Classics invade modification show
Nevada’s SEMA modification show saw uprated classics push aside the usual late-model cars.
Ford F-100 Ranger
When Heath Taylor was 14 he and his dad rolled this 1957 F-100 Ranger out of a field. It had belonged to his grandfather and hadn’t run in years.
The father-and-son team worked on the car for two years and on his 16th birthday Heath had his first set of wheels. Fast forward to 2015 and he had the money to restore it fully. It’s been lowered, given power steering and disc brakes and painted Frost Turquoise. ‘But we kept the heart of grandpa’s truck – the 352 Ford engine,’ said Heath. ‘It has a motor that will chug on forever.’
Dodge Challenger
Nicknamed ‘Kryptonite’, this 1970 Dodge Challenger is owned by 20-year-old Tim Over of London, who bought the car for the 2018 Gold Rush Rally. To compete it has to average 110mph for ten hours a day over eight days – a fair challenge for a car almost 50 years old. It now has a Whipple-supercharged 426ci Hemi aluminum block enlarged from 6.4 to 7.0 litres. ‘This is a violently powerful car,’ says Brett Shank of Automotion Classics. ‘It packs almost 1000bhp and tops out at over 200mph.’
Chevrolet Camaro
This 1968 Camaro has taken Austin Phipps and his father eight years to complete in their Oregon garage.
‘It was a great experience and it’s a real fun car,’ grinned Austin. ‘It has a 383ci engine with Holley Sniper electronic fuel injection, making it capable of 500bhp, coupled with a 700R4 Hydramatic four-speed automatic transmission.
‘I haven’t driven it much because the engine is new and we just finished it in time for the show – but it’s gonna to be a blast when I do!’