‘69 BOSS 302 ROAD & TRACK MUSTANG

Posted on July 2, 2025July 2, 2025 by MartynL

Ford’s new Boss, Bunkie Knudsen, fast-tracked the long-awaited ‘69 BOSS 302 ROAD & TRACK MUSTANG, Dearborn’s Z/28 Camaro challenger. Mustangs had been on two-year restyling cycles, and there were major changes in 1969. Overall length was increased by almost four inches and width by approximately one-quarter inch. Curb weight was up by 140 pounds. Leading the charge was a portfolio of Mustangs, ranging from the Boss 302, above, photo by Stuart Schorr, to the R-Code 428 Cobra Jet Ram...

CHRYSLER 300: LETTER SERIES SUPERCARS

Posted on June 19, 2025June 19, 2025 by MartynL

Chrysler jumped on the performance bandwagon in 1955 with its 300-horsepower C-300, kicking off a decade of CHRYSLER 300: LETTER SERIES SUPERCARS. Chrysler’s letter-series entry in the 1955 horsepower wars, weighing in at more than 4,500 pounds, could accelerate to 60 mph in the 9s and top out at 130 mph. In NASCAR competition, Kiekhaefer’s legendary Chrysler C-300s were the cars to beat. Chrysler’s Hemi, one of the most successful engines in American racing history, was unstoppable on ...

FERRARI 308 BUYER’S GUIDE

Posted on June 15, 2025 by MartynL

Hagerty’s Alisdair Suttie analyzes the ‘affordable’ machine from Maranello in this 1976-1985 FERRARI 308 BUYER’S GUIDE. One of the last real Ferraris manufactured when Enzo Ferrari was intimately involved in making decisions and creating new models, the 308, above, owned by Sarasota Café Racer's Graham Cave, bridged the gap between sports cars and Supercars. In many ways, it’s the entry-level or Junior Supercar that Tom Selleck turned into the true star of TV’s Magnum P.I. Fallen out of...

WEST COAST KUSTOMS CRUISIN’ NATIONALS 2025

Posted on June 7, 2025June 7, 2025 by MartynL

There was low & slow and plenty of go at the WEST COAST KUSTOMS CRUISIN’ NATIONALS 2025. CGC’s Jim Palam went along for the fun ride!It was hard to pick just one car that embodied the spirit and essence of the WEST COAST KUSTOMS CRUISIN’ NATIONALS 2025, now in its 44th year. But when the 'South of Heaven Filthies car club dropped their audacious Hemi-powered '27 Chrysler 'H-Bomb' hot rod right in the center of the Santa Maria Fairpark, a smile-inducing shockwave spread throughout the park's ...

‘57 FORD Y-BLOCK SUPERCHARGED MUSCLECAR

Posted on June 6, 2025June 6, 2025 by MartynL

Ford offered OHV V-8s, dual quads & superchargers; yet it was the worst of times: the AMA racing ban. The ‘57 FORD Y-BLOCK SUPERCHARGED MUSCLECAR, however, represents the prelude to TOTAL PERFORMANCE. The 1950s ushered in an era of aggressive competition, both on the street and racetracks. Ford, Chrysler and General Motors did whatever it took to lure buyers into showrooms. Detroit’s competitive spirit during the mid-to-late-1950s set the stage for some of the most exciting years i...

’70 CHEVELLE SS454: BIG-BLOCK BRUISER!

Posted on June 1, 2025June 1, 2025 by MartynL

The new year ushered in magnum force from Motown: bigger, more powerful engines, a plethora of Ponycars, and the ’70 CHEVELLE SS454: BIG-BLOCK BRUISER! In many ways, 1970 was the storm before the calm. The war in Southeast Asia continued casting a pall over a much-divided country and thinning the ranks of young enthusiasts. Carmakers’ racing budgets were being drastically cut and engineering resources reassigned to prepare for restrictive emissions and safety legislation. And, Ponycar s...

THE QUAIL MotoFest 2025

Posted on May 27, 2025May 27, 2025 by MartynL

Popular motorcycle gathering changes name, cranks up magic and allure. Jim Palam welcomes you to THE QUAIL MotoFest 2025! For its 15th birthday, The Quail Motorcycle Gathering changed its name to THE QUAIL MotoFest 2025 to attract more people, including those who aren't die-hard motorcycle fans. Early on show day, I took a quick preview zip over the manicured lawns of the Quail Golf Club in Carmel, CA, where the bikes, vendor tents, food courts, stages, and displays were getting their fina...

BUICK GNX #002

Posted on May 21, 2025May 21, 2025 by MartynL

Scott Oldham blogs about driving BUICK GNX #002, the first GNX to be involved in a traffic accident! In 1987, I was handling East Coast media relations for Buick Motor Division, wrote the BUICK GNX book that went with each of the 547 GNXs, and had the second production GNX (#002) in my New York City press fleet for a few months. The first media loan went to Joe Oldham at Popular Mechanics magazine, and son, Scott, later to become a respected member of the automotive media communi...

’70 BUICK STAGE 1 SKYLARK & GSX

Posted on May 21, 2025May 21, 2025 by MartynL

Targeting the Olds W-30 4-4-2, Chevy SS454 Chevelle, and other max-perf Motown Muscle, the ’70 BUICK STAGE 1 SKYLARK & GSX catapulted Buick into the heat of the battle for Supercar supremacy. The ’70 BUICK STAGE 1 SKYLARK & GSX, in 360 horsepower trim, were the industry’s first “adult” Supercars. It was a powerful, high-quality, well-balanced midsize coupe (or convertible) with superb ride and handling qualities. While the GS-455 was almost invisible compared with competitive of...

HAJEK MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM OF NASCAR AND DRAG RACING HISTORY

Posted on May 14, 2025May 14, 2025 by MartynL

Some of the most significant competition cars have been carefully preserved and are on display in the HAJEK MOTORSPORTS MUSEUM OF NASCAR AND DRAG RACING HISTORY in Ames, OK. When I was writing FORD TOTAL PERFORMANCE in 2015 for Motorbooks, I had the pleasure of communicating with consummate carguy, Brent Hajek. There were several drag racing cars, as well as at least one land speed record Bonneville Mustang, that I was featuring, and needed some background and timeline information. These we...