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High Speed Med Machine

Starting from the ground up, Chamberlain and his good friend Owen Hopes created a new chassis for the truck using 2X4 boxed steel tubing. Since he was intrigued with the Pro Street look, Chamberlain located some of the widest street legal tires made at the time, knowing they would set the tone for the rest of the project. Almost fat enough to qualify for separate zip codes, the 21-inch wide Mickey Thompson tires were rolled into position and Chamberlain began adjusting everything until they fit.

THE REAL COOL CAT

There was a time in this country when automotive platform sharing wasn’t as blatantly obvious as it is today. Cars that shared platforms didn’t necessarily also share 90 percent of their parts and styling; for example, the difference between Fords and Mercurys was more than skin deep. So, when Mercury decided it wanted to produce its own version of Ford’s smash-hit Mustang, the company knew it had to do more than give the car a new grille. The car it created—the Cougar—became an instant classic: it shared its basic underpinnings with the Mustang, but no sheetmetal.

TO 468

Camaros are nothing new for Steve Felthousen. His father is an avid car collector and counts a ’69 Pace Car among his collection. In high school, Felthousen drove a ’73 Z28, and later he built a Pro Street ’69. Just to show how diverse his interests are, he also drove a ’69 Chevelle SS 396. But he soon began looking for another Camaro, and he knew he wanted a first-generation model.

FLAGGING A DEAD HORSE

Many times you can tell a true enthusiast by exactly how bad of a car they’re willing to start with in their overall quest to build a project car. Those who truly love cars get excited by the car itself, and they’re willing to start with almost nothing, as long as the car represents what they want after the build is complete.

SUBTLY SLICED

Subtle is a term that doesn’t describe many hot rods, as most of them use bright paint and loud engines to stand out in the crowd. The new wave of high-end hot rods, however, often use softer colors and more elegant themes to make an outstanding statement. Doug Hoppe’s ’35 Ford coupe is a fine example of a subtle yet radical rod, and the crew at Lakeside Rods and Rides did an amazing job with the extensive metalwork, paint and final assembly. Lakeside Rods and Rides is notorious for elegant street rods, including this year’s America’s Most Beautiful Roadster, and the guys in the shop know exactly what it takes to build a jaw-dropping car.

BARKER WITH A BITE

When a good portion of your life has been immersed in Pro Mod, Pro Stock, Top Sportsman and other forms of drag racing, it’s likely those interests will carry over to other, similar interests. And so it is that many legendary racers end up building what often turns out to be milder versions of the vehicles and engines that were so instrumental in their lives. Just imagine the knowledge they could apply.

POPP TOP

“There’s no better sound than the high-winding pitch you get from a Kenne Bell supercharged 5.0L engine,” said Kevin Popp, a computer programmer and systems support specialist from Aurora, Colorado. And he should know; he owns one. We couldn’t agree more. The package makes very good sense, and we’re sure that once Popp gets to see his purple-flamed ’95 Mustang GT ragtop featured here, he’ll forgive the corny play on words for the sake of our article.

DRIVING A DREAM

It’s often said that perception is reality, and yet our perception varies greatly depending on our vantage point. As children, our hopes and dreams often seem so far off, almost beyond reach. As parents, it seems as if our children and the dreams we have for them come overnight, passing as if in fast-forward, and yet there is middle ground.

BUTCH

Back in the ’60s, a youthful Barry Wallner was well known in and around Illinois for his modified ’57 sedan delivery. It was a tough competitor at the local dragstrips, but time took its toll, and most of the dragstrips have disappeared, giving way to housing and shopping-center developments and industrial complexes. But this hasn’t stopped Wallner, who was an adept restorer. So, from the late-’60s through the mid-’90s, he has gone on with other ’57 Chevys to win top show awards.

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