Hot Rod October 2022

@john.mcgann ❱Last month, I pondered the question if a Volvo could be a hot rod. This month, people are no doubt asking what an airplane is doing on the cover of HOT ROD. I think that is an easier case to make. It’s a home-built aircraft with a supercharged big-block Chevy crammed within the cowling. It’s pretty crazy. Lots of people asked me how I found out about Rod Bower’s Stewart S-51 replica, and the answer is simple: social media. One of my saved searches on Instagram is #bigblockchevy, so I generally see most things with that hashtag. The plane piqued my curiosity immediately, and I couldn’t believe it was here in California, just a few hours north of me. It took some coordinating, but we were able to schedule a photoshoot…

20 Years Ago October 2002: 116 pages, $4.99 HOT ROD Power Tour coverage dominated the October issue 20 years ago. By 2002, the Power Tour had grown into the huge, sponsored trip that it thankfully remains today. The trip went from Lincoln, Nebraska, to Pontiac, Michigan, with stops in Kansas City, St. Louis, Louisville, and Columbus in between. It was a trip of more than 1,600 miles and 535 Long Haulers made the entire journey, with thousands more joining the trip for a day or two. The trip was documented over 17 pages in this issue, as well as on Speed Channel on cable TV and online at hotrod.com—a true multi-media experience, even back then. Look for this year’s Power Tour coverage in next month’s issue. After the road trip coverage, Editor…

❱Think of this as a double dose of nostalgia. We’re looking back 43 years at an event that itself looked back to its earliest days. The 1979 NHRA U.S. Nationals marked 25 years since the association’s first national drag meet, held in Great Bend, Kansas, in 1955. Dubbed “The Big Go” by HRM staff in the day, the Nationals changed venues several times before landing in Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1961, where it’s been ever since. “To drag racing people, NHRA’s Indy orgy is the ultimate annual indulgence, one solid week of Hot Rod Heaven on earth,” Feature Editor Dave Wallace wrote in his November 1979 coverage, “Silver Nationals.” “Well,” he added, “the 25th edition of same was something else again!” Along with the 1,000 or so Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro…

You can picture the scene, climbing into a scale P-51 Mustang, hearing the cackle of the exhaust that is close to that distinct unmuffled cacophony of a Merlin V12. Once in the air, you can narrow your eyes just a touch and you’re there—in a flight of P-51s taking on the Hun in the sun. Not all hot rods have four wheels and a steering wheel. Some invest that yearning for the thrill of acceleration and squeeze that fantasy inside the fuselage of a P-51 Mustang warbird. That was Rod Bower’s dream—to feel what it must have been like to sweep the skies of the enemy behind the stick of the most famous fighter aircraft of World War II. But with the price tag of a real North American P-51 already…

With slick features and a beautiful silhouette, the 1962 “bubbletop” Chevrolets are cars enthusiasts lust after—Impala, Biscayne, or Bel Air, the design is timeless. Add 409 power, and the desire to own one goes through the roof. In ’62, 409-powered cars were piloted by drag racing greats and were even the subject of a popular song you may have heard. Michigander Bob Phelps, now 83, had just left the Air Force in 1962 and was racing a new Corvette. Fast cars were everything to him, and his Chevrolet was a quick one; Bob won his class at the ’62 NHRA U.S. Nationals. But not long after, racing was put on hold for a while, as business came first. “I was a kid on the street. I had a ’49 Ford, and I…

Fabulous Restorations, located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has built a solid reputation for completing stunning restorations. George Haddad and Fabulous recently completed a 1966 Penske L88 prototype tribute Corvette that pays homage to Roger Penske’s first race as a team owner at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona. Prior to his career transition to businessman, Penske was an accomplished racing driver from 1958 to 1964. During that time, he raced Corvette Grand Sports, winning the 1963 feature race at Nassau, driving Grand Sport No. 004. Two years later, he secured a breathtaking Nassau victory driving Grand Sport No. 005, defeating a 390ci Shelby Cobra driven by the late Ken Miles. It was after this victory that he retired from racing. After his retirement, he purchased George McKean Chevrolet near Philadelphia, and…