Cars
Magna Charger may not be a name immediately familiar to most Ford owners, but if your Camaro-owning buddy beat you out at the track during your last grudge match, Magna Charger may be the reason.
The 55th Annual NSRA Street Rod Nationals brought a roaring good time to the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville from August 1st to 4th, 2024. The event, a turbocharged celebration of classic cars, drew a massive crowd of enthusiasts. The Auto Builder was on the scene, capturing every thrilling moment. In this exclusive pictorial review, we’re showcasing some of our favorite builds from the show.
It seems to more than the occasional observer that there are about five Fords that make up the heart of the super rodding and custom car culture: the ’27 T pickup; the ’32 roadster; the ’33-’34 Ford coupe; the ’40 coupe; and the ’49-’51 “Shoebox” Ford, in all of its deviations.
It all started with my buddy Dave Collins, a flooring contractor who happened to own a ’55 DeSoto sedan, complete with terminal rust. I told him I would be interested in buying the engine,” says Jim Moore, owner of this roadster. “He replied that if I would buy the entire car, he would sell me new carpet for cost plus five percent; this enabled me to haul the DeSoto hulk home and part it out without any complaints from my wife as she gained new carpet in the deal.” And so it goes in the world of hot rodding!
Although few might admit it, Corvette owners owe a deep debt of gratitude to the original Ford Thunderbird. The fledgling Vette, introduced in 1953, was General Motors’ idea of an open-air, wind-in-your-face sports car that was apparently an attempt to recreate Europe’s success with the MG. Unfortunately, the General didn’t get it quite right. The cars were equipped with the underwhelming Blue Flame Six, side curtains for the windows and an experimental body made of that new material called fiberglass, which had more than its share of production difficulties. Only 300 versions of the Polo White cars were completed that first year, and even though 10,000 were scheduled for 1954, only 3,600 actually rolled off the assembly line.
When Honolulu, Hawaii, nightclub owner Fred “Scruples” Piluso was growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he read an issue of Rod & Custom magazine that showed readers how to install a ’59 Ford Thunderbird front bumper onto either a ’55 or a ’56 Ford. “Man, I thought that was really a cool idea! I went right out and installed one of those setups on my ’55 Ford Crown Victoria. It really looked great with that ‘Dago Rake,’ that set of ’57 Mercury fender skirts and the ’55 Mercury station wagon taillights I had already installed.” For being built on a budget, it was definitely one of the most popular customs in the neighborhood for its time!
Few vehicles have done more work or driven more rugged miles than the basic military Jeep. These vehicles covered the globe during World War II, and virtually every soldier since that time has ridden in the utilitarian Jeep. Thousands were built and many were destroyed, left behind or later scrapped, so today a World War II Jeep is something to treasure.
Simi Valley, California, holds the record as having more cars per capita than any other city in the country. As a hard-core car enthusiast, I am constantly on the lookout for cool cars in the neighborhood, and since I moved to Simi myself, I have seen quite a few great-looking rods and classic cars, and I have met some really nice enthusiasts who have introduced me to other owners of top-quality cars.
During the muscle-car wars of the ’60s and early ’70s, few companies produced motors that were surrounded by the kind of aura that ebbed and oozed like a fog around Mopar. Engines like the 426 Hemi, 426 Max Wedge and 440 Six Pack were among the most coveted and feared of the era. It says something of a car company’s commitment to power and performance when a multi-carbed 440 big block is not the most wanted engine in a manufacturer’s lineup. So it was with Mopar, because for many, the 440 was the engine you got if you couldn’t afford or couldn’t find the car you wanted with a Hemi.
Every creative endeavor, from fine art to mechanical invention, requires some type of high-wire act—a unique and delicate balance between vision, creativity and capability. When the cogs align, and the elusive look rises to the forefront, there’s no questioning the purity of its origin.
