The Test Car
June 7, 2024
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Celebrating the Life of Marla Moore
June 22, 2025
Hot Boats at the Grand National Roadster Show 2025
February 14, 2025
THE SNOWBALL EFFECT
The Fox-body Mustang is undoubtedly becoming one of the most popular Fords of all time, and the abundance of aftermarket components is its main attraction. Every aspect of the ’79-’93 Mustang is upgradeable, and whether you want a killer street car or an all-out drag car, the Fox-body Mustang proves to be a great platform for all kinds of performance goals. B.C. Happach of Pekin, Illinois, recognized this great potential and bought a ’91 Mustang hatchback back in March 1996. Small upgrades here and there, including a NitrousWorks plate kit, gave Happach a street-friendly Mustang that consistently ran in the high 12s with the stock suspension.
Hot Four Cylinder
With the advent of the old-time roadster popularity rearing its head again, and with the ever-increasing price of gasoline, we suspect that you will be seeing more and more of these little engines in creatively altered hot rods. We know of a few being done right now, and we will be bringing those to you just as soon as they hit the road. But in the meantime, here’s a piece that took a lot of time to assemble and research, so we thought that those of you looking for alternative powerplants would enjoy this neat solution for the right, light car.
ARTISTIC EXPRESSION
Boyd’s Automotive Illustrator Todd Emmons is a talented guy. After all, as an automotive illustrator he makes his living transforming Boyd Coddington’s ideas into two-dimensional splendor, and when he wears his graphic artist hat, he designs the ads and catalogs for Coddington’s operation as well. So it should come as no surprise that Emmons would display a definite flair when it came to building a ride of his own. The only surprise is that he decided to channel that talent into building a pickup truck. Not that we’re complaining, mind you. As truck enthusiasts, we love the idea that high-end talents are turning their eyes toward pickups. In the case of Emmons, his muse is this outstanding ’74 Chevy C10.
Spotlighter
The Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion Hits New Heights
Mud, Muscle, and Memories: Highlights from the 2025 Jeep® Invasion
The 2025 Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion stormed into Pigeon Forge with record-breaking energy. What began a few years ago in Townsend, Tennessee, with only 165 Jeeps has transformed into a jaw-dropping three-day spectacle at the LeConte Center. This year’s Invasion, held August 21–23, 2025, drew an unbelievable 50,000+ attendees, filling the town with the rumble of engines, the shine of custom builds, and the unmistakable buzz of Jeep® culture at its peak.
Author
The Auto Builder Staff
Photography by Scott Killeen
A Celebration of the Jeep® Lifestyle
Inside and outside the LeConte Center, attendees explored wall-to-wall custom Jeeps, cutting-edge aftermarket gear, and game-changing off-road innovations. Vendors from across the country packed the show floor, showcasing everything from hardcore lift kits to the latest lighting tech. The atmosphere was electric as families, Jeep clubs, and first-timers all came together to celebrate the adventurous spirit that makes the Jeep® lifestyle so addictive.
Trail Thrills at Mountain Mile
If the show floor was the heart of the Invasion, the 7th Annual Jeep® Trail Course at Mountain Mile was the adrenaline shot. Nearly 80 acres of Smoky Mountain terrain — twists, climbs, steep descents, and epic overlooks — put Jeep® rigs through their paces. It was stock-friendly but still wild enough to test skills, proving that adventure doesn’t stop at the pavement.
Drivers walked away with mud on the tires, photos worth framing, and stories to last until next year.
Cades Cove Jeep Parade Tradition
On Sunday, the event wound down with nearly 300 Jeeps rolling through Cades Cove — a perfect exclamation point to the weekend. This scenic drive has quickly become an Invasion tradition, showing that no matter how wild the event gets, there’s always time to reconnect with the Smokies’ natural beauty.
Mark Your Calendars for 2026 — It’s Going to Be Huge
The Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion returns August 20–22, 2026, and it’s already shaping up to be even bigger. More Jeeps. More vendors. More trails. More epic memories. If 2025 was any indication, 2026 will be an off-road takeover no Jeep® fan will want to miss.
Attendees are encouraged to book their stays, rally their crews, and get their Jeeps ready — because the Smokies will shake again in 2026.
Jeep Scrambler 392 Concept
We couldn’t walk past the Jeep Scrambler 392 Concept without stopping in our tracks. This V8-powered throwback to the CJ-8 Scrambler takes everything we love about Jeep’s off-road attitude and cranks it up to eleven. Picture a chopped roof, raked windscreen, carbon fiber hood, and a bed out back — then bathe it all in a wild shade of green and bolt up 470 horsepower of 6.4-liter HEMI thunder. It’s part hot rod, part rock crawler, and all attitude, with a transparent hood showing off the muscle underneath and bronze “Brass Monkey” wheels wrapped in 40-inch tires for an unmistakable stance.
Inside, it’s just as bold. Dark leather, lime-green stitching, and plaid seat inserts echo the exterior’s punch, while a giant “392” across the dash reminds you this isn’t your average Wrangler. Add in an AccuAir adjustable suspension that lets it hunker down or lift sky-high on command, and you’ve got a one-off Jeep that’s pure fantasy garage material. We spotted it, we fell in love — and like you, we wish Jeep would just build the thing already.
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