California.
There’s no shortage of bolt-on parts for the Ford F-150, but very few are built with real-world punishment in mind. The Talons Garage Ford F-150 skid plate package isn’t designed to look good in a parking lot — it’s engineered to protect your truck when conditions turn rough and mistakes get expensive.
Let’s cut to the chase, because this definitely isn’t your grandpa’s set of rusty old manifolds. The HDR Sequential 8-1 Headers from Stainless Headers are a next-level, hand-crafted performance weapon for big-inch V-8s — purpose-built for jet boat and high-output marine applications — and they were one of the most talked-about exhaust systems as seen at PRI 2025.
The 2025 PRI Show in Indianapolis was a full-throttle showcase of performance automotive products, from street-ready upgrades to extreme race tech. We hit the floor to highlight the booths, parts, and builds that really stood out—gear that makes engines breathe better, weld stronger, and deliver reliable horsepower with precision.
The 2025 PRI Show just tore through Indianapolis, and if you weren’t there, you missed a full-throttle showcase of racing tech that doesn’t mess around. Builders, racers, and gearheads packed the floor, and the energy was absolute chaos—in the best way. The products? They didn’t whisper—they slammed onto the scene, sharp, loud, and ready to make your ride better, safer, faster, meaner.
Some guys love their Chevys so much that they’ll go out of their way to flush out and record every bit of their cars’ histories. Such is the case with Gene Lavine of Excelsior Springs, Missouri. Lavine is 65 going on 35. A car guy since he was 16, he served his country as a jet fighter pilot and then went on to fly for the Federal Aviation Administration. He also has a Ph.D. and now is vice president of a company that manages collections for more than 30,000 businesses.
Mike Buzzello has always liked Chryslers and once owned a tubbed Plymouth Road Runner. He lives in Omaha, Nebraska, and attends rod runs and car shows regularly with his friend Steve Gantz. One year at a Goodguys show, Buzzello saw an interesting car drive by, but he couldn’t identify it. Turns out it was a ’61 Plymouth Fury, and he could see how cool the car could be if it had all the right modifications. He searched for a clean body and came across a rust-free car from California that a collector from Texas had just bought. The ’61 Fury was a steal at $1,500, so Buzzello bought the car sight unseen. He knew the car had potential despite what some people said when it arrived at his shop.
