Hot Rods
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.
Our first thought was to try to figure out which make and model the custom started out as. Generally, there are enough clues that can enable you to determine the origin of a custom. This one, though, was so radically modified, yet nicely done, that it was particularly difficult to pinpoint exactly what vehicle the customizer started with. The custom had all the right proportions, and it flowed gracefully from front to rear.
American Motors was an extremely conservative automobile company, happy with building basic transportation cars and small, economical compacts. When Pontiac stunned the world with the sales success of the ’64 GTO, many of the other car manufacturers also wanted to cash in on the new emerging muscle car movement. If strong-running cars could bring additional cash into the coffers, they were all for it. All except conservative American Motors, which denounced the idea of building fast cars because they wouldn’t be safe in the hands of young buyers. AMC continued on, content with building Ramblers. That idea lasted for about two years, but after seeing the sales success of the other auto manufacturers, AMC finally decided to cash in on the youth movement.
Vic, Jr. and his wife, Nancy, had been entertaining the idea of building a ’57 Chevy when they happened upon one of the most innovative builders around, Posies. It didn’t take long for them to strike up a conversation, and right then the plans were set into motion. While the challenges of being located on opposite sides of the country could have been a problem, teams Posies and Edelbrock were able to come together from the initial planning stages all the way through to the turn of the key and the first of many cross-country adventures.
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.
PRI is where performance gets honest. No hype cycles. No trend chasing. Just builders, engineers, and racers showing exactly what works when the gloves come off. At PRI 2025 in Indianapolis, the show floor was packed with innovation—but only a handful of cars and trucks truly separated themselves from the noise. Those are the builds we’re spotlighting here.
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.
We know little about European drag racing, other than our sources tell us it is hotly contested and very popular. Frenchman Herve Caen is a drag racer, and at age 35, is the owner of not one but two silver ’68 ‘Cudas. One is a nitrous-equipped 440 Wedge built by Dick Landy Industries (DLI), and the other is this beauty, a duplicate but faster fish.
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.
