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The Trucks of Goodguys Columbus 2026

August 6, 2026

Back in the early ’70s, a young car nut by the name of Terry Stinehelfer picked up a ’62 Skylark to terrorize the town in, though truth be known it wasn’t much. The $200 car was all that Terry needed, however; it was powered by a small 215 V-8, and after a few months of work Terry had a cool ride. He drove it around for about a month and had a blast, until one day some poor soul felt he needed the Buick a whole lot more than Terry did, and it was gone. While at the local shopping center in Columbus, the car was stolen and was never recovered. Terry thought it would be nice if someday he could own another.

CAT-SCRATCH FEVER

Maksimovich became familiar with the MN12 platform because parting these cars out is how he paid for his schooling at the University of Missouri, Rolla. He says that at one point he had upward of 20 parts cars, stripping them of all their usable parts before sending their twisted hulks to the scrapper. Indeed, his first car was an ’89 Cougar LS that he fitted with a 3.8-liter V-6 from a ’98 Mustang. After time, he began looking for another shell to work on, and he decided his ’89 was structurally too far gone to consider for such a project. His sister, though, had a ’90 Cougar XR7 that recently had spun a bearing.

Firewall Mayhem

Crankshaft trigger mechanisms have been used in racing applications for a considerable length of time. In truth, they’ve actually been in service for decades. It’s a simple known fact that one of the best ways to improve engine performance is to ensure that the ignition timing is stable. That’s the whole purpose behind such a system, and that’s why racers regularly use them.

Spotlighter

GOODGUYS COLUMBUS 2008

Exploring the Biggest Event of Its Kind and Loving It!

We are continually challenged by what has previously been accomplished within a hobby that has captured the hearts of enthusiastic Americans; and just when it seems automotive imagination has reached its pinnacle, we are once again reminded of an endless flow of accomplishment and creativity that stretches the limits of the cars we build.

Author

Stephen K. Anderson

Photography by Josh Mishler

11th Goodguys PPG Nationals: A Celebration of Street Machines and Rods

Nowhere was this more evident than at the 11th Goodguys PPG Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. A familiar facility to rodders for decades, and certainly one of the premier events that draws an impressive mix of cars, this is where top honors for two key car categories are decided—street machines and street rods.

Top Honors in Street Machines and Street Rods

As expected, there was an incredibly strong showing on both fronts, and while the carefully chosen Street Rod of the Year finalists were a big part of the buzz, it’s the Street Machine of the Year category we’re centering on here.

A Show for Every Car Enthusiast

Whatever your preference, and no matter the vintage, style or level of detail of the cars you most enjoy, spectators came away from the Goodguys PPG Nationals filled with new ideas, great memories and anticipation for all that’s to come as our hobby continues to evolve.

2008 STREET MACHINE OF THE YEAR

The year’s Street Machine of the Year awards went to the Chevys, as two ’69 Camaro coupes, a ’68 and a ’69 convertible and a ’70 Nova made it to the finals. And while visual appeal still accounts for most of the points, the autocross certainly weighed in on the results.