custom suspension
The Lexus IS300 is not only stylish in its outside appearance, but because of its acceptance as a true sports sedan by most tuner enthusiasts, it’s a desirable starting base for creating a potent street performer. This RWD Lexus is factory-fitted with the rugged 2JZ-GE 3.0L DOHC inline V-6 engine, as used in Toyota Supra models in past years and updated with VVT-i Variable Valve Timing. It also features double wishbone front and rear suspension systems, as equipped from the Toyota factory. A limited-slip differential option helps put the power to the ground, and the edgy Lexus body produces an impressive 0.29 coefficient of drag. This is definitely a slippery package with both good looks and ample performance.
Gil Palmer just loves cars, trucks, and motorcycles. He’s owned more than 100 miscellaneous cars, ranging from ’40 Fords to ’55 Chevys to a ’70 Monte Carlo. He’s owned a few pickups, too, and this one originally came to him as the bonus gift, so to speak, in a trade of his ’32 Ford Cobo Hall winner for a motorcycle at the Detroit Autorama. The ’57 Cameo that he received in the trade had an entire ’55 front end on it, and because of that, everyone thinks it’s a ’55. But this truck was in pretty sad shape when it arrived at Palmer’s Southern California home. Just picture this one item in your mind for a minute, and you’ll get the gist of the kind of shape the truck was in: There was a hand-painted (we’re talking 4-inch-wide brush, here) Chevy Bow Tie on the tailgate. The 10:1 compression supercharged engine would overheat in a matter of a few blocks.
Bully Dog Technologies, located in Aberdeen, Idaho, was established in 1999 with the intent of designing and building diesel performance parts that both improved performance and truck reliability. In the past eight years, Bully Dog has hit its target and never looked back in the diesel world, and now has expanded its business with the same quality parts for both cars and trucks.
Some decades ago, Louis Jackson was a lucky 15-year-old boy. He had his first car, and it was a ’55 Chevy, a car that was already a classic at the time. He was not lucky enough to have the funds or the skills to finish the car the way he really wanted—he was after a Pro Street-style car, but building a car like that is a tall order for someone still in high school. Though he couldn’t create his dream car that early in his life, he vowed that someday he’d have that Pro Street ’55.
To baseball fans, Reggie Jackson is one of the all-time greats, earning the nickname “Mr. October” with his stellar performance in the 1977 World Series. And yet, beyond his passion for baseball, Jackson has always enjoyed a strong appreciation for special cars, as evidenced by the extensive Chevy collection he’s explored throughout most of his life.
Ever since Honda released the Prelude back in the late ’70s, they’ve never enjoyed the following of the Civic or Accord. Always placed in the shadows of Honda’s two more popular models, the Prelude has managed to become known as Honda’s black sheep…except, of course, to those who dared to be different.
This 1994 Chevy ½ Ton isn’t just another slammed truck built to win trophies—it’s got a job to do, and it’s built to do it right. Originally started over a decade ago as a hauler for café racers, this single cab, short bed rig morphed into a legit Pro Touring machine. But here’s the twist: the builder didn’t want anything flashy. This truck’s about subtlety, where the real magic reveals itself the closer you get. Every panel, every mod, it’s all dialed in so nothing steals the show—but together, it’s something you won’t forget.
While it may be somewhat of a surprise that muscle cars have become some of the most highly prized cars on the market today, the prices people are paying for them really have enthusiasts reeling. With some cars easily surpassing the million-dollar mark at the Barrett-Jackson auctions and others swelling in value in the wake of it all—well beyond the prices paid for the most treasured of European exotics—muscle cars have been transformed into commodities. That’s a good thing and a bad thing.
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.
Just about any gearhead would be thrilled by the opportunity to work with legendary automotive collector and all-around funny guy Jay Leno. Dave Killackey, owner of Performance Transmissions in Azusa, California, not only had the opportunity to work on a number of Leno’s projects, but along the way he’s developed a friendship with the late-night TV host. It’s a close enough friendship that Leno teamed with automotive designer Chip Foose and his “Overhaulin’” TV show to completely transform his rusted-out ’56 Chevrolet Nomad. So yes, you did read this correctly; Dave Killackey is indeed one of the luckiest car guys on the planet—he’s friends with Jay Leno, and he owns a ’56 Nomad that has been overhauled by Chip Foose and the rest of his team.
